Newsletters
Inspiring Communities Newsletter No 17 September 2010 |
|
In this Newsletter you'll find... --- An editorial comment from Inspiring Communities and our reflections on the role of community in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. --- Inspiring Communities and Core Learning Cluster News: Big news for Opotiki: huge progress for its community-led aquaculture economic developments, and its youth murals to be exhibited at Te Papa; we formally announce Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2011; plus news from Mataura (Southland). --- Community-Led and Community Driven: Hon Tariana Turia has congratulated the recipients of the Dynamic Community Learning Awards 2010: Circus Kumarani, Dargaville and Flax Roots Whanau, Rawene. The "It's Not OK" campaign does better than ok at awards; Wellington City Council's Community Action Programme aims to turn 2,400 rental dwellings into homes and neighbourhoods, and more! --- News you can use: NZ Community of the Year nominations open; Participating in local elections; Paremoremo residents working together; Micro-action in NZ; NZ's Centre for Sustainable Cities; and the town that Levi's built. --- Events: Meet Australian 'place-maker' David Engwicht in September; and Auckland Community-Led Development October forum: Telling our Stories, and a workshop in Auckland led by Paul Born from the Tamarack Institute, Canada. --- Learning Links: New resources on Evaluation from Tamarack, Canada, a new free social lending resource created here in NZ by an international practitioner Laura Benedict; and the Community Capitals framework - an approach for understanding what makes successful entrepreneurial communities tick. You can download this Newsletter and previous issues as PDF from our website. www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/newsletters
Editorial Kia ora tatou On 4 September neighbourhoods in our garden city of Christchurch were woken to a disaster zone. This has prompted many of us to pause and take stock. We are all so thankful that no lives have been lost. And yet grief is still present as many have huge gaps in their daily lives with homes and businesses destroyed. In the days following the earthquake, as the heavy aftershocks continued to rattle buildings and nerves, families were being accommodated in emergency shelters. The Red Cross website quoted one evacuee in a school gymnasium who said it all: "I think it's wonderful how families - like this big one - come together. Who cares where you come from? We're going to get through this stress together." The importance of strong neighbourhoods has powerfully hit home to us. Civil Defence says that 90% of people rescued in the first hour of a civil emergency are found by their neighbours. The best thing anybody can do to be safe is to get to know their neighbours. What about those who live alone and didn't know their neighbours? What about those with mental or physical health challenges? How would we know if they are ok, or what they may need most to be ok, such as access to their critical medicines, help with mobility, or is it just important to have company. If we don't know each other, how can we look after each other? We want to encourage all our readers to do three things: First we'd like to encourage practical support of those in Canterbury. You can donate online through the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal:www.redcross.org.nz Secondly, let's not wait until Neighbours Day in March next year before getting to know our neighbours. Let's see it as a special celebration of neighbourhoods that are already becoming more connected - and stronger and safer for it. Third, start thinking of the community that you think is outstanding... and nominate them for the Mitre 10 Community of the Year Award 2011. This year saw the first Mitre 10 Community of the Year Award - deservingly given to Victory Village in Nelson. The Community of the Year is a new category within the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year Awards. www.kiwibank.co.nz/about-us/sponsorship Be safe, be connected Mary-Jane Rivers and the Inspiring Communities Exchange Team For all our latest news you can go straight to our Community News online.
