Jointly convened by theMunicipal Association of Victoria (MAV)

and the Bank of IDEASProgram >if you’re looking for community

development ideas and better ways ofdoing things, you’ve come to

the right place!

OCTOBER 15-16,2014Rydges Hotel. 186 Exhibition Street,Melbourne

THE FUTURE OFCOMMUNITIESPower to the People Conference Innovative ways to create vibrant communities led by active,caring and engaged citizens

• A Conference to discuss communities transitioning ‘beyond engagement, beyond dependency’• A tsunami of change is coming: the vision of ‘independent, self-governing communities’ may be closer than we think • Global trend towards community empowerment with a new emphasis on localism• Great communities don’t just happen: they are created, nurtured and sustained by caring and involved residents• Devolved community planning, community governance, building social capital, improving community well-being and providing public value is the future of local government• 8 great learning workshops to choose from

This celebrated annual national event continues to focus on the fact that we are living in times of unprecedented change and complexity and that Governments are becoming increasingly aware they often do not have the answers to the major challenges confronting society. The social Internet (Web 2.0) has forever changed the rules of communication, tipping the scales heavily in the favour of individuals and small groups. Web 3.0, touted as 'the Internet of things', is going to be just as disruptive to the physical systems that run our world. The scales will once again be tipped and the data, power and efficiency once only afforded by large corporations and Governments will be in the hands of the citizen making inefficient and out-dated distributed models competitive again. What does all this mean? Local communities will need to find solutions from within. Building community health, resilience, connectedness and inclusion will increasingly be the focus of local government. Local communities will need to relocalise, build from the ‘inside out’ and take responsibility for their own future.

Australia’s onlynational communityengagementconference

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15

FROM 8AM REGISTRATION, CAFÉ CONVERSATIONS OVER LIGHT BREAKFAST: INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

9.15AM WELCOME, MAV PRESIDENT BILL MCARTHUR

9.30AM PLENARY PRESENTATIONS Deepening Community: finding joy together in chaotic times • Paul Born. Paul is the President and co-founder of the Tamarack Institute which since 2001 has provided leadership in Canada on issues of

citizen engagement, collaborative leadership and community innovation. (Pre-record)• Phil Koperberg, former NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner and 2013/14 Blue Mountains Fire Recovery Co-ordinator. Phil will speak on the

theme ‘Out of the Ashes - Bushfire Recovery• Peter Kenyon, Director, Bank of IDEAS reflecting on the Christchurch earthquakes - a time of devastation but perhaps also an opportunity to

view utopia?

11AM REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

11.30AM WORKSHOP 1 The conference workshop options are set out below: each attendee will choose four workshops to attend over the two days:

• Creating a Culture of Community Engagement Across Council -- Charlotte Carlish, Executive Manager, Communications and Engagement, City of Subiaco (WA)

The City of Subiaco’s Strategic Community Plan was the outcome of their award-winning Think 2030 community visioning project. Since that time, one of the key priorities for the city has been the embedding of community engagement within the organisation. Join Charlotte to hear about the community engagement journey in Subiaco, from the creation of a dedicated community engagement team reporting directly to the CEO, implementation of their community engagement handbook, training for all staff and providing support and advice across the organisation. Hear the success stories as well as the challenges along the way.....This session would benefit community engagement practitioners who are interested to hear more about how to create a culture of community engagement within their groups and organisations.

• Creative Use of Social Media to Engage Disengaged Community – Keren Flavell, Wholesome Media, founder of Town Hall SocialCouncils struggle with how to capture the attention and interest of the majority of their residents. The same squeaky wheels tend to the dominate the conversation. With the growing pervasiveness of the internet and social media, it’s now possible to change that. This workshop will explain how to increase engagement and sharing of council messages through social media and show a range of case studies demonstrating the success of direct consultation with the community through Facebook.

• Social capital - how to build it and measure it -- Peter Kenyon, Director, Bank of IDEASThe historical record strongly suggests that the successful communities became rich because they were civic, not the other way round. The social capital embodied in norms and networks of civic engagement seems to be a precondition for economic development as well as for effective government. Civics matters. There has been too little attention paid to social capital... Social capital refers to the processes between people which establish networks, norms, social trust and facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit.. Social capital is also appropriate because it can be measured and quantified so we can distribute its benefits and avoid its losses.

