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Greetings
Having just spent two week with Paul Born, one cannot but be excited about the power of community and the importance of community conversations. Paul’s wonderful insights on these themes were shared with over 550 participants in six one day workshops from Perth to Auckland. For those who missed the privilege, click on the following links for Paul’s two key handouts – ‘Presentation on Community Conversations’ and ‘More about Community Conversations’. Secondly, can we suggest also you purchase a copy of Paul’s amazing book- “Community Conversations- mobilizing the ideas, skills, and passions of community organizations, governments, businesses and people” . Click here for order details. Finally, click here to subscribe to his organisation’s very useful and free periodical entitled ‘ENGAGE! to create vibrant communities’.
This newsletter edition has a strong focus on the importance of community and community building
If you prefer, you can click on the links below to go direct to that topic.
Albert Einstein
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French count who visited the USA in 1831 and was struck by their sense of community. John McKnight, from the ABCD Institute summarised well his observations -
“he observed three features…first, they were groups of citizens who decided they had the power to decide what was a problem. Second, they decided they had the power to decide how to solve the problem. Third, they often decided they would themselves become key actors in implementing the solution."(John McKnight in ‘The Careless Society: Community and it’s Counterfeits,’ Pg 117)
Great
to have in Australia two great supporters of
Bank of I.D.E.A.S.Clare from Ontario, Canada was instrumental in introducing the 'First Impressions' program to Australia in 2007 - click here to download. Clare is currently in Perth for a 4 month period to complete her PHD at Curtin University.
Gordon has a long background in rural economic development in the UK and will be remembered by many Australians for his presentations in 2002 as part of an Australian speaking tour with Harold Flaming from Canada and Peter Hall from New Zealand. Gordon is also a regular contributor to this newsletter.
Click on Clare's image to enlarge.
Most purchases made through he Bank of I.D.E.A.S
on-line bookshop can now be paid for using
Paypal.
Click here to visit the bookshop
and view the resources available/While in Nova Scotia, Peter benefitted though interaction with a number of amazing community and economic initiatives, namely:
- Economic and Rural Development- Provincial Government’s policy and action arm, who have delivered a number of interesting initiatives including:
- A
‘Community Development Policy’
which
provides
eleven
core
principles
as a
framework
for
guiding,
promoting
and
supporting
community
development.
Click
here
for a
copy.
-
‘Celebrating
Communities
Conference
and
Awards’
-organised
every
two
years,
it
focuses
on
empowering
people,
sharing
and
honouring
the
achievements
of
community
organisations
and
volunteers…some
of the
categories
of
recognition
are
interesting,
including
‘Excellence
in
Collaboration’,
‘Excellence
in Youth
Leadership’
‘Innovation
in
Community
Development’
etc
- ‘Community Development Lens’- a set of questions based on the ‘Community Development Policy’ principles, to raise awareness of the impact of government and partner decisions, activities and outcomes on communities.
- A
‘Community Development Policy’
which
provides
eleven
core
principles
as a
framework
for
guiding,
promoting
and
supporting
community
development.
Click
here
for a
copy.
- Fusion Halifax - a non profit, volunteer based organisation for people aged 20 to 40 years . It is about making Halifax a priority destination for young people looking for a place to live and work. Its initial focus has been on progressive downtown development, employment growth and sustainable transport. Currently it has Action Teams in sustainability, Health and Wellbeing, Diversity, People Factor, Urban development and Arts and Culture. It has mobilised 2,400 members. It is the type of organisation every community needs.
Click
here
for more
details.
- Novaknowledge - is a member-based organization dedicated to the development of a flourishing, sustainable knowledge economy in Nova Scotia. It seeks to achieve this through raising awareness, promoting change and stimulating action. By a knowledge economy , Novaknowledge refers to
“an economy that is an export-oriented , based on the addition of knowledge, creativity and technology to products and services. Innovation is key to achieving this”.
Click here
for more
details.
- The Hub – located in downtown Halifax, the Hub is an interesting shared workspace venture which offers flexible and interesting spaces for people to access a desk, meeting room or just a place to network. Click here to see the visuals.
Resilience is becoming a popular item in community and economic development circles. Probably the best definition we at
Bank of I.D.E.A.S. are aware of comes from the Centre for Community Enterprise based in British Columbia, Canada. They define a resilient community as
“one that takes intentional action to enhance the personal and collective capacity of its residents and institutions to respond to, and influence the course of social and economic change”.They also have developed a portrait of such a community with 23 characteristics. Click here for a copy.