Inspiring Communities News Aug 2010: Opotiki's community-led economic initiative receives major boost Opotiki's drive towards sustainable economic and social development based on its marine resources has been boosted by an agreement with a leading player in the Chinese seafood market. These opportunities for NZ are in large part due to the determination of local iwi, Te Whakatohea, working with the local community and the Opotiki District Council to create sustainable jobs and wealth, through aquaculture. http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/core-learning-cluster/opotiki
See also NZ Herald coverage of the deal: Seafood firm in China shells out for Kiwi mussels: www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10666278 China deal brings jobs hope to town with many on dole: www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10666300
Announcing Neighbours Day Aotearoa 201 Put the dates of 26 and 27 March 2011 into your diary: It's the official date for the inaugural Neighbours Day Aotearoa celebration! Inspiring Communities, LIFEWISE and Methodist Mission Aotearoa are working together on a nationwide campaign, which will build from the success of Auckland Neighbour's Day held in October 2009. www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/387-announcing-neighbours-day-aotearoa-2011
Opotiki young peoples' magnificent murals to exhibit at Te Papa The community spirit and vibrancy of colourful murals in public places is seen all around New Zealand - and Opotiki township is no exception. Sixteen murals, created over three years, by hundreds of local young people. On 27 September, an exhibition of these Magnificent Murals will open at Te Papa and run through to December. The full article on our website includes a presentation about the murals: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/core-learning-cluster/opotiki/373-aug-2010-the-magnificen-t-opotiki-youth-murals-to-exhibit-at-te-papa
Mataura Messenger August 2010: SwedeFest success and more The August 2010 Mataura Messenger shows what is keeping this Southland community and the Mataura Taskforce busy. Highlights include the success of the inaugural SwedeFest, and news of Department of Internal Affairs funding under its Community Development Scheme to progress the community's vision. Download the PDF from our website: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/core-learning-cluster/mataura/374-aug-2010-mataura-messenger-swedefest-success-and-more-news
COMMUNITY LED AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN Awards showcase amazing initiatives Hon Tariana Turia, has congratulated the recipients of the Dynamic Community Learning Awards 2010.
"One of the criteria of the awards is that the initiatives help to promote active citizenship and strengthen the whanau and community, and both winning initiatives clearly demonstrate this," says Mrs Turia. "We all know that our lives are made immeasurably better by the people around us who use their diverse knowledge, skills and capabilities to make a difference." www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/390-awards-showcase-amazing-initiatives
"It's not OK" campaign for action receives sector awards On 13 July the people behind the Families Commission's and Ministry of Social Development "It's not OK" campaign received not one but two awards at this year's Public Sector Excellence Awards. The campaign emphasises the role of the community and friends in providing support and speaking out against domestic violence. Both the award for Public Sector Communications AND the Prime Minister's Award were given to the campaign. Read more under "2010 Winners" at the IPANZ Awards website www.ipanzawards.org.nz/
Wellington City Council Community Action Programme: Encouraging resident involvement in community solutions Wellington City Council's Community Action (CAP) team works 'to increase social inclusion, community spirit and pride' for the residents of the council's housing estates which comprise 2,400 rental homes between Miramar and Tawa: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/384-aug-2010-encouraging-resident-involvement-in-community-solutions
Fostering Leaderful Communities through Community Gardening Rotorua residents are working together to ensure Hannah's Bay remains more than a place to walk dogs and play by the lake. It's now a place undergoing restoration of a wetland, community plantings and landscaping, and community gardens. A place to "build community": www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/393-aug-2010-fostering-leaderful-communities-through-community-gardening
Porirua's Pat Hanley elected to world citizens body Pat Hanley of Porirua has been elected to the Board of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation. Pat has a long history of involvement in promoting citizen participation. He currently chairs the Social & Civic Policy Institute, and also chairs his local Residents' Association in Pukerua Bay. Pat also contributed to a pivotal workshop in April this year, when the Porirua community came together to discuss Porirua beyond cycles of debt (see more in this article: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/350-27-april-moving-beyond-cycles-of-debt-for-porirua . CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international alliance of organisations at the local, national, regional and international levels, and spanning civil society, has worked for over a decade to strengthen citizen action and civil society. Read about Pat's nomination at: www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/news/national/civicus.htm?region=default
NEWS YOU CAN USE Community of the Year 2011: Nominations close 22 October 2010 As part of the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year, nominations are now open for the Community of the Year (sponsored by Mitre 10). See full details and nominate at the New Zealander of the Year Awards website: www.nzawards.org.nz/CommunityoftheYear/tabid/27942/Default.aspx You can also read about Victory Village, Nelson, winner of the 2010 Community of the Year: - On the Awards website: www.nzawards.org.nz/AwardRecipients/CommunityoftheYear/tabid/36012/Default.aspx
