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Greetings
Fundamental to the creation and operation of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is two beliefs; namely:
Fundamental to the creation and operation of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is two beliefs; namely:
- Ideas are the growth engines of the future, so nourishing of communities where ideas and creativity can generate and flourish is essential for effective community building and local economic development.
- "The wisdom of local people always exceeds the knowledge of the experts". Thus this organisation believes that community building does not start with answers from experts and professionals , but learning conversations where discoveries are made about what local people care about, what they are proud of, how they see their situation and futures, what have have to contribute and what they believe is possible.
(The Memphis Manifesto - Building a Community of Ideas)
This year there will be outstanding keynote speakers from Canada, USA and New Zealand and a record number of practical skill workshops including a special strand featuring youth facilitators. On the two days prior to the Conference a set of 4 special one day workshops will be held.
Jane Leonard, most recently executive director of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission,
President of the Minnesota Rural Partners Inc., and a co-coordinator of the annual Freeman Forum with the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, is planning a three-month learning expedition to Australia, January through March 2010.For 25 years, Jane’s work has focused on community and rural economic development, with emphasis on community informatics and entrepreneurship, with public, private, and non-profit organizations. Jane’s current work as strategic coordinator for the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board and consultant to the Minnesota Learning Commons – an online network for public education, give her a chance to help align youth and workforce development with lifelong learning policy and infrastructure.
She will combine all these perspectives to share ideas and document the work of Australian community and economic development organisations that are creating local, regional, and national environments that encourage and support innovation, entrepreneurship and diverse enterprise development, in rural and urban settings.
Anyone wishing to catch with Jane during her travels can contact her at jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org. Click here to download Jane's short bio data and Click here to visit the Minnesota Rural Partners Inc. website.
Peter Kenyon will be a key note presenter at Parks and
Leisure Australia 2009 National Conference being held in Darwin (NT)
13-16 September 2009. Peter will also be facilitating a workshop
entitled “Making Community Development Fun and Effective”.Click here for more details.
Thanks to Paul Born for this great poem from Margaret Wheatley. Paul suggests that all of us engaged in community building should carry a copy of this poem in our own hand writing.
Turning to One Another (by Margaret Wheatley)
‘There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Ask “What’s possible?” not “What’s wrong?” Keep asking.
Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams. Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don’t know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised.
Treasure curiosity more than certainty.
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what’s possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.
Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.
Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world.
Rely on human goodness. Stay together’.
‘Good Enough, Never Is - lessons from inspirational businesses in rural Australia’ - delivers the stories and lessons from ordinary rural people who dared to be different and have dared to become out-of-the ordinary rural entrepreneurs.
Small Town Renewal – the stories of 14 small towns in Australia who have demonstrated that survival is not related to location, but more due to mindset, local leadership and community entrepreneurship.
Click here for more details.
"Get Dotted" is all about removing the communication confusion from the lives of all. It is one of the hottest new community development tools to hit the Planet! This process is being introduced and facilitated by Amy Scott - former criminal lawyer turned community developer. Amy is described as "a human dynamo from Central Otago, New Zealand this young woman who cannot drive a tractor , but can talk, will entertain and inspire".For more details check out Amy's website and click here for her bio data.
If interested in hosting a workshop during Amy's December visit to Australia, contact Peter Kenyon at pk@bankofideas.com.au.
Fairbridge is a unique youth charity that owns a nationally listed heritage village and utilises this heritage and tourism asset to support a wide range of innovative youth development programs especially at risk young people.
Click here for more details on Fairbridge or read the cases study from Bank of I.D.E.A.S. “Good Enough , Never Is" publication which can be purchased from our on-line bookshop.
For a great illustration of the concept of "Matched Grants" in operation check their use by the Cleveland Foundation in the USA. Click here to their website. Neighborhood Connections has supported 900 grassroots projects over the last six years.
Barry Green of Western Tourism provides some excellent websites related to rural economic development.
Check out his informative websites on farmer markets and farm accommodation.
Lord Atkins was the fifth speaker after a dinner and had to reply on behalf of the guests. All four previous speakers had gone on beyond their allocated time and the hour was very late. He rose and said, "Ladies and gentlemen it is very late, I have two after hours speeches, a long and a short one, I propose to give both, the short one is thankyou, the long one is thankyou very much". he then sat down.
A rather easy going business person once gave an after dinner speech at an important function, and as he sat down he asked his neighbour (who happened to be Oscar Wilde) "Now tell me Oscar, how would you have given that speech?", Oscar Wilde replied, "I think perhaps under an assumed name".
Thanks Jeff Lewis for a most amazing global collection of photos on being enterprising in terms of transport.
Click here for a laugh and some inspiration.
Thanks Gordon Morris for information about this UK organisation which is committed to supporting Britain’s 1600 market towns. These small British towns have been hard hit by the current recession, and Action for Market Towns provides a one-stop-shop for all matters related to their development and regeneration.Click here to learn more about the organisation or register for their newsletter.
Click here to visit the National Press Club's website for details.
Click here to download a copy.
Certainly one of the heroes of Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is the legendary Tom O'Toole. His Beechworth Bakery provides continuous inspiration about what is possible regarding small town entrepreneurship.If you do not know the story, read the case study from the "Good Enough, Never Is" publication. Check our on-line bookshop for details of his publications and DVDs or browse Tom's website.
It is especially a useful technique for engaging young people about issues that matter to them. It's one tool being used in the Coleambally Project mentioned below.
