| Community & Economic Development Matters Bank of I.D.E.A.S. Newsletter (May 2006) | ||
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Circulation: 3368 |
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Greetings Welcome to the May 2006 edition of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. Newsletter. Since our March Newsletter, the organisation has been involved in a wide range of initiatives within our three core program areas namely:
We hope this newsletter gives you a flavour of our involvement, and some links to some wonderful stories, resources and tools that we have discovered and learned from. If you prefer, you can click on the links below to go direct to that topic. Click here to subscribe to our mailing list, or to stop receiving this newsletter, . |
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| Quote of the Month | ||
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"We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world when half the things a person knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 - and half the things he or she knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he or she was 20?" (Arthur C Clark) Click here to go to our Quote Archive Bank of I.D.E.A.S. |
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| Stated Values / Vision Statements | TOP^ | |
During a recent to Chicago,
Peter Kenyon was impressed by the the willingness of organisations to use high
profile locations to share their values. Two that impressed Peter were:
Vision statements are powerful. One of the best we know is that of the great Western Australian community of Hyden:
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| Interpretive Plan - Claremont Museum | TOP^ | |
| Preparation of such a
document was a fascinating process for Peter Kenyon. Working with Denise Cook
(Claremont Museum) and Lorraine Fitzpatrick (Vade Mecum), the process involved a
wide range of meetings and culminated in a report with recommendations relating
to mandate, methodologies, activities, storage, funding, staffing, and volunteers. Click here to download Denise's summary of the process contained in an article she wrote for Musing, Museums Australia (WA)'s Newsletter. |
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| Youth Impact Library | TOP^ | |
 In
our last newsletter we mentioned that Bank of I.D.E.A.S. had coordinated
the collection of around 5000 second hand books
and raised funds to cover the cost of shipping the books to Ethiopia.
Thank you to all those individuals and organisations who
gave generously to make this transfer happen.
We
can now report that the books have arrived in Djibouti (nearest port)
and once they have passed through customs they will be on their way to
the library in Ethiopia.
In a recent email Konjit wrote:
If anyone is willing to become a supporter of this project, please contact Peter Palmer at pp@bankofideas.com.au. They particularly need help in fulfilling a monthly rent bill of US$350.00. Click here to contribute and to view the Youth Impact Library Photo Gallery. |
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| C.R.E.A.T.E. Initiative (Creating Rural Enterprising Attitudes Through Education) | TOP^ | |
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This is certainly the biggest project that the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is
coordinating in 2006. Funded and supported by the Federal Department of
Education, Science and Training (DEST), there are currently 24 project
sites across Australia, with up to six other schools interested in
possible participation. Click here to download a summary of C.R.E.A.T.E. The five key themes of C.R.E.A.T.E. are:
The Initiative has developed a national toolkit (worth $3000) and this was generously supported by the ABC and Tom O'Toole, the Beechworth Baker. A full range of curriculum resources are being produced. Click here to download a copy of the C.R.E.A.T.E. Journal - an example of a tool being used in the theme - 'Understanding myself and my strengths'. All the tools produced will be available in next months newsletter. C.R.E.A.T.E. is fostering an amazing set of community based enterprise projects. In the small town of Wubin (WA), their six upper primary students are producing a Wildflower Guide, while down the road in Dallwallinu, the focus is on creating a 'space' for young people and raising funds for a community bus. In Kalamunda, the state's first youth managed and produced community newspaper is about to be launched. (see 'Kalamunda Lead On' below for more details). Junes newsletter will have a full summary of C.R.E.A.T.E. activities. |
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| Bookshop: The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry | TOP^ | |
 Appreciative
Inquiry is a positive focussed operation to change that can be used by
individuals, teams, organisations and communities, through an interview process
that focuses on strength and high-point experiences. Appreciative Inquiry helps
participants discover and create a desired future based on identified strength
by looking for strengths to enhance instead of problems to be solved,
Appreciative Inquiry generates hope, optimism and energy – powerful forces for
change. Appreciative inquiry is simply about the cooperative search for the
best in people.This 'thin' useful book provides an introductory outline to Appreciative Inquiry - "for those who want to find out what it is all about before they invest the time to really learn it". It outlines the basic assumptions of appreciative inquiry and provides a handy reference section. Click here to go to the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. on-line bookshop. |
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| Willagee Alive: History Book | TOP^ | |
 For
the last three years the City of Melville and the residents of the suburb of
Willagee WA have been implementing one of the most interesting community
development projects based on asset based community development methodologies. A
recent initiative was the publication of an official history book capturing many
wonderful stories that make the suburb such a rich community.For more details contact Lesley Gilroy at the City of Melville - lgilroy@melville.wa.gov.au |
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| Asset Based Community Development: Jody Kretzmann | TOP^ | |
 It
was a privilege again to be part of a return visit to Australia in early May by
Jody Kretzmann from the Asset Based Community (ABCD) Institute in Chicago USA.