David from Creative Communities International has given this wonderful Christmas present - no need for anymore community consultation!!
Click here to read his wonderful 10 point message/gift. His themes are:
- Abandon customer model. Implement citizen model instead.
- Create authentic place, not more plans.
- Return to incremental planning.
- Stop fixing problems and create DIY Kits.
- Establish a Red Tape Reduction Party.
- Take out the traffic signs.
- Change your relationship with developers.
- Ban red dots. Real action plans only.
- Ban public meetings. Parties only.
- Ban stakeholders. ‘Real citizens’ only.
- Build the capacity of citizens and cities to create vibrant neighbourhoods, prosperous shopping streets and magical public spaces
- Inspire individuals, communities, organisations and decision-makers to unlock their latent creative genius and to ‘think outside the box’
- Empower individuals to take personal responsibility for fixing a broad range of community issues, including traffic and anti-social behaviour in public places
- Encourage politicians, decision-makers, and city staff to stop fixing problems for the community by developing tools that empower the community to take civic responsibility
Click here to see his current services.
It has been a privilege for the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. to work with the energetic staff of the City of Nedlands on their visioning project. Between October 2010 and February 2011 Nedlands residents are being invited to get involved and share their ideas and vision for the city in a number of ways. The City is running a range of workshops, events, focus groups, surveys and online engagement activities to encourage participation by as many community members as possible.Click here for more details on the diversity of conversation opportunities.
The University of Texas at Austin (USA) and the Dell Company are searching for student social entrepreneurs to dream up ingenious ideas to change the world. University students worldwide are invited to enter the 2011 Dell Social Innovation Competition for a chance to win US$50,000 to turn their ideas into a new business or nonprofits with a mission to change lives for the better.The deadline to enter is February 14, 2011. Click here for more details.
The world is full of inspiring actions by young women and men. Recently Bank
of I.D.E.A.S. came across a great book - ‘101 reasons to get up in the morning’ - a wonderful collection of UK celebrities’ favourite inspiring quotes.You realise by now as a subscriber to ‘Community and Economic Matters’ how much we at Bank of I.D.E.A.S. admire and use quotes. We have here scores of quote books - but this is different. This is compiled by Julie Tanner, aged 12 years who wanted to compile a book in the memory of her friend Andy Ford and raise money for C.R.Y. - Cardiac Risk in the Young, a UK organisation that works to raise awareness of unidentified heart diseases that claim eight young lives in the UK each week.
Click here for more information and buy a copy and support Julie!
Fair Trade is a global movement that aims to educate and empower members of the community to use their consumer choices to the benefit of the poor.Fair Trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
Adelaide City Council has now become the first capital City Council in Australia to be granted Fair Trade status, and are serious about taking the lead on Fair Trade. The Council hopes to bring together local City businesses, schools, universities, community groups and faith communities to work together towards positive and rewarding goals.
Click here to visit the Council's website for more information, Click here to visit the Fair Trade website.
To discover more, click here to visit the site that has been established - which also provides the outcomes of the Forum and details of how to keep connected. Thanks to Sue James for sharing this with us.
Social Traders were established in 2008 to support and encourage the establishment of commercially viable social enterprises throughout Australia. They define a social enterprise as being ‘led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission with demonstrable public or community benefit. It trades to fulfil its mission, derives a substantial part of its income from trade, and invests the majority of its profits to fulfil its mission’.
‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter’
‘The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy’
‘The time is always right to do what is right’
'A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.'
'Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.'
'An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.'
'Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.'
'History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.'
'Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.'
'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.'
'I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law.'
This is a fascinating initiative initiated by the Prince of Wales . In his words –
"Rural communities, and this country's rural
way of life, face unprecedented challenges ...
the country pub, which has been at the heart of
village life for centuries, is disappearing in
many areas. Providing services from the pub,
such as a post office or a shop, keeps an
essential service in the village".Pub is the Hub encourages rural pub owners, licensees, and local communities to work together to support, retain and locate services within the pub which can often improve the viability of the business itself. Pub is the Hub assists with guidance on availability of project funding, and having a thorough understanding of the pub business, is able to advise on the best way to progress with each individual project.
Click here for more details, great case studies and their helpful resources.
An elder was teaching his grandchildren about life, he said to them- "a fight is going on inside me. It’s a terrible fight, and it's between two wolves. One is full of fear, anger, envy, sorry, regret, arrogance, resentment and ego. The other wolf is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, kindness, friendship, compassion, generosity and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you too...and inside every person." the children thought about it for a moment ....the idea of two wolves fighting inside them too...and then one child asked his grandfather "which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied....."whichever one you feed"...
