Welcome to the IACD August/September newsletter.
Paul Lachapelle, President
First, let me say a sincere “thank you” to the Board and membership for the trust you have instilled in me to serve as the President of the IACD; I am truly humbled to be your servant leader.
Like many of you, I believe the IACD should serve as a driving force to raise awareness across the community development profession in the period ahead about the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals in our work – to truly advance the notion that without community development there is no sustainable development. As such, we are attempting to make this a central issue at our upcoming conferences, Practice Exchanges, and through related outreach resources. I have three goals during my term as President:
- Increase communication so that more people know about the IACD; we should focus on improved marketing through social media and other opportunities to connect and network with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. We count on our Board and our members to help us with this important goal.
- Increase opportunities for learning. My goal is to make sure we offer at least one international Practice Exchange (PE) opportunity for our members annually. This March, I was fortunate to attend the India PE and lead the Nepal PE; both of these experiences were truly life-changing and I am reminded of the value of these learning opportunities.
- To increase our base funding. We are a small, largely volunteer-run organization and it’s my intent to leave the IACD in a better place than at the start of my term. Part of my responsibility is to build existing revenue options as well as secure new ones so that the IACD is solvent for years to come.
I believe transparency, inclusiveness and diversity are foundational characteristics of any organization and I intend to make these central tenets during my term. I would also like to welcome our two incoming Vice Presidents, Muhammad Bello Shitu and Anastasia Crickley, who will join our existing VP Anita Paul and Treasurer, Rob Gregory to form our new Executive; My thanks to each of them for their commitment to serve in this capacity. Committee chairs and members are still be negotiated and we’ll have a complete list to share with you at the next newsletter.
Until, then, please share with me your ideas on how we can more effectively achieve the goals above or if you think there are additional areas and topics that I should devote my attention. I look forward to working with our dedicated board, our membership, and all those interested in international community development to create a more robust, relevant and resilient global network of community development professionals and practitioners.
As a last note, I would also like to express my gratitude on behalf of the entire board and membership to outgoing President Charlie McConnell and outgoing Vice-President Randy Adams. Their collective service to the IACD is nothing short of monumental and their work has truly impacted this organization positively. We are very fortunate that Randy will serve as an IACD Global Ambassador and Charlie will continue to advise the Board as immediate Past President.
IACD’s new international Board elected in Minnesota.
THE 2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Attached is the PowerPoint presentation we made to over 150 people who attended this year’s AGM. Also attached is the auditor’s approved Financial Accounts Report which includes information on our work over the past twelve months and on the association’s finances.
Annual General Meeting 2016 7-25 PP
IACD’S NEW VICE PRESIDENT
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Anastasia Crickley, from Ireland, as our second VP. Anastasia is one of IACD’s European Directors and chair of the International Relations Committee. She was a founder member of the Irish Community Workers’ Co-operative. Anastasia is the Chair of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
IACD’S FIVE NEW DIRECTORS AND BOARD MEMBERS
At the AGM we also appointed five new Board members/Regional Directors:
South America
Ursula Harman has more than 8 years of experience in the field of innovation for social change working in projects with renewable energy technologies in rural communities of Peru, directing international exchange programs with students from Peru and the US.
North America
Connie Loden is the Senior Project Manager for New North, a regional economic development NGO. She specializes in community change, leadership and asset-based economic development. Connie is a past President of the USA Community Development Society.
Greg Wise is a Professor and Community Development Specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development and serves as the Center’s Director. He worked as a community development practitioner for 11 years in rural Wisconsin.
South East Asia
Warren Joseph Dollente is the Director of the Lasallian Institute for the Environment (LIFE) of De La Salle Philippines (DLSP). Warren has extensive experience in program management, technical supervision, application of information and communication technologies, networking and linkages for community development, disaster risk reduction and management, and sustainability programs.
Oceania Region
Dee Brooks is Director of the Jeder Institute in Australia. Based on two decades of grassroots work, Dee has trained and presented to thousands of people at hundreds of events and workshops across the globe. Dee is an ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) trainer and consultant, a founding member and Facilitator of the ABCD Asia Pacific Network.
And we said farewell to:
President, Charlie McConnell
Charlie joined the Board in 1989. He served for two periods over eighteen years – as Publications Chair, Treasurer, Secretary General and President. Charlie played a lead role in organising ten IACD conferences around the world and transferred the association’s HQ to Scotland. As President, Charlie was instrumental in focussing the association’s work upon the Sustainable Development Goals, and, in drafting the new global definition of community development. As Immediate Past President, Charlie remains as an adviser to the Board until 2017.