We have certainly benefited incredibly from the expertise of Jody and his
colleagues over the last five years. During his recent visit, Jody undertook a
full range of workshops / seminar presentations in New South Wales and Victoria;
and Peter Kenyon had an opportunity to work with him in the Shire of Wellington.
Click here to download a copy of Peter's presentation notes (minus
the usual images) entitled 'ABCD Experiences in Australia'.There are plans for Jody to return in early December and for the organisation of a national conference and a 'train the trainer' opportunity. Details will be made available in due course, however in the meantime, register your interest by emailing Peter Palmer - pp@bankofideas.com.au. Click here to visit the ABCD Institute website. |
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| Consensus - Great Definition | TOP^ | |
| Consensus is such an important community
building tool. This is the best definition that the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. knows and
might be useful to reproduce as a quote for decision making discussions: ‘A group decision (which some members may not feel is the best decision, but which they can all live with, support, and commit themselves not to undermine), arrived at without voting, through a process whereby the issues are fully aired; all members feel they have been adequately heard; in which everyone has equal power and responsibility' and where different degrees of influence by virtue of individual stubbornness or charisma are avoided so that all are satisfied with the process.’ (M Scott Peck, in “A World Waiting to Happen”) |
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| Useful Tips | TOP^ | |
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Click here
to download a copy of an interesting tool
'Tips For Building Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships'
produced by the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. as part of a 'Youth Policy Formulation Tool
Kit' for Middle East Countries authored by our great friend Kamel Nabulsi. Without doubt, one of the most important community development skills is knowing how to work with the media. The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has produced a useful information sheet on this topic, including an item 'How to prepare a press release' for the upcoming production of 'Toolkit on Community Planning'. Click here to download a copy of 'Tips For Working With The Media' . Click here to download a copy of another useful tool in the Toolkit - 'Tips For Maintaining Community Interest and Involvement'. |
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| Rural Development Conference - Ontario, Canada | TOP^ | |
| Recently, Rose Moroz (Western Australia), Yvonne Jennings
(Victoria) and Peter Kenyon traveled to Canada to attend this wonderful event.
Peter was a keynote presenter on the theme
'Building Rural Communities Through
Innovation'. Conference papers will shortly be available for download from the
Ontario Rural Council (TORC) website.
Click here
to go to the TORC website. For Peter, some of the gem quotes at the conference included: 'The
wisdom of the community always exceeds the knowledge of the experts'.