Michael Legge-Wilkinson is an amazing young artist based on Lord Howe Island. He is also an
entrepreneur, both social and economic. The Bank
of I.D.E.A.S. is keen to support his innovative
approach to the arts, especially from a remote
destination and his desire to link his
enterprise to social development. He has just
launched his "Power of Paint" Tour to promote
his unique paintings, and to assist distressed
communities. To learn more.Click here for more information.
Click here to read their story - it is a brilliant approach.
Click here to read his story and contribution.
Making Local Food Work helps people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from by providing advice and support to community food enterprises across England. Making Local Food Work helps community food enterprises with some of the challenging aspects of running a business. They have a team of expert mentors and specialists who can help with a range of issues, be it developing a business plan, working out a marketing strategy, putting in place a legal structure and governance arrangement or ensuring you are complying with the latest legislation.Making Local Food Work helps specific types of community food enterprises in many ways. They provide dedicated support to:
- Farmer Markets
- Community Supported Agriculture
- Country Markets
- Food Cooperatives and Buying Groups
- Local Food Hubs
- Community Owned Shops
As English is one of the official languages in India, anybody hoping to get ahead in life needs to have a basic knowledge of it in order to access the much prized and growing service sector and hospitality jobs. At the end of this program, ILSC will help these girls with job interviews with local businesses in the hopes of them gaining better paid employment in safer conditions.
Click here for more information and to visit the ILSC website.
Many thanks to our good friend Harold Flaming, whose son Jason is a Director of the program, for this contribution.
Click here to learn more. Also, if looking for a an experienced CED practitioner , contact Peta on 0429 070 555
In addition, the Conference launched the Plunkett Foundation’s Report entitled “Better Business- Rural Communities Unlocking Their Potential Together”, which shows the value of community enterprise. It quotes the staggering statistic that in the UK over the last 25 years, 254 community owned village shops have been established and only 8 of these have closed down – a 97% success rate !! A copy of the Report can be accessed through the Conference site.
‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man’
‘Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself’
‘Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it to future generations’
‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing’
'A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.'
'If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.'
'Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.'
'The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.'
'A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.'
'Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say 'Why not?'
Click here to review their latest newsletter or check out their website.
The report is the work of the US group- Community-wealth org. Click here to read.
The SA Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Program has been named winner of the Land and Biodiversity - Preserving Our Ecosystems section of the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards at a ceremony in Sydney.
Congratulations to all concerned.
Click here to download the complete article that was a contribution from Judith Bleechmoore. For more information, Judith can be contacted at judith.bleechmore@sa.gov.au.
Click here to visit the Banksia Environmental Awards website for more details on the 2010 winners and finalists.
Click here to visit his website.
‘Somewhere deep inside us we seem to know that we are destined for something better, Now and again we catch a glimpse of the better thing for which we are meant – for example, when we work together to counter the effects of natural disasters and the world is galvanized by a spirit of compassion and an amazing outpouring of generosity; when for a little while we are bound together by bonds of caring humanity, a universal sense of Ubuntu, when victorious powers set up a Marshall plan to help in the reconstruction of their former devastated adversaries; when we establish the United Nations Organization where the peoples of the earth can parley as they endeavor to avoid war; when we sign charters on the rights of children and of women, when we seek to ban the use of antipersonnel land mines, when we agree as one to outlaw torture and racism. Then we experience fleetingly that we are made for togetherness, for friendship, for community, for family that we are created to live in a delicate network of interdependence.'
Desmond Tutu in ‘No Future without Forgiveness’
- How does youth unemployment affect you, your country, town or local community?
- What can you do to find a sustainable solution for job seekers through youth entrepreneurship? The competition attracted more than 2,000 submissions in English, French and Spanish from over 130 countries with 95% of the submissions coming from developing countries. The countries with the largest participation came from Nigeria, India, Indonesia and Kenya.
What is particularly impressive is their collection of 100’s articles written by knowledgeable people from community and academia. They cover a broad range of topics eg information on how to start and run a community group, project establishment activities like funding and finance, legal structures, communications, community engagement and detailed step-by-step sections on how to start a bulk buy program, and how to develop a community wind farm.
