A NATIONAL NETwork of community builders
 

The Network connects community initiators and leaders, support practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and others who are interested in authentic community building work.

Ideas and experiences, papers, project reports, case studies of local and overseas innovations, and progress reports in advocacy are posted online and shared.

Sue Smyllie, President of Self Help Queensland, is Convenor.

There is no cost to join.

Register Here to Participate in the Network

The Natural Neighbourhoods, Real Communities Conference on 22-23 June 2009 adopted a number of initiatives for national development and coordination, including:

• Street by Street
• Neighbourhood Power
• Circles of Support 
• Neighbourhood Supported Living Networks
• The Sharehood
• Neighbourhood Cultural Exchange
• National Street Party Weekend November 28-29
• Social Inclusion Week November 23-29

Click on each initiative for further information and to register your interest.

BACKGROUND

Following the National Symposium on Community Building: Critical Voices, Alternative Strategies on 19 June 2007, a national network of community builders was formed.

The five key recommendations of the 2007 Symposium were:

• Community builders need to influence government policy and agendas in a pro-active way, not wait for governments to lead. A network of community builders that is independent of government is needed for this task.
   
• Funding reform is critical - governments should overhaul their funding methods to enable communities and projects to act with more autonomy and flexibility, with longer time frames, and with access to pooled funds from various programs and jurisdictions.
   
• Regulatory reform is urgent - governments should overhaul their regulatory and reporting requirements for community building activities to ease the regulatory burden.
   
• Measuring community building is important - community builders should develop appropriate ways of measuring their achievements through effective evaluation methods, not wait for governments to impose these from without.
   
• Empowerment and devolution are essential for community building - governments should enable community strengthening and social capital development, not control its form or dictate its direction.

The network aims to influence the policy agenda in these directions and support good community building.

A subsequent national conference on Natural Neighbourhoods, Real Communities held on 22-23 June 2009 adopted a number of initiatives for national development and coordination of key community building strategies.

Details of the 2007 Community Building: Critical Voices, Alternative Strategies Symposium, and the 2009 Natural Neighbourhoods, Real Communities conference are available.

Register Here to Participate in the Network

Further information:

Vern Hughes
0425 722 890
network@civilsociety.org.au