We are currently in the second year of IACD’s 2016-20 Strategic Plan. You will find the Strategic Plan on the website. https://www.iacdglobal.org/about/18-2/This year the Board has prioritised several major work areas, upon which we shall be updating members at the forthcoming AGM on August 9th.
- To organise a World Community Development Conference in 2018. This will be IACD’s 65th birthday year and we want to use this to celebrate the importance of community development around the world. The conference will be taking place in Ireland.
- To expand the Global Community Development Exchange. As highlighted in this year’s report, the R&D for GCDEX has taken place. Our challenge now is to fill this unique resource repository with practical learning and teaching resources for community developers to use and share across the world.
- To develop the new IACD website.In light of the technical difficulties we encountered last year, we took the decision that we needed a new website. Our priority is to populate the new website with regularly updated news and information about the association and community development policies, publications and practices around the world.
- To publish three issues of the IACD magazine Practice Insights.
- To organise a Practice Exchange continuing professional development programme. This coming year we plan to organise another field visits programme, this time to South America.
- To publish international occupational guidelines for the community development field. This project enables IACD to share and build upon the work that has been developed in some countries over the past eighteen years and our work in producing a global definition of community development in 2016.
- To design and deliver an IACD international CPD blended learning programme for community development practitioners around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our intention is to design a certificated and accredited programme that could be delivered through trainer partners in different countries.
- To support at least three events in IACD’s global regions. These would be mini conferences/round table events that bring together members in different countries.
- To represent IACD at the United Nations (and relevant UN agencies), continuing our policy priority around the Sustainable Development Goals. Last year we ran an IACD Side Event at the UN High Level Political Forum on the SDGs.
- To continue to run a lean and mean HQ office in Scotland.Our move in August last year has proved hugely positive. Here we are able to provide member service support.
- To continue to grow our membership numbers by 20% p.a.
The association is largely volunteer led, with just one part time staff member, Colette-Margaret McClure, who is supported by Board Adviser and Past President, Charlie McConnell. The projects above are led by IACD committees and we are very keen to engage more members in this work. IACD members are warmly encouraged to get involved and perhaps serve on an IACD committee or short life task group. If you are interested, please contact President Paul Lachapelle paul.lachapelle@montana.edu
