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Circulation: 5270 with subscribers in 78 countries |
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Greetings
During the last six weeks, the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. (BOI) has been engaged in a wide range of activities related to the use of an “assets/strengths” approach as opposed the traditional “deficiency/needs” model. The philosophy framework of the BOI is based strongly on the belief that “what we focus on becomes our reality” and there is real power in using what we do have to get what we do not have. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) comprises three simple processes:
Secondly, BOI has been asked to assist the Oxford Centre for Leadership (OXCEL) and the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) in Malaysia to create a 3 year ABCD Project involving 317 rural Malaysian communities. This is the largest known ABCD Project ever undertaken . The process has began with the induction and training of senior staff and project facilitators. Check out their new website – and some wonderful photos of their activities. One future event that might be of interest is the first Asian ABCD Conference which is being organised for May 2010 in Kuala Lumpur as a joint initiative between OXCEL, Heritage Futures International and Bank of I.D.E.A.S. Thirdly, promoting the contribution of fellow ABCD practitioners like Jim Diers and Mike Green – see reference to both below and their wonderful resources that are now available in Australia. This newsletter is peppered with countless stories and resources related the ABCD approach to community development. |
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| Quote | Top ^ |
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‘If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.’ (George Bernard Shaw) |
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| Western Australian Community Foundation (WACF) - 2009 Summit | Top ^ |
 During this time of increasing need and reducing resources, it is more important than ever to work together to strengthen communities for the benefit of all.WACF invites you to participate in the 2009 Summit, 'From Grassroots to Greatness', to gain knowledge and build community empowerment towards the achievement of social sustainability in the context of WA communities. Click here to download a copy of the Summit program. |
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| Safety at Work Awards | Top ^ |
 Thanks to Steve Hall for the following. Click here to view for this wonderful collection of photos and awards that highlight the working conditions of many people in developing countries, and the risks people take for meagre incomes. The "Decent Jobs" thrust of the ILO is vital. |
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| Balibo Film | Top ^ |
| Currently being premiered around Australia is the film ‘Balibo’ – a film that shares the truth about the deaths of six Australian journalists during the Indonesian invasion in 1975. It is an amazing film that tells the truth with disturbing realism. If interested in Timor-Leste and its painful transition to independence, this film is a must. | |
| Great Idea – Edible Landscapes | Top ^ |
| A great initiative by FELDA (see
above) in Malaysia is a program called ‘Edible Landscapes’ where
residents and organisations within their communities are encouraged
to convert unused spaces into edible gardens. Neighbours have
collaborated to create edible street corners, even the local police
have converted the front of their station into an attractive edible
garden space. Click here for some examples. |
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| State of Australian Young People Report | Top ^ |
| Kate Ellis, Australia’s Youth Minister launched last Wednesday on International Youth Day this key report. Click here for a Snapshot of the main findings including such alarming youth statistics like:
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| Sharehood - Great Illustration in Social Capital Building | Top ^ |
| This is a group all about getting neighbours to talk to each other, to share resources such as babysitting, tools, compost heaps, absolutely anything and everything. Their
website encourages people to letterbox their neighbours and invite them to start a community and share resources. They have a draft letter they can use on their site. As neighbours start to respond, they join the site, listing their skills, goods available for lending, garden produce and anything they might want as well as information about themselves. They can also post forums, events and photos to the site, making it into a great community space for people to communicate with their neighbours. But it is not all online, events like picnics or barbeques are organised in order to get people to get to know each other. There are now four clusters operating in Melbourne. Check the site - simply inspiring |
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| Resource – Shifting Focus: Alternative Pathways for Communities and Economics | Top ^ |
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This free resource kit compiled by Jenny Cameron of the University of Newcastle details all the steps for using an asset based approach to community and economic development. It is based on action research with community members in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria.
Click here for more information. |
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| APYouthNet Portal - an invaluable resource on Youth Employment | Top ^ |
| APYouthNet portal provides a vast amount of information relating to youth employment for development workers in the Asia and Pacific Region.
