communities - Africa World Books

THE FUTURE OF
COMMUNITIES
Power to the People Conference
Innovative ways to create vibrant communities led by active,
caring and engaged citizens
OCTOBER 15-16,
2014
Rydges Hotel.
186 Exhibition Street,
Melbourne
Australia’s only
national community
engagement
conference
• A Conference to discuss communities transitioning
‘beyond engagement, beyond dependency’
• A tsunami of change is coming: the vision of ‘independent,
self-governing communities’ may be closer than we think
• Global trend towards community empowerment with a new emphasis
on localism
• Great communities don’t just happen: they are created, nurtured and sustained
by caring and involved residents
• Devolved community planning, community governance, building social capital,
improving community well-being and providing public value is the future of
local government
• 8 great learning workshops to choose from
This celebrated annual national event continues to focus on the fact that we are living in times of
unprecedented change and complexity and that Governments are becoming increasingly aware
they often do not have the answers to the major challenges confronting society. The social Internet
(Web 2.0) has forever changed the rules of communication, tipping the scales heavily in the favour
of individuals and small groups. Web 3.0, touted as 'the Internet of things', is going to be just as
disruptive to the physical systems that run our world. The scales will once again be tipped and the
data, power and efficiency once only afforded by large corporations and Governments will be in
the hands of the citizen making inefficient and out-dated distributed models competitive again.
What does all this mean? Local communities will need to find solutions from within. Building
community health, resilience, connectedness and inclusion will increasingly be the focus of local
government. Local communities will need to relocalise, build from the ‘inside out’ and take
responsibility for their own future.
Jointly convened by the
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)
and the Bank of IDEASProgram >
if you’re looking for community
development ideas and better ways of
doing things, you’ve come to
the right place!
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 15
FROM 8AM
REGISTRATION, CAFÉ CONVERSATIONS OVER LIGHT BREAKFAST: INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
9.15AM
WELCOME, MAV PRESIDENT BILL MCARTHUR
9.30AM
PLENARY PRESENTATIONS
Deepening Community: finding joy together in chaotic times
• Paul Born. Paul is the President and co-founder of the Tamarack Institute which since 2001 has provided leadership in Canada on issues of
citizen engagement, collaborative leadership and community innovation. (Pre-record)
• Phil Koperberg, former NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner and 2013/14 Blue Mountains Fire Recovery Co-ordinator. Phil will speak on the
theme ‘Out of the Ashes - Bushfire Recovery
• Peter Kenyon, Director, Bank of IDEAS reflecting on the Christchurch earthquakes - a time of devastation but perhaps also an opportunity to
view utopia?
11AM
REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING
11.30AM
WORKSHOP 1
The conference workshop options are set out below: each attendee will choose four workshops to attend over the two days:
• Creating a Culture of Community Engagement Across Council -- Charlotte Carlish, Executive Manager, Communications and Engagement,
City of Subiaco (WA)
The City of Subiaco’s Strategic Community Plan was the outcome of their award-winning Think 2030 community visioning project. Since that
time, one of the key priorities for the city has been the embedding of community engagement within the organisation. Join Charlotte to hear
about the community engagement journey in Subiaco, from the creation of a dedicated community engagement team reporting directly to the
CEO, implementation of their community engagement handbook, training for all staff and providing support and advice across the organisation.
Hear the success stories as well as the challenges along the way.....This session would benefit community engagement practitioners who are
interested to hear more about how to create a culture of community engagement within their groups and organisations.
• Creative Use of Social Media to Engage Disengaged Community – Keren Flavell, Wholesome Media, founder of Town Hall Social
Councils struggle with how to capture the attention and interest of the majority of their residents. The same squeaky wheels tend to the dominate
the conversation. With the growing pervasiveness of the internet and social media, it’s now possible to change that. This workshop will explain
how to increase engagement and sharing of council messages through social media and show a range of case studies demonstrating the success
of direct consultation with the community through Facebook.
• Social capital - how to build it and measure it -- Peter Kenyon, Director, Bank of IDEAS
The historical record strongly suggests that the successful communities became rich because they were civic, not the other way round. The social
capital embodied in norms and networks of civic engagement seems to be a precondition for economic development as well as for effective
government. Civics matters. There has been too little attention paid to social capital... Social capital refers to the processes between people
which establish networks, norms, social trust and facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit.. Social capital is also appropriate
because it can be measured and quantified so we can distribute its benefits and avoid its losses.
• Grass Roots Community ownership -- Josephine Lebbing, Denmark (WA), The Empowerment Network
Working together for positive change: every person and every community is unique with its own set of complex characteristics. Using an assetbased approach this workshop will look at these complex systems to highlight the practical opportunities for community workers/organisations
to effectively and efficiently nurture the development of inclusive, sustainable and empowering communities. It will also include Localised crowd
funding activities and ABCD mapping as part of Locals supporting Locals.
• Using Heritage to Mobilise Community Reinvention – David Wilson, Heritage Futures (NZ)
David Wilson is a community innovator who passionately advocates that in our ever more globalized world, the future is local, and that all
dimensions of heritage – natural, cultural, tangible and intangible, are at the heart of the sustainable development equation. He emphasises
that the preservation of cultural heritage assets (unique customs, traditions, language, food, clothing, art ) enables important aspects of the past
to be identified, protected and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, while at the same time offering important social,
environmental and economic benefits. Founder and Director of Heritage Futures International (NZ) Ltd, over the past two decades David has
worked with over 700 communities from local to international level, across New Zealand, Australia, Somalia, West Africa, Malaysia and India.
• Community - A cosmos of conversations, Russell Deal, St Luke’s Innovative Resources
Russell Deal describes himself as a publisher of metaphors. For over 20 years his creative team at St Luke’s Innovative Resources in Bendigo have
produced an ever-widening array of conversation-building tools. One way of conceptualizing community is to consider all the conversations
that go into building its identity and culture. What are the most important conversations to be had in order to build healthy, cooperating and
collaborating communities? Some of the most important conversations can be the micro-conversations that can be easily overlooked but in fact
provide an important gauge as to any community’s inclusiveness. In this interactive workshop a number of St Luke’s hands-on ‘tools’ will be used
in small group discussions to demonstrate the power of simple visual metaphors to talk about what’s most important in our hopes and dreams of
community. Visual metaphors can provide a powerful way of identifying, mobilizing and celebrating the strengths of any community
• Is Community Old-Fashioned? What Would A 21st Century Village Look Like? Jim Diers, Neighbour Power (Seattle, USA)
Jim worked as a community organiser in Seattle in the early 1980s. Using a broad-based approach, he helped local neighbourhoods draw
attention to the gang problems, drugs, violence and insensitive planning decisions that made their lives intolerable. After many confrontations
with City Hall, in 1988 he was invited by the Mayor to head up a new Department of Neighbourhoods. His approach was to focus on
community assets rather than needs, and to move from an adversarial relationship between people and government to a genuine partnership.
To achieve this, city government had to become a catalyst for change and civic renewal, while simultaneously supporting strong independent
community organisations. It had to avoid imposing ‘top down empowerment’ and instead, open up new spaces for dialogue.
• Social & Cooperative Enterprise - pathways to market and values based community ventures, Peter Tregilgas, Social Enterprise Director
Social enterprise is a means by which people come together and use market-based ventures to achieve agreed social ends. It is characterised
by creativity, entrepreneurship and a focus on community rather than individual profit. It is a creative endeavour that results in social, financial,
service, educational, employment or other community benefits. This workshop will explore the current role of Social Enterprise as a tool for
sustainable community programs. The workshop will examine; definition, models, planning, and practical field implementation including
governance systems such as cooperatives and advocate organisations available to assist. Workshop facilitator: Peter has been a champion
for community empowerment developing resources for individuals and organisations to establish, manage and flourish utilising market based
principles to achieve social aims and build community wealth. His publications have included Social Enterprise in Australia - A Handbook and
Cooperatives in Australia - A Manual.