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| Western Australian Community Foundation Annual Summit - June 9th 2006 | TOP^ | |
 The
Western Australian Community Foundation (WACF) Annual Summit entitled
'Essential
Ingredients for a Healthy Community' is being held Friday 9th June 2006 at the
University Club of W.A. Key note speaker is Dr Geoff Gallop, who will share his
vision and ideas on what he thinks would help shape the future health of Western
Australian communities.Click here to download brochure and registration form. Click here to go to the WACF website. |
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| Communities in Control Conference - June 19 & 20th June 2006 | TOP^ | |
| Details for the
2006 Communities in
Control Conference have just been announced and this year features
bestselling author Bryce Courtenay AM, and Bank of I.D.E.A.S. Director
Peter Kenyon as two of its keynote speakers. The fourth annual conference will again be staged at Moonee Valley Racecourse, and will be held on Monday, June 19 and Tuesday, June 20 - with a special extra day on Sunday, June 18. The conference's title is 'The Community Summit. Challenging the Power of One', with strong demand for limited spots at the conference again expected. Click here to download program details. |
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| Ultimate Ideas Newsletter - Dr Judy Esmond | TOP^ | |
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The newsletter is written by Dr Judy Esmond who is one of Australia's leading experts on gaining, sustaining and retaining volunteers and is one of the most in-demand speakers on volunteering and has presented to 1000s of attendees. Judy has toured Australia, England, the United States and Canada presenting her innovative ideas. She is also the author of Count Me In! 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers, 101 Ways to Less Stress and her latest release Count on Me! 501 Ideas on Retaining, Recognizing and Rewarding Volunteers. If you would like to subscribe to Judy's 'Ultimate Ideas Newsletter' you can do so by clicking here to go to her website MTD - Make the Difference. |
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| Paronella Park - Re-opens For Business after Cyclone Larry | TOP^ | |
 Many of you may recall that Paronella Park near Innisfail,
Queensland, which is owned and operated by our good friends Judy and Mark Evans,
featured in the publication entitled 'Good Enough Never Is -
Lessons from inspirational businesses in rural Australia'
which the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. produced for the Rural Industries
Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).Unfortunately, the bad news is that Paronella Park was absolutely devastated by Cyclone Larry on 20th March 2006. The good news, however, is that Judy and Mark are both safe and that the Park has now re-opened for business. Below is an email that we received from Judy and Mark shortly after the cyclone struck which describes the damage to the Park.
You can view images of the damage caused by Cyclone Larry by clicking here and we encourage people to consider visiting Paronella Park when planning their next holiday or trip to Northern Queensland. |
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| Jurek Leon - Get Well Soon | TOP^ | |
 In our March 2006 newsletter we featured our good friend
Jurek Leon (best retail advisor we know) and his company Terrific Trading. Unfortunately, Jurek is
being treated for prostate cancer and will be out of action for the rest of 2006. In his absence, his
colleague Jan Collins will continue to fly the flag with the help of others. Our
prayers and thoughts are with Jurek and we
wish him a speedy recovery.
You can click here if you want to keep track of Jurek's progress (blog) on his road to recovery, or click here to visit the Terrific Trading website. |
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| The Child's Name is 'Today' | TOP^ | |
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| Interesting Factors on Who Generates Jobs and Business Development | TOP^ | |
Job Creation in the USA
Experimental Growth Companies (4-5% of all business) Generate:
The above information was provided within a speech 'Emerging Strategies to Building Strong Rural Economies' by Don Mackie from the Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (Nebraska, USA) at the Canadian Rural Development Conference in Ontario, April 2006. Click here to download a copy of Don's speech. The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is hopeful of sponsoring a visit by Don to Australia in early 2007. |
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| Great True Story | TOP^ | |
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His name was Flemming, and he was
a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while working in the fields, he heard a cry for
help. Running toward the source of the cries, he found a terrified boy, mired to his waist in the black muck of a bog. Telling the boy to be still, Farmer Flemming lopped a bough from a near by tree. He pushed this over the surface of the bog, and was able to drag to boy free. Mrs Flemming washed the boy's clothes while he bathed himself, and afterwards the boy departed, thanking the family profusely. The next day a carriage came to the Flemming farm house, and an elegantly dressed nobleman introduced himself as the father of the boy Flemming had saved. "I wish to reward you," said the nobleman, "for saving my son's life." "I cannot accept payment for what I did," said the farmer. "It was what anyone would have done - I want no reward." At that point the farmer's son came to the door. "Is that your son?" asked the nobleman. "Yes, that's my son, Alex." replied the farmer proudly. "As you refuse my reward, I will make a deal with you instead. Let me take your son and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to be a man you can be proud of." A deal was struck and in time Farmer Flemming's son graduated from St Mary's Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Flemming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterwards, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The nobleman's name? Randolph Churchill. And the name of his son, who Farmer Flemming saved? Sir Winston Churchill. Someone once said, what goes around comes around. |
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| Nebraska Rural Institute: September 19-21 2006 | TOP^ | |
| Planning is underway
for the next Nebraska Rural Institute.