Click here to check out the website - The portal regularly runs Discussion Forums on youth employment issues. Peter Kenyon recently facilitated a Forum on "Youth Enterprise development in relation to current economic crisis". Click here for a summary of the outcomes and to register as a member contact APYN's dedicated Facilitator, Goy Phumtim on pornpenn@ilo.org. |
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| From Clients to Citizens - Communities changing the course of their own development | Top ^ |
 Edited by Alison Mathie and Gordon Cunningham from the Coady Institute, this wonderful publication provides inspiring case studies from across the globe of communities that first build on their own assets, before seeking assistance from outside. Case studies range from the Moroccan villages that secured irrigation infrastructure with the help of returning migrants, to the Egyptian youth leaders who wanted a soccer pitch for their village , and the indigenous women’s cooperative in Ecuador that now medicinal plants. It outlines the common factors that help all these communities to mobilise.
Copies are for sale from Practical Action Publishing – This is another invaluable ABCD text. |
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| Kaiapoi Small Town Conference - New Zealand | Top ^ |
 The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is excited to be participating in this great event in News Zealand in September this year. Some amazing presentations and workshops are being provided. Interested in Small Town development, this is a must conference. Please click here for more information and a copy of the program. |
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| Congratulations Bronwyn Meads | Top ^ |
 One of the most inspiring stories of small town revitalisation is that of Bulls, New Zealand, and the way they have become the Unbelieva-bul town . It is a story that continues to inspire people around the globe.Bronwyn Meads is their energetic Coordinator, and it is great to see her and her towns efforts acknowledged at the recent Australian Main Street Awards. Bronwyn was awarded as the Coordinator of the Year . Congratulations Bronwyn. Click here to see the photographic slide collection of Bulls, and click here to read about the Award. Postscript: Below is an extract from our good friend Jim Diers who has been doing some work in India and highlights how he used the Bulls NZ story its impact. Hi Peter, The leadership training in Delhi went very well. There were 35 young public health leaders from government and NGOs throughout India who participated. What an inspiring group! They are so dedicated in the face of extreme poverty, caste divisions,and even armed insurrection. I told them your story of Bulls and they loved it. In fact, they kept coming up with new bull words to describe their leadership and the wonderful Bollywood parties that we had at night. A partial list is attached, but they kept coming up with additional words like "sustainabull." Some of the words kind of got lost in translation, but I thought you would enjoy seeing this. All the best! Jim Click here for a list of the Delhi "Bull" words. |
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| Foundation For Young Australians (FYA) | Top ^ |
 This is certainly one organisation we are so proud of in Australia, and as a youth and community development agency keen to always partner with. FYA has the mission to encourage young people to be successful learners and creative, active and valued citizens. Click here to check out their website and incredible resources. In particular, their Young Social Pioneers program is impressive- an initiative that strengthens, supports and celebrates the role of young people in creating positive change in their communities whether at the local, national or global level. FYA produce a great electronic newsletter, click here to subscribe and Join FYA at facebook here |
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| Innovation towards Sustainability - The Castlemaine Story | Top ^ |
| This community made documentary style film was launched recently in Brisbane at the International Building Community Centred Economies Conference. The film is based on the premise that it is good news, not bad news, which inspires behaviour change. It explores, therefore, a fascinating story emerging out of Castlemaine, a small rural town in Central Victoria which has been acknowledged for its broad-based leadership in sustainability by being awarded the communities award in the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards 2008. The film asks local grass roots leaders what they think motivates behaviour change towards sustainability, looks at practical examples of innovation - collaborative, community, business and individual - and offers transferable tips relevant to diverse communities. For more information, or to purchase the film ($25.00 + $5.00 P&H), or request a visit to your community or associated workshop from the film-makers, please contact Lucy Mayes 0422 243 234 lrmayes@yahoo.com.au. |
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| John Stanley’s 27 Ways to Improve Your Farmers Market Stall | Top ^ |
 Farmers Markets are now part of main stream retailing. The growth over the last few years has been tremendous. The challenge is providing the right image stall that will maximise sales without breaking the budget. This book provides 27 no cost or low cost proven ideas on how to improve your farmers’ market stall. John works with farmers markets around the world, these ideas are literally a “world of ideas”. They cover image, signage, merchandising, display and customer service ideas. In fact all the techniques you need to ensure you have a successful farmers market. This book is ideal for farmers’ market managers and individual stall holders. To order, contact John Stanley Associates on info@johnstanley.cc. |
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| Citizens Academy | Top ^ |