And, Vice President, Randy Adams, who was presented with IACD’s top Global Ambassador Award by Paul Lachapelle. Randy joined the Board in 2011 and served as its Vice President for two years. As VP, Randy supported our Regional Directors, initiated IACD’s Country Correspondents’ Program and managed IACD’s global mapping research of HE CD training providers and national CD Networks. Randy was also a past President of the Community Development Society (CDS) in the U.S.
IACD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
High-Level Political Forum 201710 Jul 2017 – 19 Jul 2017 UNHQ, New York
IACD AT THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM, NEW YORK, JULY 2016.
Being one of the organizations accredited to the UN, the IACD hosted a side event as part of the first High Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals. IACDs side event was held on 20th July 2016 attracting attendees from various fields of expertise. IACD’s position statement was “Without Community Development, there is no Sustainable Development. Anita Paul from India, one of the founders of the Pan Himalayan Grassroots Foundation, shared with the participants the relevance, implication and impact the SDGs could have to grassroots foundations. John Stansfield from New Zealand gave a detailed and evidence based analysis on the 17 SDs and ways in which they could be implemented. Main issues highlighted at this side event were that the implementation and success of the SDGs will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans and programs.
In summary the week long events at the UN Secretariat focused on the following; The meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development in 2017 convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, was held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017; including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017.
The theme was “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world” (resolution A/70/L.60). The set of goals reviewed in depth were the following, including Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development that will be considered each year:
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.
THE 2016 CONFERENCE
Over 250 community developers attended our international conference this year. It was a joint conference held with the U.S. Community Development Society, building upon our renewed Partnership Agreement signed at the conference in Kentucky last year. Partnering with CDS was tremendous and we would wish to thank all of the CDS team for their huge energy and support this past year and at the event. In particular our thanks go to Chris Marko, Conference Planning Chair and incoming CDS President, Gisele Hamm, CDS President, Brent Hales, Neil Linscheid and Jane Leonard from our local hosts in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a great joy working with such professionals.
We had participants representing more than 20 countries, and over 30 states in the United States. We are pleased with the many comments received regarding the quality, uniqueness, and organization of the conference. We again thank our sponsors including the Blandin Foundation, University of Minnesota Extension, Western Illinois University, Purdue University, and the Scottish Government for their support.
Our keynote speakers were Kathleen Annette, Blandin Foundation, Anita Paul, Pan Himalayan Grass Roots Development Program; Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State of Minnesota, Annette Dixon, Vice President of the World Bank and Richard Todd from the Federal Reserve Bank. Special thanks to every person involved with the Local Host Committee in Minnesota for welcoming us all and organizing the on-the-ground logistics, mobile learning workshops where conference participants visited community development projects on the ground, the social event in St. Paul with Native American drumming and the Theater of Public Policy.
We had over 100 workshop presenters speaking on topics ranging from community well-being, place based development, local initiatives, environment, health, social justice and democracy, addressing poverty, refugees and immigration, agriculture and food systems, arts and, community capitals, leadership, youth and entrepreneurship, education, community impact, research and data, and community economic development programs. The focus of the conference was the role community development can play in supporting more sustainable communities, with a strong emphasis upon the new U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
World Bank Vice President, Annette Dixon, speaking at the conference
More photos of the conference are to be found on the IACD website www.iacdglobal.org and our Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/
The 2016 conference presentations will be a wonderful resource and we plan to make these available on the IACD website. We will also publish many of the presentations, and produce a short film of the CD and SDG plenary session. We are very keen to encourage any presenter at the Minnesota conference to write up their presentation as an article for the next issue of IACD’s magazine Practice Insights magazine. This will be published in November. Articles should be no more than 1000 words and include some images that highlight your work. If IACD members are interested in your work reaching a wider (5000+) audience of community developers around the world, then please send Charlie McConnell your article for consideration. IACD’s magazine is intended for the busy practitioner, so we encourage a non-academic style. Please send your proposed article before the end of September to: charliesmcconnell@gmail.com
We also encourage you to submit such an article for possible publication in the CDS Journal of Community Development–please contact John Green, jjgreen@olemiss.edu, CDS Vanguard–please contact Cindy Banyai, Cindy.banyai@gmail.com and CDS Practice–please contact Craig Talmage, Craig.talmage@gmail.com.
If you are interested in writing a more academic/research type article, IACD is in discussions with its partner journal, the International Community Development Journal, published by Oxford University Press, and is looking for submissions again related to community development work around the SDG challenge. These articles are usually around 7000 words. At this stage we are inviting indications of interest only, by sending us a 200 word summary for consideration by the editors. Please send your abstract before the end of September to IACD’s Publications Chair KK Fung kkfung@hkbu.edu.hk
Please note that if you choose to submit an article for the IACD magazine Practice Insights, you may submit the same article for possible publication in the CDS Journal of Community Development, CDS Vanguard, and/or CDS Practice; however, those of you who submit an article to the International Community Development Journal, however, cannot publish the same article in another journal.
