Newsletters
Inspiring Communities News No 20 February 2011 |
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February 2011In this Newsletter you’ll find… Inspiring Communities and Core Learning Cluster News:
Community-Led and Community Driven:
News You Can Use:
Events:
Learning Links: You can download this Newsletter and previous issues as PDF from our website.
EditorialKia ora tatou Although we are already well into 2011, happy New Year to you all! Wherever you spent your holiday season, we hope it was relaxing, fun-filled and spent in the way that you wanted. Leaders and leadership We have some congratulations to hand out to two Inspiring Communities Board members for their leadership and contribution - to Alison Broad who has become a member of the NZ Order of Merit and Alfred Ngaro who has been appointed onto the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs' Advisory Council. We are also really pleased that Megan Courtney from the Inspiring Communities Development team and Dickie Farrar, CEO of Te Whakatohea Trust Board in Opotiki will be participants in the Leadership NZ 2011 programme, supported by The Tindall Foundation and inspiring Communities. They are all examples of individual leadership. As well, all four promote leading coming from all corners of the communities. “Leaderful communities” is a focus for this issue whether it is young Taita people modelling virtues in their communities and partnering with a Council, or Puamiria Maaka of Tamaki talking about what it means to actively encourage respect for local residents’ voices and local community ways of working when outside agencies come in. Puamiria Maaka was a participant in the 2010 Leadership NZ programme. Inspiring Communities is proud to be a partner of Leadership NZ in our quest to support “leaderful communities” (See the Leadership NZ website http://www.leadershipnz.co.nz/News/Partner-NewsLeaderful-Communities/default.aspx). Further congratulations go to the 2011 Community of the Year, Gibbston in Central Otago, named in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards ( http://www.nzawards.org.nz/CommunityoftheYear/tabid/27942/Default.aspx). Responses to What We Are Learning We are really pleased that our publication What We Are Learning has hit a spot of real interest in communities and organisations. Kindra Douglas manager of Victory Village, Nelson, comments: “What We Are Learning is inspiring and has re-invigorated what community-led development is for these current times. Very importantly it is a practical source of tools, ways of thinking and resources to help our practice be more effective. It also provides a window on wonderful activities in New Zealand”. Megan Barclay, Executive Director of Leadership NZ, which has placed What We Are Learning on its reading list for programme participants, says: “Within this meaningful resource, reflections on leading in leaderful communities makes interesting and inspiring reading and resonates well with us and our journey of developing and enhancing the quality of future leaders from all sectors.” What we’re working on Next month we each get a chance to lead the way to new or closer connections in our own neighbourhoods: its Neighbours Day Aotearoa on 26-27 March. Thanks to those who are helping spread the word about this. As well as connecting in person, we are hoping people from 1000 NZ streets will ‘sign up’ at the website to show how much Kiwis care about neighbourhoods. Visit the website http://www.neighboursday.org.nz for more information and neat ideas and resources. The line-up of individual and family-centred, community-led initiatives for the Victory Forum on 27-29 April is growing. See the Victory Forum website ( http://www.confer.co.nz/victoryforum/) for the programme and to enrol. 2011 is already a busy and exciting year for community-led development in New Zealand. We trust something in this newsletter will inspire you and assist your role in creating more inspiring communities.
Best wishes Leigh Strange and Mary-Jane Rivers
For all our latest news you can go straight to our to Community News online. http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news If you’d rather not receive these newsletters in future please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and include Unsubscribe in the subject line.
INSPIRING COMMUNITIES & CORE LEARNING CLUSTER NEWS
“My Story” a journey of leadership for children in Taita/Pomare and their whole community Taita’s ‘My Story’ journey is an inspiring example of what can happen when a good idea and supportive community come together with a determination to make things better for their children. Through “My Story” 33 local school children are learning about what being part of a community means to them, and what they mean to their community. From children baking cookies for the bakery after it was broken into, to developing a Timebank and actively connecting across generations, Taita is seeing the impacts of “My Story”, supported by Great Start, ripple through the whole community. Read the full story on our website. http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/core-learning-cluster/taita/457-my-story
Sharing Conversations that made Good Cents in Porirua Good Cents is leading for positive change in Porirua, working together with all sectors of the community towards solutions to the cycle of unsustainable debt. In April last year a ‘watershed’ gathering drew people together to start collaborating, and a core group committed to take forward a four step plan. Since then they and Good Cents have been continuing “Conversations that made Good Cents” with others in Porirua, bringing more and more key members of the community into this work. Matt’s updates are an inspiring read and are kindly shared with us.