Their Richmond Library is a great example- besides the more traditional library services, the facility also incorporates a cafe, community meeting spaces (including the option of being able to be used outside library hours), movie and sound egg chair and the Imaginarium…..this facility was incredible – an acoustic studio with a huge array of specialized equipment that enable one in the words of the library brochure to “lay down some music tracks, preserve history in an interview, create a masterfully designed poster or anything else you can imagine”.
Click here for more information.
The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is always keen to promote individuals and groups who are making a difference. Peter Dhu is one such character, who overcame personal speech adversity to become an inspirational speaker. Now he is keen to share his experiences and learnings and help others overcome their fear of public speaking.Public Speaking Dynamics specialises in working with the not for profit and community sector to help people be more confident and effective speakers and presenters. Their aim is to help you find your voice so that you can advocate, educate, raise community awareness and contribute your ideas and experience through confident and effective speaking and presenting”
Click here to read details of his next workshop in Perth. He regularly runs similar workshops in other parts of Australia. Click here to discover more.
Creativity in terms of community dialogue is alive and well at the City of Subiaco with their THINK 2030 initiative. With the aim of engaging over 22% of their city residents in a conversation, the THINK 2030 team have designed and implemented an amazing range of activities, including a Children’s Tea Party, organisational workshops, business forums, street filming, art competition , “your Big Idea” card etc etc …Click here for more details and to subscribe to their newsletter.
This is a unique and highly successful early intervention program by the Holyoake organisation based in Western Australia, which uses hand drumming to engage participants in a co-operative group process that explores relationship issues. Structured sessions cover such topics as values, peer pressure, identity, social harmony, teamwork and emotional expression. Holyoake provides accredited training across Australia and New Zealand who wish to utilise the strategy.
Click here for more details or contact its Coordinator, Simon Faulkner at sfaulkner@holyoake.org.au.
The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. wants to salute the work
of Rebecca Scoot and the STREAT team for their innovative program. STREAT is
a social enterprise providing homeless and disadvantaged young people with a supported pathway from the streets to a career in hospitality. They operate a series of mobile cafes. These street cafes sell healthy grab-and–go street hawker food from around the globe. By the end of 2011, STREAT will be serving a 1000 customers a day, and engaging 40 young people in the enterprise.Click here to read more or contact Rebecca at Rebecca_Scott_STREAT@mail.vresp.com
- ‘Architecture is the art of how to waste space.’
(Philip Johnson)
- Ar-chi-tect – (n) ‘one who believes that conception comes before erection’
- “You have to give this much to the Luftwaffe- when it knocked down our buildings it did not replace them with anything more offensive than rubble. We did that.”
(Charles, Prince of Wales)
- "In my experience, if you have to keep the lavatory door shut by extending your left leg, it’s modern architecture.”
(Nancy Banks-Smith)
- "The physician can bury his
mistakes, but the architect can only advise
his client to plant vines.” (Frank
Lloyd Wright)
- “The architect must be a prophet…a prophet in the true sense of the term…if they can’t see at least ten years ahead , don’t call them an architect.”
(Frank Lloyd Wright)
- “Every great architect is- necessarily- a great poet. They must be a great original interpreter of their time, their day, their age.”
(Frank Lloyd Wright)
- “We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us” (Winston Churchill)
Click here to see his current services.
What impressed Peter greatly were the six HACC Service Principles that had been evolved by a steering group. Click here for a copy.
Click here to visit the Conference website
Taddy Blecher was ready to emigrate from South Africa when he took a second look at his native country. "I saw aching poverty," he said, and he made a life-changing decision to do something about it. In 1999 he and his colleagues opened CIDA City Campus to provide disadvantaged youths a chance to earn a four-year business administration degree. At a cost of just $9,500 per student, CIDA has produced 1,800 graduates with potential lifetime earnings of $635,000 to $1.5 million who teach and sponsor other students. CIDA plans to open new campuses, increase enrolment and create a franchise model called University-in-a-Box entirely built and managed by students.
Learn about his story in this YouTube episode of Uncommon Heroes, funded by the Skoll Foundation. More information at Skoll Foundation.
Double click on image to enlarge
Put simply, Placemaking is a process - it connects a community with their built environment. Every community in New Zealand is unique, and
Placemaking recognises and celebrates that diversity.
Placemaking is a bottom-up approach to urban design and community development. It ensures people feel comfortable in the public spaces they use, by involving them in the research and design process. Placemaking can be seen in many parts of a town or city - from buildings and sidewalks to parks and gardens.
Click here to visit the new Placemaking New Zealand website.