• Grass Roots Community ownership -- Josephine Lebbing, Denmark (WA), The Empowerment NetworkWorking together for positive change: every person and every community is unique with its own set of complex characteristics. Using an asset-based approach this workshop will look at these complex systems to highlight the practical opportunities for community workers/organisations to effectively and efficiently nurture the development of inclusive, sustainable and empowering communities. It will also include Localised crowd funding activities and ABCD mapping as part of Locals supporting Locals.

• Using Heritage to Mobilise Community Reinvention – David Wilson, Heritage Futures (NZ) David Wilson is a community innovator who passionately advocates that in our ever more globalized world, the future is local, and that all dimensions of heritage – natural, cultural, tangible and intangible, are at the heart of the sustainable development equation. He emphasises that the preservation of cultural heritage assets (unique customs, traditions, language, food, clothing, art ) enables important aspects of the past to be identified, protected and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, while at the same time offering important social, environmental and economic benefits. Founder and Director of Heritage Futures International (NZ) Ltd, over the past two decades David has worked with over 700 communities from local to international level, across New Zealand, Australia, Somalia, West Africa, Malaysia and India.

• Community - A cosmos of conversations, Russell Deal, St Luke’s Innovative Resources Russell Deal describes himself as a publisher of metaphors. For over 20 years his creative team at St Luke’s Innovative Resources in Bendigo have produced an ever-widening array of conversation-building tools. One way of conceptualizing community is to consider all the conversations that go into building its identity and culture. What are the most important conversations to be had in order to build healthy, cooperating and collaborating communities? Some of the most important conversations can be the micro-conversations that can be easily overlooked but in fact provide an important gauge as to any community’s inclusiveness. In this interactive workshop a number of St Luke’s hands-on ‘tools’ will be used in small group discussions to demonstrate the power of simple visual metaphors to talk about what’s most important in our hopes and dreams of community. Visual metaphors can provide a powerful way of identifying, mobilizing and celebrating the strengths of any community

• Is Community Old-Fashioned? What Would A 21st Century Village Look Like? Jim Diers, Neighbour Power (Seattle, USA)Jim worked as a community organiser in Seattle in the early 1980s. Using a broad-based approach, he helped local neighbourhoods draw attention to the gang problems, drugs, violence and insensitive planning decisions that made their lives intolerable. After many confrontations with City Hall, in 1988 he was invited by the Mayor to head up a new Department of Neighbourhoods. His approach was to focus on community assets rather than needs, and to move from an adversarial relationship between people and government to a genuine partnership. To achieve this, city government had to become a catalyst for change and civic renewal, while simultaneously supporting strong independent community organisations. It had to avoid imposing ‘top down empowerment’ and instead, open up new spaces for dialogue.

• Social & Cooperative Enterprise - pathways to market and values based community ventures, Peter Tregilgas, Social Enterprise Director Social enterprise is a means by which people come together and use market-based ventures to achieve agreed social ends. It is characterised by creativity, entrepreneurship and a focus on community rather than individual profit. It is a creative endeavour that results in social, financial, service, educational, employment or other community benefits. This workshop will explore the current role of Social Enterprise as a tool for sustainable community programs. The workshop will examine; definition, models, planning, and practical field implementation including governance systems such as cooperatives and advocate organisations available to assist. Workshop facilitator: Peter has been a champion for community empowerment developing resources for individuals and organisations to establish, manage and flourish utilising market based principles to achieve social aims and build community wealth. His publications have included Social Enterprise in Australia - A Handbook and Cooperatives in Australia - A Manual.