 The Citizens Academy is a great community development leadership initiative coordinated by the Oklahoma Community Institute. It seeks to impart skills, attitudes and knowledge related to the business of building community.Click here for details of the program. |
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| 2009 Brightest Young Minds Summit | Top ^ |
 The Brightest Young Minds Foundation hosts an annual summit in Australia for 100 selected 18-28 yr olds to come together to brainstorm and implement new social innovation initiatives to fill identified gaps in our society.The 2009 Summit will be held from 27 September to 02 October at The University of Sydney. Click here check out the Foundation's Youtube campaign for the 2009 Summit and click here to visit their website. |
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| Michelle Obamba's talk on ABCD | Top ^ |
| Click here to read about Michelle Obama's hopes for communities, about her work with Public Allies, and about her recognition of the work of John McKnight, Jody Kretzmann and the Asset-Based Community Development Institute that helped define the principles and practices so critical to building her vision of healthy communities for the future. | |
| Great Example of Use of Open Space Technology at the Local Level | Top ^ |
| The Dorsett community in Tasmania is a can do community, determined to take control of their own future and destiny. Click here for details of their proposed use of Open Space technology to generate community involvement, ideas and commitment. For more details, contact Kim Eastman of the Community Futures Network - pkeastman@activ8.net.au. |
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| This Month's Best Community Building Idea | Top ^ |
 Congratulations to the Bethel New Life Church community in Chicago for their wonderful social capital building initiative called "Welcome Home" - this program is a practical support and appreciation initiative for ex offenders returning to the community from time in jail. Imagine the long term effect of such initiatives if it happened in every community.
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| Fitted for Work (FFW) | Top ^ |
 FFW is a novel volunteer based organisation that supports long term unemployed and disadvantaged women obtain work and achieve financial independence. Established by Renata Singer and Marion Webster in 2005, Fitted for Work provides women with a free outfit prior to a job interview and upon success, a second outfit allowing women to commence work looking and feeling positive. In addition, FFW provides interview advice as well ongoing training courses. FFW has helped 2000 women, has over 100 volunteers and 1400 supporters. A great initiative. For more information, click here or check out their wonderful website. This information about FFW was discovered through one of our favourite community blog sites – Pigs Will Fly. Click here to check out and subscribe to this fortnightly electronic newsletter. |
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| Building Inclusive and Resilient Communities -brochure produced by the Australian Social Inclusion Board | Top ^ |
| This very helpful brochure was recently released by Australia's new Social Inclusion Board. It explains resilience, outlines key resilience principles and their application and provides some useful case studies from Australia and overseas. Unfortunately, the Board does not grasp an Asset Based Community Development model, and refers too much to a need and risk assessment approach. But still a useful resource. Click here for a copy |
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| Launch of Social Trades Ltd – Australia’s First Social Enterprise Development Company | Top ^ |
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In late June, Social Traders was officially launched in Melbourne to facilitate, support and advocate for the development of social enterprise in Australia. Social Traders seeks in work collaboratively with other social enterprise groups to:
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| The Bulls Toilet Debate | Top ^ |
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Click here for the ultimate toilet debate in a small toilet. Bulls is that amazing town that has branded itself as the Unforget-a-bul town and now wants to reinforce that theme. The debate is similar to that that occurred in Dunedoo
NSW when some locals wanted to build the country's biggest 'dunny' to connect with
their name. Thanks to Paula Osborn who recently attended a community workshop in Port Pirie, South Australia, that Peter Kenyon presented at, and who brought to our attention the following web article. |
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| Making Community Development Fun and Effective | Top ^ |
| Please
click here for details of a One Day Workshop Program that has been facilitated by Peter Kenyon of the Bank of IDEAS for a number of arrangements across Australia and New Zealand. To book Peter for a similar day, contact him at pk@bankofideas.com.au. |
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| BAND - Building Again North Dakota | Top ^ |
| This very useful resource involving ABCD methodologies and the seven capitals is an invaluable tool for communities seeking to revitalize. Produced by Kathleen Tweeten, it presents a framework and practical approaches. Kathy will be a key presenter at the ‘For the People, By the People’ Conference in Melbourne being organised by the Municipal Association of Victoria and the Bank of IDEAS in early December. Click here to preview BAND. |
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| Employee Share Ownership and Participation (ESOP) Model | Top ^ |
| Thank you Alan Grieg from the Australian Employee Ownership Association (AEOA) who has been for a long time promoting this ESOP and continually provides wonderful examples of its application and relevance to the Relocalisation movement.
