Great Initiative: The Memphis Manifesto – Building a Community of Ideas

1. Cultivate and reward creativity.  Everyone is part of the value chain of creativity.  Creativity can happen at anytime anywhere, and it’s happening in our community right now.  Pay attention.
2. Invest in the creative ecosystem.  The creative ecosystem can include arts and culture, nightlife, the music scene, restaurants, artists and designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, affordable spaces, lively neighbourhoods, spirituality, education, destiny, public spaces and third places. 
3. Embrace diversity.  It gives birth to creativity, innovation and positive economic impact.  People of different backgrounds and experiences contribute a diversity of ideas, expressions, talents and perspectives that enrich communities.  This is how ideas flourish and build vital communities. 
4. Nurture the creatives.  Support the connectors.  Collaborate to compete in a new way and get everyone in the game. 
5. Value risk-taking.  Convert a “no” climate into a “yes” climate.  Invest in opportunity making, not just problem solving.  Tap into the creative talent, technology and energy for your community.  Challenge conventional wisdom. 
6. Be authentic.  Identify the value you add and focus on those assets where you can be unique.  Dare to be different, not simply the look alike of another community.  Resist monoculture and homogeneity.  Every community can be the right community. 
7. Invest in and build on quality of place.  While inherited features such as climate, natural resources and population are important, other critical factors such as arts and culture, open and green spaces, vibrant downtowns, and centres of learning can be built and strengthened.  This will make communities more competitive than ever because it will create more opportunities than ever for ideas to have an impact. 
8. Remove barriers to creativity, such as mediocrity, intolerance, disconnectedness, sprawl, poverty, bad schools, exclusivity, and social and environmental degradation. 
9. Take responsibility for change in your community. Improvise. Make things happen. Development is a ‘do it yourself’ enterprise. 
10. Ensure that every person, especially children, has the right to creativity.  The highest quality lifelong education is critical to developing and retaining creative individuals as a resource for communities.

Maryborough, Queensland – What a special place

Peter Kenyon had the privilege and pleasure of spending two days in July in one of his favourite heritage communities – Maryborough, Queensland located north of Brisbane. 

Firstly, Peter was a guest speaker at the Wide Bay – Burnett Regional Conference, addressing the theme ‘Youth Entrepreneurship’ (email Peter Palmer at pp@bankofideas.com.au for a copy of Peter’s presentation notes).  Secondly, Peter assisted with the Youth Leaders Program of Maryborough’s Mayor, Barbara Havard.  Peter came away from his two days absolutely gob smacked with the passion and creativity of Maryborough.  Below are examples of interesting initiatives that Peter believes other individuals and communities around the world could learn from. 

1. THE YOUTH LEADER’S PROGRAM – a brilliant initiative of Mayor, Barbara Havard – a 4 ˝ hour program involving 20 young professionals and business operators.  Barbara personally invited and guided the group around the city exposing them to innovative initiatives, and initiations and challenges of the city.  The program culminated with a presentation / workshop on their thoughts for the future of the city facilitated by Peter Kenyon and a lunch that included their employers.

2. THE HOLDEN MARYBOROUGH TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE – Maryborough’s signature event where each September, the city centre is transferred with an influx of thousands of young people attending Queensland’s premier human – powered vehicle and technology event.  It is an event that encourages and celebrates the innovation, inventiveness and imagination of young people.  It involves the 24 hour Human Powered Vehicle Race, CQ2 Dragsters, solar powered car and boat races, Smilie Push Cart Races, young inventor competitions . . .

For more information visit www.mtcqld.com.au

3. MARY RIVER PARKLANDS & WHARF STREET BUILDING REVITALISATION – A $3 million riverside project transferring Maryborough’s historic port area into a stunning public playground.  This is complemented by old buildings in the wharf street area being brought back to life with new purposes eg. Young resident David Jeffs has invested heavily in transforming the old Customs House into Bellissimo on Wharf, a family restaurant and a fine dining restaurant, Emily Jones.

For more information contact Andrew Jackson, Economic Development Manager, Phone: 07 4190 5790 Email: andrew.jackson@maryborough.qld.gov.au

4. THE MARKETING OF THE CONNECTION OF MARYBOROUGH WITH MARY POPPINS – Maryborough is the birthplace of Mary Poppins author Patricia Travers.  Initiatives include the magnificent Mary Poppins' street statue; etchings of images from Traver’s books that can be copied at the Town Hall Green; the Proud Mary’s – an association and a centre for women all over the world whose name contains the name Mary or its derivative, and Mary Heritage – a heritage dressed local woman who with the town crier has become an ambassador and a local icon for tourism.  Finally, Mary has become a key marketing theme.

5. UNIQUE INNOVATIVE BUSINESSES - So many could be quoted – one grabbed PK’s attention – SEXIE COFFEE – an initiative by Karen and Jasen Barrie who revived a closed down McDonald’s restaurant by opening the first drive thru coffee café on the eastern seaboard.  They already employ 25 staff and have plans to expand to other sites in Australia. Brilliant marketing and merchandising.