Inspiring Communities News No 19:
November/December 2010
In this Newsletter you’ll find…
…Plenty of new reading for inspiration over summer! Four publications launched in the last month offer perspectives on communities being inspiring - and that’s just here in NZ!
--- Inspiring Communities and Core Learning Cluster News: Inspiring Communities invites you to download our ‘What We Are Learning 2010’ publication; bright ideas are growing in Taita; Tamaki’s Creating TIES that Strengthen book is launched, honouring the community that inspired it.
--- Community-Led and Community Driven: A case study on Nelson’s Victory Village is launched celebrating its Paths to Victory (by the Families Commission); and members of the IC team spend a day in Auckland with Tamarack’s Paul Born.
--- News you can use: The history and impact of Parnell Community Trust is honoured in Hub of a Community; and November’s Tamarack Engage e-newsletter challenges paradigms.
--- Events: This week the Telling & Sharing our Stories workshop is being held in Whakatane; then it’s a busy new year starting with Inclusive Communities NZ’s Down Under Institute (Feb); Unitec’s Grad Dip in Not For Profit Management course begins (Feb), and lots more below…
--- Learning Links: See the story of the Paremoremo community and their journey towards becoming more sustainable; NEF’s latest newsletter includes links to a pod-cast of October’s ‘The Great Transition’ event in London and yet more reading, about co-producing; and more about leaderfulness
You can download this Newsletter and previous issues as PDF from our website
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Editorial
Kia ora tatou
Learning and Sharing Together…
In the last few weeks we completed our first publication of ‘What we are Learning about Community-Led Development in Aotearoa New Zealand‘.
We are delighted to make this openly available on our website: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/learning-a-sharing
Huge thanks to the over 40 individuals and communities actively involved in community-led initiatives who have shared their examples, developments and stories with us.
A core purpose of Inspiring Communities is to support learning about community-led development. We do this by sharing what we are noticing, learning and observing. We know this is important because we are frequently asked:
o What’s the ‘stuff’ that really matters?
o What do we need to keep our eye on?
o How can we tell if change is happening and how can we evaluate it effectively?
We don’t claim to have all the answers, but there is an extensive and growing network of current experience to draw from. ‘What We Are Learning 2010’ includes practical tips, lessons and examples about four aspects of community-led development:
o Community building
o Leading in and leaderful communities
o Working together in place
o Creating and sustaining momentum.
We look forward to your feedback, ideas and suggestions. Email exchange@inspiringcommunities.org.nz to let us know what you’d like to know more about and also how useful you’ve found this resource.
Other highlights…
Two communities you will read about in ‘What We Are Learning 2010’ also have had inspiring news in the past month:
• Porirua’s Village Planning Programme has added to its list of awards with an international ‘gold trifecta’ in the international “Liveable Communities” awards (see more below and at the PCC website http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Community/Community-Projects/Village-Planning-Programme)
• Inspiring Communities was pleased to support the production of the book Creating TIES that Strengthen, which follows the development of the Tamaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy since 2008. It was a pleasure to attend the launch celebration this month (see more below).
As seen in Porirua and other cities, local governments are a key player in supporting communities to lead their own development. Inspiring Communities’ Auckland team has been playing a key role in the great work of the newly formed Auckland Community Development Alliance (www.acda.org.nz http://www.acda.org.nz/). In December ACDA will co-host the ‘Act Local, Work Regional, Work Together” Communities Summit with new Auckland Mayor Len Brown. We are also seeing Councils getting behind Neighbours Day Aotearoa.
Others of the team have been busy on upcoming events including the storytelling workshop in the Bay of Plenty this week; Neighbours Day Aotearoa – 26-27 March 2011; and the Victory Village Forum in Nelson, 27-29 April 2011.
Megan Courtney and Mary-Jane enjoyed facilitating in Wellington a one day “engaging communities” workshop with the NZ Recreation Association (http://www.nzrecreation.org.nz/). Seeing this group’s passion for learning and building resilient communities was very inspiring.
It’s been another busy month! And December will be more so, for many.
We wish you the best for the lead up to the Christmas season. At this time our thoughts go to our South Island West Coast communities for whom no celebration will be quite the same again. Practical ways to help the families affected by the Pike River mining tragedy are listed in this article online: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10689980
With the Compliments of the Season
Mary-Jane Rivers, Leigh Strange and the Inspiring Communities Team
For all our latest news you can go straight to our Community News page online at http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news
If you’d rather not receive these newsletters in future please email exchange@inspiringcommunities.org.nz and include Unsubscribe in the subject line.