Many thanks to Gordon Morris for the following
contribution.Action for Market Towns founded the Market Town Awards in 2004 to recognise and showcase initiatives that are helping our small market towns to adapt to change and flourish.
Click here to visit the Action for Market Towns website for more information and details of the 2010 award winners.
Empowerment
”Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities and in their society, by acting on issues they define as important.” (Czuba in BPP Handbook)
Community Engagement
“The process through which communities contribute to particular proposals and policy changes. It involves the active exchange of information and viewpoints between the sponsoring organisations and the community.” (Planning NSW, 2003)
Community Development
“The process of developing active and sustainable communities based on social justice and mutual respect. It is about influencing power structures to remove the barriers that prevent people from participating in the issues that affect their lives.” (www.cdx.org.uk)
“The processes, tasks, practices and visions for empowering communities to take collective responsibility for their own development.” (Kelly, 2002)
Asset Based Community Development
“Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.” (www.abcdinstitute.org)
Community Capacity Building
“The degree to which a community can develop, implement and sustain actions which allow it to exert greater control over its physical, social, economic and cultural environments.” (Littlejohns and Thompson, 2001)
“The ability and willingness of community members to initiate projects and programs, to organise these ventures and to keep them running. This body of talent, skill and experience is at one the key product of, and the driving force behind, a community’s development.” (Social Enterprise London, 2001)
The key theme of the 8th annual conference, being hosted by Mainstreet SA, is 'Everything Old is New Again'. Case studies, panel sessions, keynotes and presentations and study tours will build on this through the subthemes of management, marketing business development and Placemaking.
Click here to visit the conference website. Peter Kenyon from Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is a keynote speaker at the conference.
Currently
the Bank OF I.D.E.A.S. is formulating a youth
strategy for the indigenous communities of
Groote Eylandt (Northern Territory) . A fascinating exercise, particularly in light of their range of innovative community development
initiatives already occurring due to a Regional Partnership Agreement between the Australian Government, Northern
Territory Government, Aninilyakwa Land Council, East Arnhem Shire Council and GEMCO Mines.A great example is the project that builds on the local community's strong passion for Australian Rules Football. It was instigated through the involvement of the Australian Football League (AFL) and the creativity of their Regional Development Manager, Rob Clements.
Click here to read the 2009 Report.
Click here to check out our gallery on rural art for other examples from across the globe.
For more information contact Lynelle at ljohnson@btl.net.au.
In addition, it is worth seeing the Departments Community Engagement Methodology Toolkit – a very comprehensive summary of all the available methodologies– Each tool listed includes a detailed description of the objectives, resources required, a discussion of their strengths and weakness, as well as references for further exploration. Click here to download.
The New Zealand Community Economic Development Conference 2011 has been confirmed for 19-20 April at the Trusts Stadium, Waitakere. The theme of the conference is
'Making it happen: from possibility to profitability' and will feature a host of leading practitioners from New Zealand and overseas.Click here for more details.
Congratulations to the Town of Vincent in Western Australia for this amazing recent publication, which is
a tribute to the early business people who created the business and often the community culture of the suburbs of the Town of Vincent. Built around 200 old photos, these type of resources are invaluable in community building.Click here to purchase a copy.
Incidentally, if you find yourself in Lawrence without a laptop, no problems – all the pubs and cafes have free laptops available.
Click here to read about Midland.
Click here to download a copy.
Click here to view their story.
In Ian’s words - "Today many see Do-Gooders as little more than interfering busybodies and few people believe they can personally make a difference. But the achievements of these extraordinary characters and others like them should perhaps make us think that their 19th-century dynamism and commitment might just have something to teach us in the 21st century."
Worth checking how to access the series in your country.
The
Plunkett Foundation in the UK has an amazing set
of helpful resource sheets on organising and
running community enterprise.
Click here to see the range.Recently they added to the collection a useful resource entitled "New Guidelines for Setting Up Community Owned Shops in Churches", compiled in cooperation with the Church of England, The Methodist Church and the United Reform Church.
Click here to download a copy.
Through popular demand Jim Diers of Neighbourhood
Power fame is returning to Australia. He will be here from the 15th to the 30th March
2011. If you would like to host one of Jim's dynamic events please contact Ted Smeaton at
ted@inspiringcommunities.com.
Click here for information on Jim's tour.
Click here for details on the story.
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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.
(Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Actions & Strategies)
14 Bird Rd, Kalamunda WA 6076
Ph: 08 6293 1848 Email: pp@bankofideas.com.au