A Time for Maui? Thoughts on Leadership from Leadership NZ 2010 participant Puamiria Maaka "We begin with the belief that the community holds a wealth of knowledge and has been able to learn and reflect together. Collective leadership will increase the breadth and depth of leadership abilities that can be galvanized in a particular cause," says Puamiria Maaka in the Leadership NZ 2010 Yearbook. Puamiria, Manager of Te Waipuna Puawai in Tamaki, was a participant in the 2010 Leadership NZ Programme receiving a Tindall Foundation and Inspiring Communities scholarship. Life was more than full-on for Puamiria and she was also actively contributing to a fascinating local initiative of residents and organisations in Tamaki defining how they wanted to be engaged with. In this article on our website Puamiria explores the leadership issues of courage and optimism involved with this initiative and for communities to lead their own development ( http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/leadership/455-puamria-maaka-a-time-for-maui). Inspiring Communities is proud to be a partner of Leadership NZ in our quest to support “leaderful communities” See the Leadership NZ website ( http://www.leadershipnz.co.nz/News/Partner-NewsLeaderful-Communities/default.aspx). Read teh article on our website: (http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/tamaki)
COMMUNITY LED & COMMUNITY DRIVEN
Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership Awards 2011 get underway Applications are now open for the Sir Peter Blake Youth EnviroLeaders' Forum, which will be held in Auckland in April. The Sir Peter Blake Trust and the Ministry for the Environment are seeking 48 young New Zealand leaders with a passion for the environment and the desire and ability to take action. See the Youth Enviroleaders Forum website for further information and to download an application form ( http://www.youthenviroleadersforum.org). The first of March is the start of the 2011 nomination season for the next Blake Medal and Emerging Leader Awards. Read more about this at the Sir Peter Blake Trust Website ( http://www.sirpeterblaketrust.org/leadership/awards/)
Low budget, high passion, huge neighbourhood impact: West Lynn Street party Grey Lynn The West Lynn Street Party was held in Grey Lynn in March 2010. Organiser Pippa Coom humbly describes it as “a good story of neighbourhood and creating something with lots of volunteers but not much money - whole budget $100!" (held in March 2010) http://vimeo.com/10514079
LEARNING LINKS
Margaret Wheatley and Berkana Institute: A Toolkit for Building Healthy and Resilient Communities Learn more about the Engaging Community Toolkit and many other inspiring articles and resources on Margaret Wheatley’s website http://margaretwheatley.com. To quote the site regarding this toolkit: “Whatever the problem, community is the answer”.
Mark Cabaj: How to Generate Powerful Results in Addressing Complex Social Issues What do a region-wide effort to strengthen watershed management in Virginia, improving farming practices and farmer incomes in Cote-d’Avoire, a comprehensive initiative to prevent childhood obesity in Massachusetts and a campaign to improve student achievement in Ohio have in common? They are all examples of collective impact initiatives that work across multiple sectors to generate powerful results in addressing complex social issues. Read Mark’s article in the latest Maytree newsletter: http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/LandingPage.aspx?id=678060&lm=24327327&q=277027539&qz=b307195e8f14979b0b36c2a93ff78f0e
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Transforming Leadership: Hints from Tamaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy Puamiria Maaka, Manager of Te Waipuna Puawai, said in the December 2010 Leadership NZ Yearbook 'there is so much potential in our communities for leadership... (and) there is a growing awareness that different leadership models are being called for, from all sectors as more people become interested in innovative outcomes and constructive change." Puamiria was living these words as an active member of the Tamaki Inclusive Engagement (TIES) group that promotes the active participation of Tamaki communities in decisions affecting their future. TIES developed some key elements on "Transforming Leadership":
TIES has these handy hints for noticing and building on potential: For more about TIES story and to access their book with more practical hints from their ways of working, see http://www.tiesbook.org.nz. Read the article on our website: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/tamaki
Seven lessons that help communities to be full of leaders An extract from Inspiring communities’ December 2010 publication What We Are Learning : "Rather than power and authority concentrated in the hands of a few, we understand how communities can be truly strengthened when leadership comes from all corners of the community - we see this as 'leaderful communities'... - create opportunities for new leaders at decision-making tables and support them to be there To read more, you can download What We Are Learning from our website ( http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/learning-a-sharing).