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INSPIRING COMMUNITIES AND CORE LEARNING CLUSTER NEWS
What We Are Learning about Community-Led Development in Aotearoa New Zealand, by Inspiring Communities. Now online
We are thrilled to make available our first publication of ‘What We Are Learning about Community-Led Development in Aotearoa New Zealand’. Read the article and download the PDF: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/learning-a-sharing
We owe huge thanks to the over 40 individuals and communities actively involved in community-led initiatives throughout Aotearoa who have shared their thoughts and stories with us. We hope you will enjoy, be inspired by and learn from these examples, and we welcome your feedback.
Bright idea growing in Taita
Children from the Great Start House gardening club have a plan to spread sunshine throughout Taita. As reported in the Hutt News, 16 November 2010. (PDF of the clipping available on our website) http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/core-learning-cluster/taita/442-hutt-news-16-november-2010-bright-idea-growing .
Launching the book Creating TIES that strengthen celebrates the ordinary lives of extra-ordinary people in Tamaki
http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/tamaki/434-ordinary-lives-of-extra-ordinary-people-in-tamaki-creating-ties-that-strengthen
The Tamaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy (TIES) team is a group of community contributors who came together in 2008 to explore better ways of working together across the Tamaki communities of Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure. The initiative responded to the government-led Tamaki Transformation Programme works with government and interested others.
Grounded in a principle-based approach, TIES offers a framework and practical tools to help guide good engagement with Tamaki communities. On 17 November 2010, the Ties Team gathered to launch their book and accompanying resources, entitled ‘Creating TIES that strengthen’.
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COMMUNITY LED AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN
Victory Village Research Report launch: Paths of Victory
Victory Village in Nelson was NZ’s 2010 Community of the Year. Word of the Village’s achievements is spreading and a DVD of the community’s work has been snapped up by a 1000 people. ‘Paths to Victory’ – a very valuable case study by The Families Commission – was released on 29 November. It explores Victory’s achievements, approach, principles and systems change.
Read more on our website http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/topics-a-themes/schools-families-a-communities/444-victory-village-research-report-launch-paths-to-victory-
A Day with Paul Born
Many of the problems we seek to solve in communities cannot be solved by one agency working alone. This is the context for strategic community conversations, according to Paul Born, President of Tamarack (http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca). Paul recently visited Auckland as part of a six city stop in Australasia presenting workshops on his book “Community Conversations, Community Engagement and Change”. Some of the Inspiring Communities team were there.
Read the article http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/tools/441-a-day-with-paul-born
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Hub of a Community, the Story of Parnell Community Trust
After 25 years of Parnell Community Trust providing services to the community, Sally Mclean has completed the telling of its history ‘Hub of a Community’ The Story of Parnell Community Trust. This work has given the Trust an opportunity to reflect upon its successes and failures, the reasons for its survival and the achievement of providing for an increasingly diverse and demanding community.
Read the article http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/regional-networks/auckland/445-hub-of-a-community-the-story-of-parnell-community-trust
November "Engage!" from Tamarack, an Institute for Community Engagement (Canada)
November's "Engage!" e-newsletter (http://tamarackcommunity.ca/#engage) from Tamarack has lots of particularly thought provoking material for those following community-led development approaches: The “best-practices” paradigm is challenged by the idea of positive deviance; the way schools and community engage together is explored, and the soul of community discussed, among other things.
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EVENTS
8 Dec 2010 workshop: Telling and Sharing Our Stories (Bay of Plenty)
This exciting session will be led by Anna Kominik, one of NZ’s top communicators, who will share ideas and tips on the art of story telling. Telling stories is a great way of capturing the changes we see, hear and feel within our communities. Here’s what you can expect to learn:
* Ideas for helping communities tell and share their stories
* Some really effective story telling techniques and tools
* How stories can communicate change and progress in Bay of Plenty communities
When: Wednesday 8 December 10am-1pm (kaputi and networking from 9.30am)
Where: Eastbay REAP, 21 Pyne Street, Whakatane
Organised by the Community-Led Development BoP Network
For information and enrolments email: barbara.maclennan@inspiringcommunities.org.nz
Download the flyer http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/component/docman/doc_download/121-bop-workshop-telliing-and-sharing-our-stories-flyer
20-24 Feb 2011 conference: Inclusive Communities NZ: Down Under Institute 2011 (Hamilton)
Inclusive Communities NZ influences and inspires community inclusion for all. Themes of the conference include Asset Based Community Development, Community, Culture, Disability, Generations, and Story Telling.
Visit the website http://inclusivecommunities.org.nz/category/dui-2011
Graduate Diploma in Not for Profit Management 2011 (Feb onwards)
The Unitec Graduate Diploma in Not for Profit Management is a qualification for managers, coordinators and board members working in Community, Voluntary and Tangata Whenua organisations.