Click here to read a great article about Margret Elliot and the community / worker business she helped create – Sunderland Home Care Associates. Margaret will be a speaker at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Melbourne in October. Whilst on the subject of Sunderland Home Care, click here to download an excellent report on this social enterprise called "Caring and Sharing - The Co-owned Route to Better Care". Click here for more information on the ESOP and to visit the very informative website of AEOA. |
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| Neighbor Power – Building Community the Seattle Way | Top ^ |
 This great publication by Jim Diers
is so readable, and full of practical illustrations of effective
community development and citizen empowerment. For a copy (cost is
$45 including postage) email pk@bankofideas.com.au.Incidentally, the Bank of IDEAS is again thrilled to be coordinating Jim third visit to Australia. Jim is currently sharing his amazing stories and wisdom with folks in Albany, City of Swan, Sydney and Newcastle. |
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| ‘When People Care Enough to Act’ | Top ^ |
 The Bank of IDEAS believes this is the best publication available regarding Asset Based Community Development. Given it’s limited availability, Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has agreed to become a distribution point in Australia. If interested in this wonderful publication, email pk@bankofideas.com.au, cost including postage and packing in Australia is $58.00 |
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| Deeping the Practice of ABCD - International Conference | Top ^ |
 This was the theme of the first international conference on ABCD held at the Coady Institute in the stunning Canadian community of Antigonish.
100+ participants from around the world gathered, shared and celebrated. The proceedings are currently being assembled.Visit the Coady Institute website for details on their availability and for a unique collection of papers provided by participants - a wealth of material on ABCD. |
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| John McKnight Address | Top ^ |
| One of the outstanding addresses at
the International Conference on ABCD was the presentation by John
McKnight entitled “Community Capacities and Community Necessities". Click here to download a copy. |
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| Made a Difference | Top ^ |
| The story below is an old story that is worth repeating: At dawn the day after a massive storm swept the coast, a man stood on a sandy beach looking out to sea. He saw the grey, streaky clouds and the turbulent waves and felt small, insignificant and alone. To his left and right on the steep wave-swept beach, thousands upon thousands of starfish lay washed up and dying from lack of water. Further up the beach he saw another man walking towards him. Every so often, the man bent down, picked up a starfish and hurled it Frisbee-like back into the churning waves. As the man came within hearing distance the first man said “there’s thousands of them you know … it makes no difference”. The other man bent down again, picked up the another starfish and hurled it far into the ocean’s embrace. “Made a difference to that one” he said. The first man though for awhile and then he too bent down, picked up a starfish and threw it into the ocean. Then another person came to help. And another and another. (Based on a story by Loren Eisley) | |
| Partnerships for Youth Employment – a review of selected community based initiatives | Top ^ |
| Just released is this ILO publication written by Peter Kenyon of Bank
of I.D.E.A.S. It captures 11 case studies from across the globe that provide useful insights regarding youth employment involving partnerships with public private and community sectors. Please click here for an example - Artisan’s d’Angkor in Cambodia which is not just providing decent sustainable jobs for young people from poor rural villages, but it is also helping to restore Khmer arts and craftsmanship. For an electronic copy of the publication, visit ILO’s website – or for a hard copy email edempdoc@ilo.org. |
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| Ian Thorpe’s Comments on Indigenous Disadvantage | Top ^ |
| Congratulations to Ian Thorpe, Australia’s famous swimmer for speaking out on Australia’s ‘dirty little secret’ – Aboriginal living conditions. Click here for an article on his speech in London recently. His words – “I am talking about an issue with a solution which needs to be taken seriously". |
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| Flying a Sign | Top ^ |
 More young Canadians with support from Youth Opportunities Unlimited in London and Ontario have produced this amazing book. Flying a Sign – is an attempt to enlighten people about homelessness. The personal stories of the young adults are told through a mixture of words, photo’s and drawings.