OVCS January newsletter: E-news from the Office for the Community & Voluntary Sector ~ Issue 39 The January E-newsletter from the Office for the Community & Voluntary Sector (Issue 39, 27 January 2011) has many interesting and practical links on various topics including new opportunities, resources and publications for Kiwi communities; a whole section on international initiatives about communities and government (including an update on NZ’s Kia Tutahi relationship agreement), and lots of reading about volunteers. Read the newsletter online at http://www.ocvs.govt.nz/publications/newsletter/index.html
EVENTS
28 Feb: BoP CLD Network workshop: Telling and Sharing our Stories (Whakatane) This forum is aimed helping improve our ability to notice, tell, share, store and more effectively use our community stories and knowledge. Facilitated by Anna Kominik, a leading New Zealand communications professional and supporter of community-led development and Inspiring Communities. You can expect to learn : - Ideas for helping communities tell and share their stories Organised by the Community-Led Development BoP Network. See details and download the flyer from our Events page: ( http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news/events-calendar)
28 February: International Assn for Community Development Conference: Portugal, July 2011: Call for Papers: Closing date for submissions is 28 February 2011. This year’s conference of the International Association of Community development (IACD) will be hosted by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Psicologia Comunitária at ISPA, Lisbon from 7th to 9th July 2011. (http://www.iacdglobal.org/) The chosen theme for this Conference is transformative leadership and empowering communities. Guidelines for submitting papers are available on the conference website ( http://www.cdconference.com/).
March: Art of Place Making and Creating Resilient Cities workshops (Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland) On day one of these two-day workshops, David Engwicht will discuss ‘twelve secrets’ to creating vibrant neighbourhoods, prosperous shopping streets, and magical public spaces. Day two explores the ‘secrets’ to creating resilient communities, resilient local economies and resilient local government organisations. Visit the Creative Communities website for details and to register ( http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=8552b5a7-43d1-41a1-b926-2494db223686)
March to May: Development Action workshops Development Action will be running workshops from March to May which are of interest to community sector organisations, starting with Taking Stock of your Monitoring Evaluation: http://www.developmentaction.co.nz/services/professionaldevelopment/training-and-pricing/2011-training-calendar
26 – 27 March: Neighbours Day Aotearoa Neighbours Day Aotearoa is about turning streets into neighbourhoods. Imagine if all New Zealanders knew our neighbours and lived in a friendly neighbourhood? It’s as easy as putting the jug on, doing some baking, firing up the BBQ, or just getting outside to chat over the fence with your neighbours. See http://www.neighboursday.org.nz for more information, ideas, and to sign up to show your support for kiwi neighbourhoods. Brought to you by the Neighbours Day Development team from LIFEWISE, Inspiring Communities, and Methodist Mission Aotearoa.
19 – 20 April: 2nd NZ Community Economic Development conference (Auckland) Due to popular demand a second CED conference will be held this year, at the Trusts Stadium Waitakere (organised by Community Waitakere on behalf of the CED Trust). The theme of this conference is Making it happen: from possibility to profitability and will feature a host of leading practitioners from New Zealand and overseas.
27-29 April 2011: Victory Village Forum All are welcome to join in celebrating the Victory community's growth and change and engage in lively discussion about how they created a more vibrant community. This is a chance to learn from cutting edge examples of community-led development in Victory and across Aotearoa New Zealand. The Victory Village Forum ( http://www.confer.co.nz/victoryforum/) is brought to you by Victory Village in partnership with the Families Commission and Inspiring Communities. Read the article: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-centre/topics-a-themes/schools-families-a-communities/444-victory-village-research-report-launch-paths-to-victory-
ABOUT INSPIRING COMMUNITIESThe 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 and advocate for a community-led approach to development in NZ (where we see social, economic and environmental development as intrinsically interwoven). We do this by: - Focusing on intentional learning and outcomes: watching how change happens in communities and learning from this how best to foster positive change and growth. We aim to be a conduit for news about community-led development (CLD) 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 co-facilitate forum events (with partners) to support learning about community-led development around the country. - Connecting people, communities and ideas 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 developing around the country. - Supporting local leadership and advocating for “leaderful communities” where leadership comes from all corners, is recognised, encouraged, shared and passed on in a way that strengthens the whole community. - Actively advocating and talking about CLD with those who influence policy and practice in NZ, including local government, central government, funders and academics to share what is being learned by NZ communities. Inspiring Communities is a non-profit Trust. We have a Board of Trustees that reflects 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: http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz
For all our latest news you can go straight to our to Community News online ( http://www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-news) If you’d rather not receive these newsletters in future please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and include Unsubscribe in the subject line. |