2010 local elections: Encouraging locals to vote and stand Inspiring Communities recently worked with local people in Whakatane and Opotiki and with Local Government New Zealand to hold some workshops about voting or standing in the upcoming elections: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/component/content/article/107-regional-networks/380-aug-2010-2010-local-elections-locals-voting-and-standing To find out when elections are happening in your area and how to vote, visit: www.elections.org.nz/ and http://lgnz.co.nz/events/2010elections.html
Micro-action advocate Cindy Gallop talks micro-action in New Zealand "The single biggest pool of untapped natural resource in the world is human good intentions that never translate into action. I'd like to change that" says Cindy Gallop in a Youtube clip of one of her presentations: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa1YYqjNxPk Her website, 'If we ran the world', www.ifwerantheworld.com is designed to 'help change the world one microaction at a time'. Cindy Gallop was interviewed during her recent visit. To hear more listen to her speaking with Kim Hill on Radio NZ Saturday morning 7 August 2010 www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/20100807
Sustainable Paremoremo bringing people together for a stronger community Residents in the Paremoremo area are contributing to the vision of "Caring for ourselves, our families, our neighbours and our environment," under the umbrella of Sustainable Pare. To read more, or to sign up for email updates, visit the Sustainable Pare page at: www.parepublisher.co.nz/community-groups/sustainable-pare/
The NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities An inter-disciplinary research centre dedicated to providing the research base for innovative solutions to the economic, social, environmental and cultural development of our urban centres. http://sustainablecities.org.nz/2010/07/
The town that Levi's built A fascinating example of placemaking initiated by a major corporation and documented in several videos, which you can watch here http://us.levi.com/shop/index.jsp?clickid=header_explore&categoryId=2929279
EVENTS
September 2010: A Day with David Engwicht www.raeburnhouse.org.nz/latest-news When: Friday 24 September Where: Takapuna, Auckland What: A free regional workshop with Australian 'place maker' David Engwicht.
October 2010: Auckland CLD Network Forum - "Telling our Stories" When: Tuesday 5 October Where: Pt Chevalier, Auckland What: A chance to hear two of NZ's leading communicators on telling, sharing and making the most of your community's stories, to communicate with funders and others.
November 2010: Paul Born, President and co founder of Tamarack- an Institute for Community Engagement www.bankofideas.com.au/Events/Paul-Born/Paul-Born-2010/Paul-Born-2010-frames.html When: Wednesday 17 November 2010 Where: Auckland What: A series of one day 'hands on' interactive workshops on facilitating 'community conversations' that result in social and economic change, led by author and internationally recognised community builder Paul Born, from the Tamarack Institute, Canada. These one day facilitator training events will explore and share experiences, methodologies and tools regarding:
LEARNING LINKS
New resources on Evaluation from Tamarack, Canada:
Michael Quinn Patton online seminar: Developmental Evaluation Developmental evaluation is outcomes-oriented in its focus. It is particularly well-suited for helping to monitor the connections between short-term outcomes and longer-term social change efforts and programs that do not expect to create a standardised model, but rather anticipate the need to be continuously evolving. http://tamarackcommunity.ca/g3s61_VC_2010g.html
Mark Cabaj article: Evaluating Social Innovation http://tamarackcommunity.ca/index.php#2
Approaches to Measuring More Vibrant Communities Vibrant Communities is a network of communities and national organisations that use collaborative, comprehensive approaches to substantially reduce poverty within Canada http://tamarackcommunity.ca/downloads/vc/Measuring_More_Vibrant_Communities.pdf
The Future is Local - Executive Summary of UK report online "Enabling communities to lead local renewal projects with a neighbourhood-wide approach is the most cost-effective way to ensure our villages, towns and cities are fit for the future". This is the summary of a July 2010 report by the UK's Sustainable Development Commission, the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development. To know more, download the report from: www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=1092
The Community Capitals Framework An approach for understanding what makes successful entrepreneurial communities tick, pays attention to seven types of capital - natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial and built, focuses on the interaction among the seven capitals, and understands how investments in one capital can build assets in others www.soc.iastate.edu/staff/cflora/ncrcrd/capitals.html
New, free social lending resource: Social Lending: A (free) Tool for Grantmakers, an Opportunity for Communities This report, by Laura Benedict, discusses the opportunity social lending offers New Zealand's public and private grantmakers as well as social enterprises, non-profits, iwi, and low-income communities. Read more and download the report free from: www.fulbright.org.nz/voices/axford/2010_benedict.html
ABOUT INSPIRING COMMUNITIES The Inspiring Communities Development Team is a 'virtual' team of six individuals (based in Wellington, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty) or 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, and are seeing increasing interest in several regional networks (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, 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: www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz
|