IACD’S NEW GLOBAL DEFINITION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADOPTED
Prior to the conference the Education and Professional Development Committee held a special joint workshop for around 50 CD educators on the theme of changing paradigms in community development and the implications for Higher Education training. Our thanks to Ron Hustedde, Bjorn Peterson, CharlieMcConnell, Lorraine Garkovich, Gavin Rennie and John Stansfield for leading on this. At this we presented IACD’s Global Definition for Community Development, the result of consultation with IACD members. The new Global Definition was then presented to full conference and has now been adopted by the Board. IACD members are encouraged to promote the new definition worldwide.
“Community development is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, economic opportunity, equality and social justice, through the organisation, education and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity or interest, in urban and rural settings”.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EXCHANGE
Sharing ideas. Creating Change.
The conference received a presentation on the Global Community Development Exchange. The Aotearoa (New Zealand) Community Development Association is developing this on-line resource for members in partnership with IACD and CDS. Huge thanks to the ACDA team who are leading on this. GCDEX is on-line repository of community development teaching and learning resources. It is a place where community development teachers, practitioners and learners can deposit and access free teaching and learning resources. The GCDEX site is: www.globalcommunitydevelopmentexchange.org.
IACD members can register, but the site will not be operational until later this year.
SDG Training and resource support
To whet the appetite ACDA has produced a simple PowerPoint that highlights what community development projects are already doing to address the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals around the world. Feel free to use this presentation to let partners in your country know that ‘without community development there is no sustainable development’. At the July Board we agreed to support an ACDA proposal to develop an international in-service certificate on community development and the SDGs. This course will be available as blended learning with an open learning element supported by local trainers. It will be launched in 2017 and accredited by IACD.
Policy advocacy
We approved IACD’s Position Statement on Community Development and the SDGs at the July Board meeting This Position Statement has been developed to help IACD members and the wider Community Development field to explain to governments (at all levels), non-governmental organisations and others the contribution that development supports at grassroots levels can bring. The statement can be found on our website here: Community Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This month IACD submitted evidence to the British Parliamentary Inquiry on the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK. You can find a copy of this on the website www.iacdglobal.org
This is the time when IACD members need to be monitoring Government and Parliamentary websites to track what is happening with regards to the SDG National Planning process, so that we can all advocate the importance of community development. We do not have the capacity to do this for all countries at IACD head office, so we need members to assist our Regional Directors to be our eyes and voice on this. If opportunities arise to influence National Plans in respective countries, members are encouraged to promote the IACD Position Statement. Please let us know of any initiatives you are taking around CD and the SDGs, so that we can share your work with other members around the world.
SAVE THE DATES
Community Development for Sustainable Development:
Placing Community Development Values and Practices at the Heart of the Sustainable Development Goals
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE
Glasgow Scotland, November 8th 2016, 10:00 to 16:30
This one-day free conference will help you:
– Better understand the UN Sustainable Development Goals, their message and process
– Recognise the contribution CD can make to the achievement of the goals, and what has already been achieved
– Consider the implications for practice in your own setting
– Participate in the process of shaping national and local plans and programmes, engaging communities with government and other partners
This conference will share experiences from across Europe and is intended for community development practitioners, agency managers, policy advisers, and funders.
Confirmed contributors
- Anastasia Crickley. Vice President and European Director, IACD and Community Work Ireland.
– Stuart Hashagen, Chair, European Community Development Network.
– Charlie McConnell, Past President, International Association for Community Development.
– Kirsten Paaby, Nordic Education Project / EuCDN.
Venue: Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, Glasgow, Scotland, UK G1 1TF http://scottishyouththeatre.org
To book your place: Please register your interest to attend this free conference with IACD info@iacdglobal.org before 1st October. Places are limited at this important event and we shall endeavour to ensure places are made available for participants from different countries. Applicants will be notified if they have a place no later than mid-October.
If you need accommodation: The IACD office can supply a list of hotels. Participants are responsible for booking their own accommodation and travel. Glasgow is easily accessible from most European countries.
About the conference organisers
Community Development Alliance Scotland. CDAS brings together networks and organisations at the Scottish level to promote policy and practice that supports community development. CDAS is generously sponsoring this event.
Community Work Ireland. CWI works collectively to support and promote community work as a means of addressing poverty, social exclusion, and inequality and advancing human rights.
European Community Development Network. EuCDN works on inclusion, participation, and democracy through the promotion and development of sustainable community development in Europe.
International Association for Community Development. IACD is the global network for professional community development practitioners.
AFRICA CONFERENCE AND MEETING
11 October–14 October 2016 Malete, Nigeria
IACD in association with the Nigerian Institute of Community Development Practitioners and Kwara State University
FACILITATING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENTS
VENUE: Centre for Community Development
Kwara State University, Malete
PMB 1530
Kwara State
Nigeria.
On behalf of all members of IACD in Nigeria, you are invited to attend the fourth meeting of IACD members in Nigeria. The meeting will be followed by the 3rd National Community Development Practitioners’ consultative conference/workshop that will include all interested persons that would like to join IACD or are involved with community development practice in Nigeria.
You are invited to join colleagues from all over Nigeria in strengthening Community Development practice and professionalism. You can participate in either the meeting and conference or present papers on any of the sub-themes. The conference/workshop will be preceded by pre-conference workshops on the theme “Evolving an effective Tertiary Education Institutions community engagement in Nigeria”. There will be mobile learning workshop through visits to KWASU Community Development project sites.
Accommodation has been negotiated with some hotels in Malete and Ilorin to charge very reasonable rates. There are also cheap, good and affordable hotels in Kwara state
If you require a hotel reservation please contact Lawal on 0803 886 6316 or Garba on 080 37003397, 08089054213 or iceada4husna@gmail.com for facilitation
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
All participants shall:-
a) Be responsible for their transportation to and from the workshop
b) Pay conference registration fees of Seventeen thousand naira (N17, 000.00) only. Students registration is Ten Thousand Naira (N10, 000.00) only
c) Arrange for their accommodation
• Participants who are unable to pay before the workshop date would pay Eighteen thousand four hundred naira (N18, 400.00) at the venue of the workshop (at the point of registration).
• Participants who wish to present papers are expected to send abstract of their papers to shitumbshitu2@gmail.com and copy icdpnigeria2014@gmail.com or iceada4husna@gmail.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE HERE
OCEANIA CONFERENCE
February 15th – 27th 2017. Auckland, New Zealand
SUSTAINABLY YOURS
IACD and the New Zealand/Aotearoa Community Development Association invite you to the Conference for our times at Unitec Institute of Technology. Auckland, New Zealand.
One of the conference subthemes is “Responding to Conflict and Forced Migration” Who do you know who is involved in this work and might like to contribute to the conference? Check out the website below for more info:
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE ACDA/IACD 2017 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE.
http://www.aotearoacommunitydevelopmentassociation.com/2017-cd-conference
THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FILM FESTIVAL
Are you interested in contributing to our 2017 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FILM FESTIVAL? Who do you know who might want to make a video submission? check out our website for more info:www.aotearoacommunitydevelopmentassociation.com/2017-cd-con…
CHECK OUT CDJ PLUS.
IACD members get a reduced subscription with our partner the international Community Development Journal. CDJ have also launched CDJ Plus This is a tremendous free resource connecting readers of the Community Development Journal with the wider community development world, to promote good communication, and exchange of information and ideas, between researchers, educators, practitioners, activists and citizens.
The Resources section provides free access to materials generated through CDJ events, as well as reports and sets of papers that have been partly or wholly funded by the Community Development Editorial Board, through CDJ Ltd, a not-for-profit company linked to the journal.
All CDJ editorials from 2000 onwards for the international Community Development Journal are now free to read online.
Browse the journal archive to read them now. Plus Free French, Spanish, and Chinese Abstracts
http://cdj.oxfordjournals.org/
COUNTRY CORRESPONDANTS
We are looking for IACD members to become news correspondents for your country (happy to have more than one!). If you are interested in becoming an IACD Country Correspondent, please let us know. Please contact info@iacdglobal.org and we will then send you a brief and connect you with the Regional Director covering your country. We now have a new section on the website where members can post local and national news.
News from IACD Regions and Members
AND FINALLY
We have moved offices. IACD’s new HQ is now in Glasgow, Scotland after ten years in Falkland. Our new address is:
The International Association for Community Development
c/o The Scottish Community Development Centre
Suite 305, Baltic Chambers,
Wellington St,
Glasgow G2 6HJ
SCOTLAND
UK
We are delighted to welcome Colette McClure as IACD’s new Administrator. Colette starts on 31st August and will be responsible for membership administration, Board support, communications and finance, including processing membership applications and renewals, as well as dealing with general enquiries and correspondence. Colm Munday, our present Administrator leaves us at the end of August. On behalf of the IACD Board and members we would wish to thank Colm for his excellent work supporting the Association since March. We wish him all the best in his new career.
IACD NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED EVERY TWO MONTHS. PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR AT THE IACD OFFICE SHOULD YOU HAVE NEWS/VIEWS TO SHARE. WE ALSO HAVE A MEMBERS’ FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE YOU CAN DIRECTLY POST NEWS.
Thanks to the Scottish Government for their support for the IACD Newsletter.
IACD office tel: +44 (0)131 618 8394
email: info@iacdglobal.org
website: www.iacdglobal.org
Scottish Registered Charity: SCO36090
Not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee No SC187568
