Issue 16

People, Place and Power: the soul of community development Dundee Edition Contents WCDC2019 Editorial. Dr Victoria Jupp Kina & Mere Greta 4 ‘People, Place and Power: the soul of community development’ Reflecting on a disruptive conference. Clare MacGillivray 6 On Belonging to an International Community: the experience of our conference volunteers. Alyssa Faulkner & Tanita Louise Addario 8 About IACD Children’s Parliament: giving ideas a voice. Katie Reid 10 Human Rights and Development: two sides of the same coin? Virgínia Brás Gomes 14 Page 10 IACD is the only global network for professional community Reflections on WCDC2019 from COVID-19 lockdown! Margaret Ledwith 16

development practitioners. We support development agencies The World is Ill-Divided: Reflections on public history in Dundee. Dr Erin Farley 18 and practitioners to build the capacity of communities to A Victory for Ubuntu: bringing community development practice to the realise greater social and economic equality, environmental battle for UK visas. Daniel Muia 20 protection and political democracy. A Tale of Two Cities: Community Development and Systemic Inequality. Anthony Cook 21 What do we do? Awakening to Love and Soul in Community Development. IACD links people to each other. We facilitate learning and practice exchange, both virtually Rosalind Harris & Ron Hustedde 24 and face-to-face. We work with partners to deliver regional, national and international events, study visits and conferences. We document the work that our members are doing Storytelling around the wood fire stove of a mobile ‘tiny house’: around the world by collecting case studies, tools and materials on community experiencing the civic sanctuary of the Welcome Hut. Christian H Hanser 26 development, and sharing these through our website, publications and ebulletins. We carry Facilitation for Empowerment and Social Transformation (FEST): A case of out research projects, drawing on international experience. Page 18 process-led approach to community development in Nepal. Ammar Bahadur Air 29 IACD aims to give its members a voice at the global level, advocating for community Community Development Workshop: Native Lands, Native People, development principles and practice in international forums and consultations. IACD Native Rights. Holly Scheib 32 has consultative status with the UN and its agencies. The Factors Influencing Power and Politics for Women in Liberia: Contributing articles My Personal and Work Experience. Dorothy Kwennah Toomann 34 Our international Practice Insights publications are issued three times a year, each one LGBTQ+ Rights and Community Development: A Global Roundtable. focusing on a particular theme of relevance to community development. If you would like Paul Lachapelle and Deborah Albin 37 further information or to contribute to future editions, please contact membership@ Delight Sunday-Anicho 38 iacdglobal.org. Alternatively, IACD members are welcome at any time to contribute news Unconferenced: The Unchampioned Views. items, research, case studies or other materials to our members’ Facebook site and to the Seven minutes to share, an eternity to learn: Building and deepening IACD website. common grounds. Mário Montez 39

Join us Reflections on World Community Development Conference Page 24 Dundee 2019. Cissy Rock 41 For full details and to join, go to www.iacdglobal.org/join-us. Teaching and Learning in Community Development: The Role of Praxis. Benefits of membership include: Catherine Forde 42 • Daily Facebook News posts about community and international development; People, Place and Power: the soul of community development: • Access to the Global Community Development Exchange resource bank on the IACD Conference insights. 44 website; My experience as the spontaneous minstrel for Dundee WCDC 2019. • Opportunities to participate in Practice Exchange study visits; Dr Claire Garabedian 48 • Discounted rates at IACD conferences; A Year On: Thoughts and Reflections from Dundee’s Practitioners • Discounted subscriptions to the Community Development Journal; Stuart Fairweather 50 • Opportunities to share your work and experiences with a global audience, through our Realising the Dream: identifying unexamined privilege as a path to equality in website, Facebook sites and other publications; the field of community development Meredith Greta, Victoria Jupp Kina & Holly Scheib 52 • Members also have the opportunity to nominate to serve on the IACD Board of Directors. Community Supported Enterprises as a Local Development Option. Page 44 Our next Annual General Meeting will take place in June 2021 in Kenya. Norman Walzer 56

The Cultural Journey of a City. Stewart Murdoch 58