12.45PM
LUNCH AND NETWORKING
1.30PM
WORKSHOP 2 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)
2.45PM
REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING
3.15PM
CLAY SHIRKY (USA): HOW THE INTERNET WILL TRANSFORM GOVERNMENT (PRE-RECORD)
3.35PM
Q&A: REINVENTING THE WAY LOCAL COUNCILS AND NGOS ENGAGE WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES
Panel
• Kathy Alexander (CEO, City of Melbourne)
• Charlotte Carlish (Subiaco)
• Josephine Lebbing (Denmark, WA)
• Lenny Jenner (CEO, Queenscliffe Council, Victoria)
• Jim Diers (USA)
5PM
CLOSE
6.30PM
CONFERENCE DINNER: PECHAKUCHA NIGHT: AN EVENING OF INFORMAL NETWORKING, FUN AND CREATIVE IDEAS
• 6 brief presentations of exciting community development initiatives
• Guest Speaker: Tim Shadbolt, Mayor of Invercargill, New Zealand
Dinner location: Rydges Melbourne (Bobby McGee’s Room) 186 Exhibition Street
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16
FROM 8AM
CAFÉ CONVERSATIONS AND LIGHT BREAKFAST: OPEN SPACE (YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN A CONVERSATION YOU ARE PASSIONATE
ABOUT)
9AM
WELCOME AND REFLECTIONS ON DAY 1
9.15AM
20 YEARS OF ABCD: WHAT IS RADICAL ABOUT THIS APPROACH AND WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE?
• Jim Diers, USA
• Cormac Russell, Director, ABCD Europe
• Denise Bijeux, Manager, Inspiring Communities (NZ)
• Janet Malcolm, Co-ordinator, South Alive, South Invercargill, NZ (South Place case study)
11AM
REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING
11.30AM
WORKSHOP 3 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)
12.45PM
LUNCH AND NETWORKING
1.30PM
WORKSHOP 4 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)
2.45PM
A VISION FOR COMMUNITIES (PANEL)
3.15PM
CLOSE
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Councillors, CEOs, Directors, Managers ( community related), as well as
stakeholders, consultants, community groups and community members.
Conference cost: $550 (incl GST) per person. No single day
registrations are available.
To register: For online registration and conference details go to
www.mav.asn.au/events (click on ‘upcoming events’ and scroll down to
October 15). Please nominate your workshop choices on arrival.
Queries: jhennessy@mav.asn.au or Peter Kenyon (0417 183 719)
Note: Program subject to change.
Accommodation: Suggest: Rydges Melbourne, 186 Exhibition Street
(03 9662 0511) or Mercure Hotel, 13 Spring Street, Melbourne.
Toll free: 1800 813 442.
THE 2013 POWER TO THE PEOPLE CONFERENCE PRESENTED A FRAMEWORK, PRACTICAL TOOLS AND
INDICATORS BASED ON EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS (SEE BELOW) THAT ARE RECOGNISED NATIONALLY
AND INTERNATIONALLY AS PILLARS OF A HEALTHY, VIBRANT, RESILIENT COMMUNITY
AND LOCAL ECONOMY:
1. PRACTICES ONGOING DIALOGUE
AND BROAD-BASED COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION
behaviours that value and encourage resident participation and ownership of the future.
2. FOSTERS COMMITMENT TO PLACE
behaviours that strengthen resident affinity to their community and local economy.
3. BUILDS CONNECTIONS AND
COLLABORATION
behaviours that encourage collaborative planning and action, networking and strong
relationships between residents, organisations, businesses and communities.
4. KNOWS ITSELF AND BUILDS ON
EXISTING ASSETS
behaviours that discover and map the capacities, passions, resources and connections of the
community.
5. SHAPES ITS FUTURE
behaviours that enable a shared community vision of the future, as reflected in practical action
plans, with ranked priorities.
6. ACTS WITH IDEA AND OPPORTUNITY
OBSESSION
behaviours that foster a never ending search for new and appropriate ideas, development
possibilities and internal and external resources.
7. EMBRACES CHANGE AND TAKES
RESPONSIBILITY
a mindset that focuses on optimism, belief, expectation, hope and ‘we can do it’.
8. GENERATES LEADERSHIP
behaviours that continuously grows develops and renews the leadership capacity of the
community.
HOW DOES YOUR COMMUNITY RATE?
by Simon Kneebone. A special
feature of this Conference will be the inclusion of Simon, one of Australia’s leading social comment
cartoonists, who will, throughout the event, capture many of the Conference’s themes and learning gems through his drawings.