This year's Institute will be held in Ainsworth, Nebraska, on September 19-21.
The Institute is focused entirely on rural development issues. It brings
together providers, practitioners, researchers and community activists to
network, share, discuss and learn about rural issues, opportunities, challenges
and solutions. Peter Kenyon has presented at the institute on a number of
occasions and the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has also conducted study tours which have
included the Institute. For more information, contact Charlotte Narjes via her email cnarjes1@unl.edu or click here to visit the Partnership for Rural Nebraska Web site. |
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| John Brent: Celebrating 30 Years Work with Boonah Shire Council | TOP^ | |
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Bank of I.D.E.A.S. would like to acknowledge and
congratulate John Brent who recently notched up 30 years as a Boonah Shire
Councilor. John, who was first elected as Mayor back in 1997, joined the Council
in 1975 at age 26 and has made a long and much valued contribution. The Bank of
I.D.E.A.S. had the pleasure of being involved with John and many other community
enthusiasts in the Boonah Shire through the establishment of the Boonah Rural
Economic Development Institute and the Youth at the Centre Project which was
launched in Boonah in 2001 by the Prime Minister John Howard. Click here to go to the Boonah Shire Council website. |
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| Lead On Kalamunda | TOP^ | |
 The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. in partnership with a host of Kalamunda business and community organisations is launching Lead On, Kalamunda. Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has decided to commit from its philanthropic Youth & Community Development Fund to support this initiative in its home community. The C.R.E.A.T.E. Initiative is helping implement two elements - the Kalamunda ru MAD? Day and a youth/community enterprise - 'The Kalamunda Community Matters' newspaper. Introductory workshops for the newspaper commence May 30 and workshops covering journalism, photography and business & marketing commence June 10. For more details click here. For a copy of the initial proposal click here. Since the issue of the initial proposal, a range of organisations have become investors, including the C.R.E.A.T.E. Initiative, local RSL Club, Shire, Church of Christ, Zig Zag Festival Group, Schools, and most important - young people who see it as a way to pursue personal, career and community aspirations. If you would like to make a financial or in-kind investment in the young people of the shire of Kalamunda contact Lyndsey or Peter on 08 6293 1848 - click here for more details. Lead On is a national youth organisation instigated by the business community of Bendigo, and now operates in 16 Australian sites. Click here to view the Lead On Australia website. |
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| First Nations Economic Opportunities Conference: 17- 20 July 2006 | TOP^ | |
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The
First Nations Economic Opportunities
Conference is being held in Sydney
NSW from 17 - 20 July 2006 by Indigenous Business Australia. The intent of the
Conference is to assist and promote the Indigenous entrepreneur and allow a
sharing of knowledge, expertise and insight and at the same time, offer a
comprehensive overview of current thinking in the area broadly described as
Indigenous business. The Conference aims to bring together people from a diverse range of disciplinary fields and Indigenous nations that are engaged in developing, have ownership of, or have an impact on the emerging Indigenous business landscape. The major theme of this conference is to share information through keynote presentations and interactive breakout sessions. Click here to register or for more information. |
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| Indigenous Enterprise: "Building the Future Through Enterprise" | TOP^ | |
 As part of the Indigenous enterprise project
'Building the Future Through
Enterprise' that the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. was involved in in 2006 with the
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) the second publication
'Exploring the Future Through Enterprise - Indigenous organisations embarking
on the Enterprise Journey' has now been released. Together with the Initial
Publication 'Building the Future Through Enterprise - Stories of
Successful Indigenous Enterprises and Entrepreneurs' they provide an
excellent set of case studies across the country of innovative Indigenous
enterprises and entrepreneurs.For copies of the publications contact Nerida - IEDS_Enquiries@dewr.gov.au |
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| Worth Thinking About! | TOP^ | |
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| The Other Peter Kenyon | TOP^ | |
 For
all those people who confuse the 2 Peter Kenyons in Western Australia, this is
the other Peter Kenyon - Professor
of Economic Policy in the
John Curtin Institute of Public Policy at Curtin University of Technology.