Practice Exchange Photo Essay. Elaine Attard 60 Visualising People and Place: embedding design-thinking in Dundee’s development. Annie Marrs 62 DigiShakti: Digital Empowerment of Urban and Rural Women in Maharashtra, India. Sonia Garcha 65 Earth as Community: putting nature, communities and community development www.iacdglobal.org at the heart of tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and social justice. The views expressed in this publication are primarily those of the respective authors and not necessarily those of IACD. Helena Kettleborough 68 Page 62 2 Practice Insights | Issue 15 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world our collective strength. Through strength, We wanted a conference that we build resistance. In this issue, Daniel Cllr John shifted the normal and Muia reflects on his experience of having Alexander WCDC2019 Editorial his visa to attend the conference refused disrupted traditional dynamics. Editor: Dr Victoria Jupp Kina; Assistant Editor: Mere Greta – and the deeply political fight to have his Leader of Dundee and five other visa refusals overturned. City Council Thanks to Clare’s leadership, we were successful in overturning three. programming. Claire Garabedian Collectively, we resisted and transformed highlights the power of music in creating the sense of other to a sense of together. moments of spontaneous connection, As organisers of an international A thank you and feedback on the performance from conference, our moral obligation to Vox Liminis during the closing plenary belonging is the preparedness to engage from the Leader reinforced the power of music to directly in political decisions that could be reimagine and instigate change. We viewed as beyond our control. After all it of Dundee City would urge future conferences to place is, as Virgínia Brás-Gomez highlights in this creativity centrally in programming. issue, citizen power that drives change. Council As introverts, we are also proud of Dundee was honoured to creating an event that provided spaces Collectively, we resisted and for the quieter people among us. As transformed the sense of other host the World Community Christian Hanser so powerfully described to a sense of together. Our Development Conference in his article in this issue, we need to moral obligation to belonging is ensure that we listen to the silences of (WCDC) in 2019. It was a Dr Victoria Jupp Kina Meredith Greta disengagement and enable people to the preparedness to engage vibrant celebration of our ‘retreat towards society’. Similarly, Rosalind directly in political decisions. communities and We are delighted to bring you this special issue of Practice Insights. The creation of Harris and Ron Hustedde beautifully describe the need to embrace those of us the positive legacy of this issue has provided us with the delightful opportunity to relive WCDC2019 not only with alternative epistemologies and take community development in our memories (no doubt fogged by the task of organising over 500 delegates!), but care of the shared pain that can occupy the ‘pulsing-storied silence’ we carry with We hope that you enjoy reading this issue in the city. through the lenses of our delegates. us. The changes from events like this do as much as we enjoyed creating it. As we not emerge only from the loudest voices; look towards a global future in which the This issue is a celebration of We are proud of what we achieved, but they happen through the moments of only certainty is that the current system collaboration and creativity. When the we recognise that there is still more to It was a beautiful and rare connection in spaces like the Welcome must fundamentally change, we end with planning committee began thinking do. We did not create a truly inclusive Hut. It is through actively seeking to create the words of our in-house spoken word about the conference in early 2018, we example of collaborative event. As a majority female committee, spaces that embrace the fullness of our poetry performer, Dr Erin Farley: ‘The were a group of strangers navigating leadership. we worked hard to overcome gender individual experiences as humans that we things they lived are not finished.’ Our group dynamics and looking to one inequalities however our committee was believe facilitated the sense of belonging fight continues, and by nurturing our another to try to locate ourselves in entirely white and the final programme that emerged during our three (or eight, if collective souls we will overcome. a group with no clear roles. From the reflected this. As eloquently described you went on the Practice Exchanges!) outset, Clare’s excitement was by Anthony Cook in this issue, systemic Meredith Greta was WCDC2019 days together. As Tanita Addaro notes, palpable. Her pride of her city and We wanted dialogue rather than inequality is rooted in histories of explicit Operational Manager. She is IACD one of her most valued memories is the delight at the thought of bringing an monologue. We not only wanted to subjugation of outcast groups and we Administrator and can be contacted at sense of belonging to an international international conference to celebrate welcome delegates to our city, we also did not interrogate ourselves sufficiently [email protected] community. The feeling of belonging is not her lifelong passion – community wanted to welcome their experiences to overcome this history. This realisation simply a fluffy emotion. Belonging is, as development – to her home town was into our lecture halls and seminar rooms. came too late, and this is not acceptable. Dr Victoria Jupp Kina was WCDC2019 Margaret Ledwith powerfully articulates in Academic Director. She is an infectious. We laughed. Meetings were As a committee, we shared our own We have learnt some lessons and would The transformation in the city over the last her article in this issue, a counternarrative independent researcher and educator energising and exciting. We grew to experiences of feeling isolated, unheard do quite a lot differently if we were to do decade has been led by a deep-rooted to the inhumanity of neoliberalism. By trust and respect one another, feeling and ignored – and we designed a it all over again. So, as well as and