For a useful guide on this technique contact Lloyd Mackenzie of Community Centre for Media Art in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at lloyd@ccmahamilton.ca or click here to check out their great website.
Click here for the article and check out our photo gallery on public art to see other wonderful examples from the MRA
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:
- To inspire and call to action
- To provide a space for young people to share their social change initiatives
- To immerse participants in a series of workshops facilitated by a diverse range of organisations that play a key role in the youth space
- To create networks for schools by inviting a range of different organisations to exhibit and the opportunity to engage in conversation In addition to this, the conference aims to broker relationships between the education, community and corporate sectors to create real connections for change.
The Bank of I.D.E.A.S has committed time to coordinating the initiative and mentoring the student group. A great model for other universities interested in engaging students in real community projects.
Click here for recent newspaper article on the project.
"An ingenious way of bringing art to the people"
(Alan Yentob)This network of artists and arts organisations are using empty shop spaces across the United Kingdom to create temporary pop-up shops, community spaces and galleries.
In February 2009, it is estimated that about 10% of UK shops are sitting empty and the figure is expected to rise to one in six shops by the end of the year, with over 1000 high street businesses closing every week.
Landlords are letting artists, arts organisations and community groups use their empty spaces - seeing their property look great and kept in good order, and their business getting some great publicity.
Artists benefit from low-cost space on short and easy-to-manage leases, meaning they can take a bigger risk on bolder, more innovative and experimental projects. And maybe get a good business kick-started.
Local communities benefit from increased access to meaningful and enjoyable activity on their high street. Towns are being brought back to life.
Click here for more details on the Network.
Again it was a privilege and pleasure for the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. to coordinate a workshop tour of Jim to Australia. Drawing upon his experiences as the Director of Neighborhoods in the City of Seattle, Jim shared many amazing and entertaining insights from an Asset Based Community Development perspective .We are working towards a return by Jim to Australia in May next year when he returns as keynote presenter at the Asian ABCD Conference. If interested in having Jim present and/or workshop contact Peter Kenyon at pk@bankofidea.com.au.
Click here for a copy of Jim’s bio data and presentation themes. Jim’s practical publication – ‘Neighborhood Power – building community the Seattle way' is available from the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. on-line bookshop.
To learn more, click here to read Gail Plowman’s interview with Paul in her recent “Pigs Will Fly" community blog.
Click here to visit the Institute's website.
Thanks Laura Girty from Oklahoma, USA for sending us information about two unique leadership development programs operating in Oklahoma within the Arts field. Leadership Arts is an initative of the Oklahoma Arts Council and aims to develop a state-wide network of community arts leaders and advocates. The 11 Day program over 6 months seeks to provide participants with understanding of how arts and cultural development can be harnessed to create economic opportunity, provide a high quality of community life, and ignite the creative potential of Oklahoma’s youth. The program focuses on learning how:
- arts programming and arts organizations make a significant contribution to the economic development of your community;
- Oklahoma communities have developed arts programming and vibrant arts spaces to enhance the quality of life of their citizens and expand their tax base;
- the arts serve as a centerpiece for downtown, inner-city and neighborhood renewal and improve the image of local communities; and
- arts active communities cultivate creative youth and attract and retain a creative workforce.
The other initiative from the Oklahoma Arts Council is ONEAL -Oklahoma’s New and Emerging Arts Leaders. This began as a one day session prior to the annual state arts conference, and was geared toward Oklahoma’s arts leaders age 35 and under or with less than 5 years of experience in arts administration or the business of arts. It is all about strengthening youth leadership in the arts sector. ONEAL has now evolved into a networking group.
Click here for more information on ONEAL, contact Molly O’Connor by phone on ++ 1 - 405-521-2025 or email at molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov.
Paul Born is a master story teller who infuses his work, relationships, community and life with the magic of conversation. He is internationally recognised for his innovative approaches to community engagement and community building.Paul is President and co-founder of Tamarack - an institute for community engagement. He is also the Founding Chair of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Vibrant Communities Canada and Opportunities 2000.
Click here for more details on Paul where you will find the presentations and workshops he frequently gives.
Paul will be in Australia and New Zealand 1 - 10 December, 2009. If interested in visiting Paul, please contact Peter Kenyon at pk@bankofideas.com.au.
Click here for more information on community and economic strategies or email Chris Bryant at cbryant@gov.ns.ca.
The program includes and amazing number of international and Australian presenters. Key areas of focus will be on how to start a sustainable social enterprise, growing and scaling social enterprise, developing markets for social enterprise, investing in social enterprise development, measuring impact and creating the policy environment for successful growth. It will examine how the correct mix of each of these areas leads to a real capacity to develop successful sustainable social enterprises.
Click here for more details.
What a fabulous and practical resource by Paul Born full of informative and inspiring examples, Paul captures the essence of creating community conversations and provides ten practical techniques to host conversation at the community level. strongly recommended.
Cost $38 and is available from the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. on-line bookshop.
- eBay Giving World – connects users with causes and gives trusted ways to support.
- WorldofGood.com – connects users ethical services, Fair Trade and eco-friendly goods.
- MicroPlace – connects users with the global working poor to alleviate poverty through providing linkages to invest in micro finance organisations.
- eBay Green Team – connects users with other eBay members committed to buying, selling and living green.
- eBay Foundation – focuses on linking users and employees to participating in charitable giving and voluntarism
Click here for a copy of the 50 classic negative comments that truly kills ideas and stifles creativity.
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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