The programme consists of eight courses exploring the fundamentals of managing in a complex community setting. All assignments and assessments are based on the student's organisation and provide a rich opportunity for their organisations to benefit from this dynamic learning community.
For more details
see the Unitec website http://www.unitec.ac.nz/?BAAC5FF7-9014-4C5E-9FA2-F1F2A1F9600B
26-27 March 2011 celebration: Neighbours Day Aotearoa (nationwide!)
Before you head off for a summer break, mark 26-27 March 2011 on your calendar... and plan to head next door or invite some neighbours over for the inaugural Neighbours Day Aotearoa celebration. Neighbours Day Aotearoa is about turning streets into neighbourhoods. Brought to you by LIFEWISE, Inspiring Communities, and Methodist Mission Aotearoa.
Read more on our Events page http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/events-calendar
18-20 April, 2011: Community Economic Development Conference
Since a successful Community Economic Development conference was held in Waitakere, Auckland in February 2010, interest in CED has continued to grow. A second conference is now being planned for 18, 19 and 20th April 2011.
Visit the website http://www.ced.org.nz
27-29 April 2011: Victory Village Forum A national event about local development
You are invited to join in celebrating the Victory Village community's growth and change and to engage in lively discussion about how they created more vibrant communities. You’ll also hear from cutting edge examples of community-led development across Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Visit Victory's website http://www.confer.co.nz/victory_test/
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LEARNING LINKS
Paremoremo Community-Council partnership
This Pare Publisher page http://www.parepublisher.co.nz/paremoremo-reputation-changing/ follows the story of the Paremoremo community and their journey towards becoming more sustainable. Under the banner of “Caring for ourselves, our families, our neighbours and our environment”, the newsletter tells the story of the place, as well as of the project (which was recognised by the Auckland Regional Council in 2010 with the awarding of the ‘most sustainable community’ title). The publication includes some tips for community led development as well as local artwork, stories and photos to share their journey. It's designed to acknowledge the community's work and to share with those who have contributed along the way, interested people and other communities.
New Economics Foundation
Check out the November NEF newsletter http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=40c80d32fb3b6520005cc05f9&id=a223b54d12&e=318a906d7f
There is link in this to a pod-cast of an event called ‘The Great Transition’, held in London in October. Speakers/contributors include Caroline Lucas MP, Vivienne Westwood, Professor Jayati Ghosh, Professor Tim Jackson, Ann Pettifor and Rosie Boycott, as well as NEF’s own Stewart Wallis, Nic Marks and Andrew Simms. There is a link to ‘Right Here, Right Now’ (no not the Rugby World Cup anthem!), a publication about taking co-production to the mainstream. The report charts ways of co-producing for public services, especially in coalition government. http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/right-here-right-now
Being leaderful
Inspiring Communities uses the term “leaderful communities” to describe what we want to see in New Zealand – local leadership being drawn from every corner of our communities. The term was coined by Dr Joseph A. Raelin, a US professor and management consultant in his 2003 book: Creating Leaderful Organizations: How to Bring Out Leadership in Everyone (Berrett‐Koehler, San Francisco). The key concepts, including his four C’s of leadership (Concurrent, Collective, Collaborative and Compassionate) are covered in his article ‘The Leaderful Community’ (http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/551-600/article579_body.html ), and you can find more of Dr. Raelin’s resources at the Leaderful Institute website http://www.leaderful.org
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ABOUT INSPIRING COMMUNITIES
The Inspiring Communities Development Team is a ‘virtual’ team (based in Wellington, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty) of around 3 full time equivalents; with many decades of community development and community change experience in Aotearoa.
Our mission is to support initiatives that strengthen communities of place. Primarily this is a networking function, connecting people and communities together to reduce ‘reinventing the wheel’ and encourage open sharing and learning together. We are closely connected with our Core Learning Cluster of eight initiatives. We are seeing increasing interest in several regional networks (http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/regional-networks) developing around the country.
We aim to be a conduit for news about community-led development activity in New Zealand (and overseas) and are grateful to all who share their stories and thinking on our website alongside our own stories from our Core Learning Cluster.
We also actively seek to influence policy and practice in NZ through building relationships with local government, central government, funders and academics.
Inspiring Communities is a non-profit Trust. We have a management group and a strategic guiding group that reflect multiple sectors. The work of the Inspiring Communities is funded primarily by The Tindall Foundation with support from The Todd Foundation, the J R McKenzie Trust, Community Trust of Southland, BayTrust, ASB Community Trust, Call Plus, Auckland Council, Ideas Shop and others who generously contribute time, skills and resources.
You can read about our approach to learning, our framework for Community-Led Development, and more, on our website: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz
