IACD runs international conferences or smaller events every year. These are intended to bring community development practitioners, students and trainers from around the world together to share experiences and to hear some of the world’s top experts in our field.

Our conferences and smaller seminars, always include workshop sessions where members can share their practice and research.

  

   

   

In Glasgow 2014, Minnesota 2016, Auckland 2017 and Maynooth 2018, we had numerous keynote experts, but the main part of our events programme was designed in smaller workshop sessions. And in addition we always include a visits programme, where small groups of participants can see community development in action and talk with local practitioners, residents and others.

Since 2014, we have organised hundreds of continuing professional development events, whether these be seminars, workshops, mobile workshops (where we visit projects in situ), panels and exhibitions.

This is a flavour of our learning events.

In 2018 we co-organised the World Community Development Conference in Ireland.

In 2017 our international conference is in Auckland, New Zealand in partnership with the ACDA, New Zealand Community Development Association. Under the title Sustainably Yours, community development and a sustainable future we organised over 80 workshop presentations! This continued our roadshow of events related to the implications for community development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

   

In 2016 we partnered with the European Community Development Network to hold a European Regional event with breakout sessions on the implication for community development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2016 we partnered with partnered with the Nigerian Community Development Practitioners Association to run an African Regional conference with dozens of workshops and field visits.

 

     

In 2016, we ran a South Asia regional event in New Delhi in partnership with Grassroots. This was the first of our roadshow events about the implications of the UN SDGs for community development.

 

In 2016 we partnered with the U.S. The Community Development Society (CDS) to organise a joint Conference in Minnesota with the theme: Sustaining Community Change—Building Local Capacity to Sustain Community Development Initiatives, with a special focus upon the implication of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Community Development.  We organised over 150 workshop presentations.

In 2014 500 delegates from 32 countries came together in Glasgow, Scotland, to consider “what is our common wealth?” and to celebrate community-led action around the globe.

Over three and a half days, a lively crowd of community members, activists, practitioners, researchers and policymakers explored how community development approaches catalyse and sustain change. Dozens of workshops and field visits were structured around three themes: Health, Wealth and Power.

 

 

In the past twenty years, we have held learning events with partners in Africa (three times), Middle East (once), Asia (three times), Europe (five times), North America (three times), Oceania (three times), South America (once).