can be contacted at victoria@ desire to embed community engagement nurturing our connections, we are building able to admit when we had no clue programme that addressed these highlighting some of the things that socialresearchreimagined.com in the decision-making process. Our city what we were doing, and feeling free experiences. We prioritised dialogue, worked well, this issue also explores has been built upon a strong sense of to run with ideas when we did. It was so we limited presentations to seven areas that need to be improved. As community and community activism and a beautiful and rare example of minutes – and together we rode through Mário Montez highlights, despite the we are richer for that. From major projects collaborative leadership. the waves of academic resistance. We initial resistance, feedback on the such as the Waterfront Development prioritised creativity, so we embedded seven-minute presentations was and V&A Dundee, which were agreed It was through the openness of our music, performance, poetry and film. We overwhelmingly positive and we would following a city-wide public dialogue, to discussions that we were able to gain the prioritised grassroots work, so we invited urge future conferences to continue this the £1.2 million participatory budgeting confidence to create our own rules. We process which allocated funding to every activists and practitioners to be keynote approach. The unconference spaces knew we wanted to embed the principles community in the city and gathered speakers. We prioritised connection, so were welcomed and used constructively of community development in the 11,000+ public votes, our communities have we created spaces for continuing to fill in the gaps in the programme and structure of the conference – we wanted been at the heart of the decisions. dialogue outside of the formal continue unfinished conversations – but a conference that nurtured and actively conference setting. We recognised that as Cissy Rock notes, if we are to stand The WCDC2019 helped reinvigorate and invited new voices. We wanted a our programme would inevitably be true to our community development energise our communities, challenged conference that shifted the normal and incomplete and have missing voices, values, we need to give such spaces politicians like me to strive for better and disrupted traditional dynamics. Simply, so we created unconference spaces to equal value and ensure that inclusion is allowed us to celebrate the contributions we wanted to ensure that the already- enable delegates to regain some control. viewed as a design issue in conference of so many citizens over a considerable amplified voices did not dominate. number of years.

4 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 5 ‘People, Place and Power: the soul of community development’ Reflecting on a disruptive conference Clare MacGillivray Be bold, be brave, be yourself. And rise up with confidence to As Chair of the World Community Development Conference 2019 in Dundee, Scotland shift boundaries with radical it is my pleasure on behalf of our conference planning team to introduce the Practice thinking and practice. Insights: Dundee Edition. As Conference organisers #TeamDundee Be bold, be brave, be yourself. And rise wanted delegates to feel warmly welcomed We hoped to honour the disruptive up with confidence to shift boundaries with in friendship, solidarity, and love to our city. tradition of our city in our inclusive radical thinking and practice. programme with a conscious gender We really wanted this conference to be My personal thanks go to #TeamDundee – my balance that purposefully celebrated the different. We wanted to create a disruptive friends and colleagues on the WCDC2019 history of Dundee’s women and continued conference. Our intent was to shake power, Planning Group for their joyful energy, their history through a focus on equality shift thinking and unleash creativity. We creativity and vision that enabled an explosion and human rights. wanted to celebrate culture, embrace the of ideas to become a reality. In particular I’d power of the arts and build connections in The opening song for the conference rooted like to thank the work of Marie Dailly, whose order to find ways to explore the soul of us in the soul of Dundee. The Jute Mill Song creativity enabled over 40 local practitioners community development. performed by Sheena Wellington and Claire and volunteers to join our global community. Garabedien was written by Mary Brooksbank, I would also like to say a huge thank you We deliberately took risks in the way we a Dundee weaver, socialist, Trade Unionist, to Debbie Ree from Dundee and Angus imagined and delivered the conference. songwriter and inspiration to many: Convention Bureau whose organisational skills We challenged accepted academic norms are only outweighed by her patience! with 7-minute presentations, and built in flexibility through unconference sessions; Oh dear me, the world is ill-divided, The soul of Dundee rooted us in an incredible we wanted to conference to be free-flowing Them that work the hardest cohesion that I’ve rarely experienced in a enough to enable self-organisation and are aye the least provided. collective. And the power of our collective create space enough to enable delegates I hope you will agree delivered a truly to reflect and connect. We integrated These words catch my heart. My grannies magnificent World Community Development