12.45PM LUNCH AND NETWORKING

1.30PM WORKSHOP 2 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)2.45PM REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

3.15PM CLAY SHIRKY (USA): HOW THE INTERNET WILL TRANSFORM GOVERNMENT (PRE-RECORD)

3.35PM Q&A: REINVENTING THE WAY LOCAL COUNCILS AND NGOS ENGAGE WITH THEIR COMMUNITIESPanel• Kathy Alexander (CEO, City of Melbourne)• Charlotte Carlish (Subiaco)• Josephine Lebbing (Denmark, WA)• Lenny Jenner (CEO, Queenscliffe Council, Victoria)• Jim Diers (USA)

5PM CLOSE

6.30PM CONFERENCE DINNER: PECHAKUCHA NIGHT: AN EVENING OF INFORMAL NETWORKING, FUN AND CREATIVE IDEAS• 6 brief presentations of exciting community development initiatives • Guest Speaker: Tim Shadbolt, Mayor of Invercargill, New ZealandDinner location: Rydges Melbourne (Bobby McGee’s Room) 186 Exhibition Street

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16FROM 8AM CAFÉ CONVERSATIONS AND LIGHT BREAKFAST: OPEN SPACE (YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN A CONVERSATION YOU ARE PASSIONATE

ABOUT)

9AM WELCOME AND REFLECTIONS ON DAY 1

9.15AM 20 YEARS OF ABCD: WHAT IS RADICAL ABOUT THIS APPROACH AND WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE? • Jim Diers, USA• Cormac Russell, Director, ABCD Europe• Denise Bijeux, Manager, Inspiring Communities (NZ)• Janet Malcolm, Co-ordinator, South Alive, South Invercargill, NZ (South Place case study)

11AM REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

11.30AM WORKSHOP 3 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)12.45PM LUNCH AND NETWORKING

1.30PM WORKSHOP 4 (SEE WORKSHOP 1 OPTIONS)2.45PM A VISION FOR COMMUNITIES (PANEL)

3.15PM CLOSE

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?Councillors, CEOs, Directors, Managers ( community related), as well as stakeholders, consultants, community groups and community members. Conference cost: $550 (incl GST) per person. No single day registrations are available.

To register: For online registration and conference details go to www.mav.asn.au/events (click on ‘upcoming events’ and scroll down to October 15). Please nominate your workshop choices on arrival.Queries: jhennessy@mav.asn.au or Peter Kenyon (0417 183 719)Note: Program subject to change.Accommodation: Suggest: Rydges Melbourne, 186 Exhibition Street (03 9662 0511) or Mercure Hotel, 13 Spring Street, Melbourne. Toll free: 1800 813 442.

THE 2013 POWER TO THE PEOPLE CONFERENCE PRESENTED A FRAMEWORK, PRACTICAL TOOLS AND INDICATORS BASED ON EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS (SEE BELOW) THAT ARE RECOGNISED NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AS PILLARS OF A HEALTHY, VIBRANT, RESILIENT COMMUNITY AND LOCAL ECONOMY:

1. PRACTICES ONGOING DIALOGUE AND BROAD-BASED COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

behaviours that value and encourage resident participation and ownership of the future.

2. FOSTERS COMMITMENT TO PLACE behaviours that strengthen resident affinity to their community and local economy.

3. BUILDS CONNECTIONS AND COLLABORATION

behaviours that encourage collaborative planning and action, networking and strong relationships between residents, organisations, businesses and communities.

4. KNOWS ITSELF AND BUILDS ON EXISTING ASSETS

behaviours that discover and map the capacities, passions, resources and connections of the community.

5. SHAPES ITS FUTURE behaviours that enable a shared community vision of the future, as reflected in practical action plans, with ranked priorities.

6. ACTS WITH IDEA AND OPPORTUNITY OBSESSION

behaviours that foster a never ending search for new and appropriate ideas, development possibilities and internal and external resources.

7. EMBRACES CHANGE AND TAKES RESPONSIBILITY

a mindset that focuses on optimism, belief, expectation, hope and ‘we can do it’.

8. GENERATES LEADERSHIP behaviours that continuously grows develops and renews the leadership capacity of the community.

HOW DOES YOUR COMMUNITY RATE?

by Simon Kneebone. A special feature of this Conference will be the inclusion of Simon, one of Australia’s leading social comment cartoonists, who will, throughout the event, capture many of the Conference’s themes and learning gems through his drawings.