For details on purchasing this amazing resource, contact Steve Cordes on steve@you.on.ca. |
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| New Initiative to Provide Mentors for Pacific Island Businesses | Top ^ |
| Click here to read about a new program that will enable New Zealanders to spend time acting as mentors for new entrepreneurs in Pacific countries. Thanks Jody Hamilton for alerting us to it. | |
| Mat Goggin Foundation | Top ^ |
| This is a most interesting initiative by Tasmanian Golfer Mat Goggin. His Foundation is designed to encourage entrepreneurship in Tasmanian young people through their community engagement. Mat believes that traditionally, Tasmanian youth have had a ‘work for’ attitude, with few identifying self employment aspirations. His Foundation’s programs seek to encourage young Tasmanians to identify entrepreneurial aspirations (business or social) in the hope they will contribute to and invest in Tasmania and its future. For more details, contact Mike Crow on 04 4750 6626, or click her to check out the Foundation's website. |
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| Big Week Out – South Australia | Top ^ |
| Big Week Out (BWO) is an initiative if a group of South Australian churches who encourage young people to put faith into action by undertaking community service events during a week in January. It began in January with 15 young people. This year, 300 young people have committed themselves to the week. Click here for more details. |
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| Commitment to Recycling | Top ^ |
| Residents in the town of Kamikatsu in Japan are truly committed to waste recycling. There is no rubbish collection. Residents sorts their own waste and deposit it into 34 different bins!
For more information, Click here and here. |
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| ‘13 Ways to Kill a Community’ | Top ^ |
| During his recent travels in Canada, Peter Kenyon had the privilege and pleasure of sharing a meal with a dynamic young rural politician in Alberta called Doug Griffiths. Representing the Battle River / Wainwright Constituency, Doug has a national reputation for his creativity and commitment to rural renewal. He has given a wonderful speech entitled ’13 Ways to Kill a Community’.
Click here to obtain a copy. |
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| Social Enterprise World Forum | Top ^ |
| Social Traders and Social Ventures Australia are co-hosting the 2009 Social Enterprise World Forum in Melbourne, 6-8 October, 2009. This is a significant event and will have a strong emphasis on explaining the role of social enterprise in the development of social environmental and economic sustainability. Click here for more details. |
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| ‘Culturally Speaking’ - 2 Day Public Workshop | Top ^ |
| This course is designed to promote effective communication across cultures, break down perceived barriers, build trust between individuals and organisations, and strengthens relationships. Click here to download more information. |
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| ru MAD? and 8 Keys to MADness | Top ^ |
 ruMAD? is a toolkit that enables young people to lead social change and become active citizens. It is focused on values and led by students but benefits the whole community.Click here to download a copy of 8 keys to MADness. |
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| Youth Action Conference - 14th - 15th October 2009 | Top ^ |
| The Youth Action Conference is a
free event being held 14th-15th October 2009 and the program look fantastic! This inspiring event is being hosted by the Foundation for Young Australians who will be showcasing a number of fantastic young change-making stories and amazing organisations that spend their lives changing the world. This year’s conference has four aims:
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| Mailing List | Top ^ |
| Since our last Newsletter, Bank of I.D.E.A.S. welcomes new subscribers from Bahrain, Canada, Dominican Republic, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu and from all Australian states and territories. In total, the Newsletter is now read by people in 78 different countries. | |
| Copyleft Policy | Top ^ |
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Below is the copyleft statement regarding the use of Bank of I.D.E.A.S. resources. Copyleft Policy Resources of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S., either in full or in part, can be copied, quoted, reprinted, given away or circulated. Parts may be torn out, extracted and enhanced. In short, all resources are public property. Please use in any way to build the skills and knowledge of citizens in building healthier communities and more vibrant local economies. | |
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Bank of I.D.E.A.S. |
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(Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Actions & Strategies) 14 Bird Rd, Kalamunda WA 6076 Ph: 08 6293 1848 Fax: 08 6293 1137 E: pp@bankofideas.com.au |
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