The Potential of Neighbourhoods _Jim Diers

BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES

POWER OF COMMUNITY

Power to Care for the Earth

Ballard Neighbourhood, Seattle

Power to Prevent Crime

SODO Neighbourhood, Seattle

Wodonga, Australia

Power to Care for One Another

Power to Demand Justice

London, England

Power of Community:• Care for the Earth• Prevent Crime• Care for One Another• Demand Social Justice• Create Great Places• Emergency Response• Health and Welfare• Happiness• Democracy

YOUR TURN:Share your own story

about the power of community

COMMUNITY IN CRISIS

Single-purpose land useIncreased mobilityLonger work days

FearElectronic screens

ConsumerismGlobalizationSpecialization

Professionalization

Ballard Neighbourhood, Seattle, Seattle

Keys to Opening Your Communityto Greater Participation

#1 – Have Fun!#1 – Have Fun!

Fremont Neighbourhood, Seattle

#2 - Start where people #2 - Start where people are:are:

►Their blockTheir block►Their language and cultureTheir language and culture►Their networksTheir networks►Their passionsTheir passions►Their callTheir call

#3 …but don#3 …but don’’t leave them there:t leave them there:

Strive for Results!

#4 – Don’t sit on your assets:

Every individual has gifts of the head, heart and hands

YOUR TURN:What are your skills,

passions & knowledge?

Labeled People:• Homeless• Unemployed• Poor person• Non-English speaking• Single parent• Addict• Offender• Disabled• Old person• At-risk youth

What Young People have to Offer:

• Creativity

• Time

• Energy

• Impatience

• Greatest stake in the future

• Expertise on what young people think

Toppenish, Washington

DISCOVER BURIED TREASUREIN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

QUESTION TO PONDER:

Whose gifts are underutilized in your

community?

Adelaide, South Australia

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

• Voluntary associations

Individuals share their gifts when they are in association with one another

QUESTION TO PONDER:

What are the community associations where you live?

Columbia City, Seattle

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

• Voluntary associations

• Built and natural environment

QUESTION TO PONDER:

Where you live, what are…-the bumping places?-the visible treasures?-the buried treasures?

Riverina, New South Wales

Phinney Neighbourhood, Seattle

Eastlake Neighbourhood, Seattle

White Center, Washington

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

• Voluntary associations

• Built and natural environment

• Local economy

QUESTION TO PONDER:

How could your community assets strengthen your local economy

and how could your economy better support your community?

Lake Street, Minneapolis

Yackandandah, Victoria

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

• Voluntary associations

• Built and natural environment

• Local economy

• Culture and identity

QUESTION TO PONDER:

-What is the unique identityof your community?-What are your cultural and historical assets?

Eritrean Community

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals• Voluntary associations• Built and natural environment• Local economy• Culture and identity• Local agencies

Agencies vs. Associations

STAFF & BUDGET VOLUNTEERS

CLIENT CONSUMER

CITIZEN

NEEDS ASSETS

QUESTION TO PONDER:

What are the underutilized assets

of agencies where you live?

Columbia School, Seattle

QUESTION TO DISCUSS:

What could you accomplish by

mobilizing community resources?

STEPS TOWARDS AGENCY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Do No Harm:• Don’t distract the community from its own

priorities.

• Don’t force the community into the bureaucracy’s silos.

• Don’t take people’s time without showing results.

• Don’t make the community dependent.

• Don’t undermine the community. Follow the Iron Rule.

Remove Agency Barriers to Partnership:

• Centralized decision making• Cookie cutter programs and

regulations• Inaccessibility (location, language,

hours, runaround)• Bureaucratic red tape• Know-it-all attitude

Build Community Capacity:• Offer leadership training

• Assist with outreach tools like translation

• Work with associations of all types

• Provide forums for networking

• Offer non-meeting options for engagement

• Share stories of successful communities

• Highlight community strengths

• Move beyond citizen participation to community empowerment

Department of

PARADIGM SHIFT NEEDED

Move from Siloed Thinking

To Holistic Approaches

Little City Halls and Coordinators

Move from Starting with Needs

To Starting with Strengths

Neighbourhood Matching Fund

What makes Matching Fund unique?

• Community matches with its assets, including volunteer labour

• Community determines priorities

• One time projects only

• Any group of neighbours can apply

• Proposals reviewed by peers

• Quantity and diversity of participation

key to selection and evaluation

High Point Neighbourhood

Alki Neighbourhood

Carkeek Park

Alki Neighbourhood

Duwamish Tribe

International District

Keys to Success• Ownership by community

• Outreach beyond usual suspects

• Volunteer match

• Small amounts of money

• Training and technical assistance

• Minimal red-tape and paperwork

• Support by the council as a whole

• Sharing of stories

Move from Top-Down

To Community-Driven

Neighbourhood Planning

Keys to Neighbourhood Planning

• Comprehensive plan provides framework

• Community initiates the planning

• Community engagement must be broad and inclusive

• City provides funding & technical assistance

• Community hires its own planning expertise

• Community defines its own scope of work

• Community drives plan throughout process

Delridge

Value of community-driven planning:• Implementation happens – plans don’t sit on the shelf

• Resources are multiplied – government resources leverage community’s

• Appropriate development occurs – respecting unique character of neighbourhood and culture of community

• More holistic and innovative solutions result

• A stronger sense of community is built

QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS

-What are local agencies doing to move towards more place-based, strengths-focused, community-led ways of working?-What more could they do?

TOOLS FOR BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES

Learning Conversations

CREDENTIALWARM UP TALK

MOTIVATION TO ACT● Gifts/talents to contribute

● Dreams to realize● Concerns/needs to addressWILL THEY PARTICIPATE?

WHO ELSE DO THEY KNOW?

Visioning

King County Senior Services

Photos of Central Area Gathering by Max Wells

Actions from Initial Gatherings

Neighborhood walking mapPlanning for senior co-housing

Gay/lesbian community projectsA one-stop lifelong learning website

Peppi’s Woods Maintenance Project

Time bank from Shoreline to Edmonds

Intergenerational, multicultural dance party

Summit

High Point Neighbourhood, Seattle

Open Space Technology

Time Banking

Timebank UK

Tea Vans

Portland, Oregon

Edmonton, Alberta

Welcoming

Waterloo, Ontario

Melbourne, Victoria

Big Lunch, UK

Vashon, Washington

WELCOME VASHON PROJECTSRestorative Justice Program

Amigos en VashonFerry Dock Welcoming Signs

Challenge Day at Vashon High SchoolCheckers in Town

Breakfast at Sally’sCross-Ability Friendship for Students

Stone SoupWelcome Wagon

Hire VashonTime Bank

HomesharingCreate Community Center

Establish Free ClinicThe Wave Campaign

Port Phillip, Australia

QUESTION TO DISCUSS:

What ideas from this workshop do you plan

to implement?

jimdiers@comcast.net