music, art, storytelling, film, photography, who worked in the Dundee jute mills often Conference. walking tours, community visits, spiritual sang this to me as a bairn as they engulfed I would like to thank to our sponsors for opportunities and dance throughout the me in warmth and love. Their singing told their financial contributions to make this programme. Crucially, these were just the powerful stories of working women in conference happen. as integral ingredients to the eight-day my home town, and of the power of the We deliberately took risks in learning experience as the presentations, collective. As highlighted by Erin Farley in Thanks too, to Alyssa Faulkner our Volunteer the way we imagined and workshops and keynote speakers. this Issue, Mary Brooksbank gives us a call Coordinator, and our student volunteers for delivered the conference. to action. A reminder that injustice exists their support and guidance throughout the This was intentionally not a traditional as the prevalent norm, and it is people conference. Their hard work and commitment We challenged accepted academic conference. Instead, we wanted and communities who will transform the gave our guests a fantastic delegate academic norms with 7-minute to create an event where thinking, theory turbulent times we live in. experience. presentations, and built in and practice could intertwine. Where And immense thanks to you for reading our flexibility through culture could be celebrated and created Community development thinking and in a collective exploration of the soul of practice assists us to challenge power as reflections and allowing the spirit of Dundee unconference sessions; community development. we globally face crises: a viral pandemic, into your hearts. we wanted to conference to injustice, poverty, human rights abuses, As you read this Practice Insights let the In June 2019 over 500 delegates My immense thanks must go to the Dundee is the perfect setting for a be free-flowing enough to environmental catastrophes, forced words of Professor Margaret Ledwith ring from 37 countries came to Dundee. Guest Editors of this Dundee Edition, conference whose theme was People, Place enable self-organisation and migration, neo-liberalism and the rise of loud in your ears, “Now is the time to take The Conference theme People, Place Dr Victoria Jupp Kina, Academic Director and Power. Our place has a rich history of create space enough to right-wing populism. the ideas from the conference forward, to and Power: The Soul of Community for WCDC2019 and Meredith Greta who led social change, community activism and tell a different story and change the course Development is beautifully explored on operations for the Conference. I think enable delegates to reflect community arts. Dundee is a city of feisty I hope as you read about the conference of history!” and continued in this edition with you’ll agree that they, along with all our and connect. women. A post-industrial working city. that the spirit of what we all achieved inspiring reflections from global contributors, have created a magnificent A city steeped in social history and bold in Dundee will ignite renewed action for Clare MacGillivray, Chair of WCDC2019 contributors. edition that brilliantly showcases the spirit enough to reimagine a bright future through change in you and in your community [email protected], of WCDC2019. culture, community, tech and innovation. development work. @Clare_MacG

6 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 7 On Belonging to an International Community: the experience of our conference volunteers

Tanita:

When I heard that the WCDC was coming sweetie wrapper or bus ticket and make to Dundee, Scotland, I could not believe it into a small piece of art. I observed I would recommend my luck! What a fantastic opportunity to and reflected on the way that individual volunteering at a conference welcome CLD colleagues from all over the delegates’ contribution culminated in a final such as the World Community world, embrace them with a warm showing artwork that was made up of the sum of of Scottish hospitality and share a ‘wee all their efforts. This was very interesting, Development Conference to dram or two’! As a student in the CLD and I enjoyed volunteering alongside others – you will have a distance-learning course at the University Theresa; I learnt a lot from her. Highlights chance to meet new people, of Dundee, and as an associate member of also included listening to Darren ‘Loki’ make friends, learn new the CLD Standards Council in Scotland, I McGarvey – the author of Poverty Safari: things, feel part of a wider Being on the organising thought what better way to learn from CLD Understanding the Anger of Britain’s community and have fun! practitioners than to put myself forward Underclass; and Davie Donaldson – a Alyssa addresssing delegates at the committee, I felt that I had to as a volunteer at the conference. Having Scottish Traveller Activist and campaigner Alyssa: Youth Forum do something to include those had experience of volunteering at events in for equality and inclusion. Both speakers who wanted to learn but could my local community, I knew that although spoke passionately and drew upon their community arts and community activism I have been involved with IACD since the postgraduate students, and including not access the resources. you give up your time, you get back so own experiences. I felt inspired to find out in Aberdeen. It also meant