The 1-day process will introduce practitioners to the participatory ‘method framework’ of development practices (see Kelly & Westoby, Participatory Development Practice, Practical Action Press, 2018). It's a true and tried participatory methodology and participants will finish the process with a clear 'method framework' for their community development thinking and practice. Community Praxis Co-op has run this process many many times all over Australia and other parts of the world.

The process will be potent and practical for:

• People who’ve got community development in their job descriptions, but feel they need a clear ‘to do’ or ‘method framework’
• Practitioners who’d like to reflect on the quality of their community development practice; and their own quality in the practice
• Community/Neighbourhood Centre workers/managers who wish to embed CD in their organisational work and lead place-based responses
• Active and engaged citizens who’d like to add to, and reflect on their intuitive community-oriented practices
• Activists, social and ecological practitioners wanting to add a community development approach to their work.

We will specifically:

• Examine the role of ‘community’ in ‘development’ within contemporary society;

• Learn the how-to of relational practice - establishing a developmental relationship, and practising key principles such as: see what the people see; see how we as practitioners see; connecting and dialogue, working with key joining words in dialogue

• Learn the how to of small-group practices (the heart-beat of our work) – such as, establishing and supporting participatory action groups and practising key principles such as: testing and moving from private concern to shared public analysis and action; group-formation, building shared analysis, and facilitation of small groups

• Consider the challenges of holding participatory work from within organisations that are oriented towards service-delivery

• Reflect on our utopian visions for social change and consider the contribution of CD to broader level systemic transformation.

This process will be held at the Campire in the Heart, Alice Springs, Northern Territory

The process will consist of one day, 9.30am-4.30pm, Wednesday 12th June, 2024

The gathering will include morning and afternoon teas but participants must bring their own lunch.

About your facilitators & host:

Peter Westoby was introduced at a keynote of the 2018 International Association of Community Development as “a community development scholar, activist and analyst”. Peter kind of liked the ring of it; almost poetic. Yet, more accurately, from the age of 20, Peter has been on a journey of community development practice, deeply shaped by a grass-roots tradition, Freirean in nature, and place-based. That evolved over many years, particularly as he worked in places such as South Africa, Uganda, the Philippines, Nepal, PNG and Vanuatu.

At the age of 40 he found himself as a latecomer wading into the academy, and perhaps by chance, took up a position as a community development scholar just as Anthony Kelly retired from 40 years of teaching, practice and service at The University of Queensland.

He has been a writer or co-writer/editor of 15 books and over 50 professional journal articles on community development (https://uq.academia.edu/PeterWestoby), and loves that there is an emerging global ‘community of scholarship’ growing around the world. But more importantly, he loves reading, walking, sitting by a fire under the moon or stars, wandering daily in Mary Cairncross Park, exploring his bio-region, being with friends, sipping a coffee at dawn, and going to bed about 8.30pm (yes, he’s a lark, not an owl).

At this present moment he is also:

• Director/consultant at Community Praxis Co-op;
• a P/T practitioner at Hummingbird House;
• a Custodian of Camellia Centre for Reflective Practice; and
• a Visiting Professor, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Check this out to listen to Peter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cq1l81NT70

Rachael Donovan has worked in community development and environmental management across the public and not-for-profit sector in Australia and India for the past two decades. Utilising a framework of being, connecting and transforming she has worked at the intersection of environmental issues and social justice and is passionate about protecting the rights of both people and the planet.

Rachael works from the edges of communities and groups in solidarity with those whose voices are most marginalised or silenced. She has worked across many disciplines such as health, sustainability, education, youth, gender and economic development to support and ensure people's voices are heard and used to influence change in their own lives (at the personal/community level) or inform government policy and practice (at the systems level). She has worked both as a grassroots practitioner and in various management and leadership roles in a range of government and non-government organisations including - EduCARE India, CREATE Foundation, Queensland Family and Child Commission and Nambour Community Centre. Rachael currently works with Community Praxis Co-op.