Click here for more details. |
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| Great Website - Australian Kindness Movement | TOP^ | |
 Thanks to
Lyndall Osborne,
Director of Community and Corporate Support at the Moyne Shire Council for
letting us know about the website of the Australian Kindness Movement - what an
amazing website for actions for those committed to building stocks of social
capital.
Click here to check it out.
Particularly impressive is there list of 250 kind actions. |
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| Some Interesting Information about Young People from the U.S. | TOP^ | |
| Studies in the U.S. have
shown that over 80% of all children enter school feeling good about themselves.
By year 5, that percentage has dropped to 20%, and by year 12 it is only 5%. The
cause of this staggering decline in self esteem has been found to be day to day
peer violence in the form of ‘put downs’ and bullying behaviours at school,
together with criticism by family and other authority figures. Brain washing on
a grand scale! While the education system in America has had its share of
criticism over the quality of the end product (see next page for one comment),
when it becomes generally known that many students are gaining A’s in the
subject of Hopelessness, we expect even further dissatisfaction to be expressed. The American study revealed:
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| Community Life Cycle Matrix | TOP^ | |
| The
Centre for
Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL) is based in Nelson, British
Columbia, Canada. CIEL
draws on practical experience as well as research to create and provide tools
and training for communities and organisations with the goal of helping them
determine their needs and assets, and to galvanize action. Their services are
grounded in years of research and hands-on work. Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is planning to bring Mike Stolte, CIEL Executive Director, out to Australia in early 2007. Details will be made available in due course, however in the meantime, register your interest by emailing Peter Palmer - pp@bankofideas.com.au. CIEL have produced a very useful tool called the 'Community Life Cycle Matrix' which you can download by clicking here or you can click here to visit their website. |
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| Great Initiatives | TOP^ | |
| The 2006 Ontario Award for Rural Excellence: Outstanding Youth Achievement was a group called the Weedgee Kidz Project in Caledon, Ontario - the Weedgee Kidz are teams of high school student volunteers who teach residents about organic lawn care methods in an effort to reduce residential use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Great initiative in being gentle with mother earth. Click here for more details. | ||
| David Wilson - Valued Colleague | TOP^ | |
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David is considered by the Bank of
I.D.E.A.S. as one of the world's most skilled consultants in the field of
heritage development, and its links to economic, employment and social
development.
Click here to download an
excellent article on David 'Making History Work' from the Winter 2005 edition
of Heritage Matters magazine. David can be contacted via his email
heritage.futures@xtra.co.nz. Incidentally, Heritage Matters is a fantastic resource from New Zealand - each edition is full of excellent stories of how communities and enterprising individuals are using heritage as an asset. For details on how to subscribe contact the Editor Erika Currie editor@herritagematters.co.nz. |
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| Planning for Economic Development - Wheatbelt Tour | TOP^ | |
As part of the Curtin
University planning course entitled 'Planning for Economic Development', Peter
Kenyon spent two fascinating days with 40 students visiting eight wheatbelt
communities (Brookton, Bruce Rock, Corrigin, Hyden, Kulin, Quairading & York).
One is constantly amazed at the innovation of these communities to achieve a
sustainable and positive future. Click images to enlarge.
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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 Fax: 08 6293 1137 E: pp@bankofideas.com.au |
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What a great
newsletter to regularly receive. Full of positive ideas on volunteer
recruitment, recognition and recognition.