that when I beginning of 2018 when I became one of a social work student wanting to much more in return. I was also aware of more and use my reflections in my practice was helping in the auditorium or with the the first Youth Representatives for the volunteer and learn about community the considerable work that goes on behind and studies. As well as the conference smaller group sessions, my poster was on charity. I knew I had to get involved with development too. the scenes to ensure the smooth running programme itself, there was also was also show and able to be read by practitioners the World Community Development conference, there was something called of large-scale events such as this, and a cultural programme which involved During the conference, I interacted with in their own time without me being present. Conference (WCDC) when I found out it the ‘unconference afternoon’ which had therefore wanted to be able to help in some fantastic Scottish music and food – a fun individuals from all over the world. As After meeting Alyssa for the first time at was coming to Dundee, the city in which tours of Dundee, country correspondent small way. I was interested in volunteering end to each day of volunteering! someone studying community learning the conference, I invited her to contribute I live and study. I had previously attended meetings, and included the youth forum. so that I could find out more about how and development, many of those I met to a CLD staff development session in the conference in Maynooth with the help These forums brought something unique community development practitioners, are experienced and well regarded as Aberdeen alongside another student and I. of several charities who covered my fees to the conference, allowing for more than academics, policy-makers, students and those who have paved the way for future As a result of being a This would not have been possible without and expenses. Although I had a wonderful the average drone of talks and workshops. activists can tackle challenges such as generations. I met Margaret Ledwith: volunteer at the conference, the opportunity to meet at the conference experience, it was rather inaccessible to My hope is that the legacy of Dundee, of climate change, loneliness and isolation and professor and writer of Community I gained confidence, and finding out about the work Alyssa does practitioners and students who may not the youth forum and the ‘unconference increasing mental health problems in our Development and Social Justice; Davie in improving knowledge, understanding have had the means to attend an expensive afternoon,’ will be carried forward to the communities. Complex issues such as these knowledge and a sense of Donaldson: a Scottish Traveler and Social and support for young people living with conference but would gain a myriad of next WCDC. demand collective reflection and discussion belonging to an international Justice Advocate; and Jacky Close: Type 1 Diabetes. skills and knowledge if they did so. I felt it from many different perspectives. The CLD community. Development Coordinator for Faith in Another positive of the conference was was hypocritical for a Community Learning prospect of being able to assist at the I would recommend volunteering at a Community. My highlight was listening to getting to know the wonderful volunteers and Development (CLD) conference, which conference while also being able to learn conference such as the World Community songs by Vox Liminis, who perform songs that I did not have the pleasure of meeting is based upon values such as inclusion, to new things sounded like a great idea! Development Conference to others – you written in collaboration with prisoners in beforehand. Meeting the volunteers and be exclusive and I thought it was important will have a chance to meet new people, Scotland. Being able to host people in seeing them flourish and learn during this As a volunteer at the conference, I really to include those doing work on the ground make friends, learn new things, feel part Scotland, teach them about the culture once in a lifetime conference was a enjoyed meeting and getting to know As a result of being a volunteer at the and future CLD practitioners. of a wider community and have fun! and the amazing work going on here, highlight for me. One of the volunteers, my fellow volunteers. Two of my fellow conference, I gained confidence, knowledge Tanita, offered to contribute to this classmates also volunteered, so we spent and a sense of belonging to an international As the Volunteer Coordinator for WCDC, and share knowledge that could shape Dr Tanita Louise Addario, MA, MSc, reflection on what she felt she gained from our lunch breaks reflecting on what we CLD community. On the final day and I knew I had to ensure that as many the future of community development PhD, AFHEA, FRSA the conference, and why getting involved had learnt and comparing the content at the end of the conference, delegates students studying community development was an absolute pleasure. was so beneficial. of the sessions we had been helping thanked all the volunteers with a round of who wanted to come to the conference as External Funding and Policy Officer, Being on the organising committee, I felt with. I volunteered alongside Theresa applause – it felt good to be appreciated a volunteer, could. This was to make sure Aberdeen City Council – taddario@ that I had to do something to include those Alyssa Faulkner, BA (Hons), Volunteer Lynn, Community Artist and member and acknowledged in this way. I was also that the WCDC in Dundee would not be aberdeencity.gov.uk who wanted to learn but could not access Coordinator, WCDC2019 – of the University of Dundee staff, who fortunate to be able to present a poster on tailored for academics who had the means the resources. I organised a youth forum [email protected] gave delegates a chance to explore their my community development practice and and privilege to access it. We ended up I am currently studying my PG Diploma that brought over some of the main creativity and provide an artistic response work with the community group, VictoriArt with 22 diverse student volunteers from the About to begin MSc Social Justice and in Community, Learning and speakers from the conference and held a to the WCDC. It was a simple yet fun in Torry in Aberdeen. I was given time in CLD cohort at the University of Dundee, Community Action at the University of Development (CLD) at the University free event one afternoon to ensure that idea – ask people to take something my volunteer schedule to speak to CLD ranging from incoming undergraduate to of Dundee. more knowledge was shared. In the Edinburgh they were going to throw away such as a practitioners from around the world about

8 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 9 Children’s Parliament: giving ideas a voice Katie Reid “ I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world! As detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the I felt quite nervous most widely ratified international treaty, children have the right to participate in delivering a workshop at matters that affect them, to be listened to and to be taken seriously. In Scotland, as in first because I’d never many cultures, societal attitudes towards children’s competencies and capabilities done it before but after I got the hang of it continue to act as barriers to the realisation of children’s participatory rights outlined I thought ‘oh, it’s easy!’ in the UNCRC. Long-held views range from perceiving children as ‘innocent,’ I think more children ‘vulnerable,’ ‘cute,’ ‘naughty,’ and ‘unruly,’ to lacking in knowledge, rationality or should have the experience, and all too often result in children’s contributions to society being opportunity to take part trivialised, devalued or completely overlooked. in conferences. They get to learn about different I work for the Children’s Parliament, rights defenders in their local community. based approach across Tranent. In light of parts of the worlds which recognises and aims to amplify This journey had begun in 2016 through the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration they’ve never seen the pivotal role children across Scotland the StreetsAhead Tranent project which on Human Rights Defenders and UN – and globally – play in shaping the world explored children’s views and experiences Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Day before or heard about.” around us. We do this by supporting of their local community and built of General Discussion in 2018, this project Faith, aged 14 children to share their views, experiences environment; examining how these factors also contributed to global and national and ideas in decision-making processes, impact children’s rights and wellbeing. conversations about protecting and and by bringing children and adults Following workshops with 250 children empowering child human rights defenders. together to demonstrate the power of a from five primary schools, 16 children The following reflections are from a recent children’s human rights-based approach. engaged in an intensive, participatory conversation with Faith and Megan, two Last June, Members of Children’s arts-based process creating a 36’ x 4’ of the MCPs who led the facilitation of the Parliament (MCPs) aged 12 and 13 years mural of the past, present, and future of workshop at the WCDC. As the youngest old from Tranent in the southeast of their town, Tranent. The significant role participants at the conference, I began by Scotland participated in the World children played in Tranent’s community asking the children what they took from the Community Development Conference in development was locally, nationally, and experience. Both Megan and Faith spoke Dundee and led a workshop for delegates internationally recognised, and laid the During the final part of their workshop at and who are willing to speak up for, and and more equipment. From a previous fondly about delivering the workshop and on taking a children’s human rights-based foundations of Tranent becoming a town the conference, the children invited the stand alongside, children. study I know that one central playground having the chance to meet new people approach to community development. with human rights at its heart. This led adult participants to re-imagine their work may cause difficulties with regard to from so many different parts As we near one year since the conference, to a further project, ‘Children as Human from the perspective of an Unfeartie – a independent playground visits (children of the world. I was curious to reconnect with some of The children’s creative, participatory Rights Defenders’, in which 12 children termed coined by Children’s Parliament to mentioned that they were too far away so the Unfearties we welcomed that day to workshop was based on their own aged 12 – 13 came together to develop and “I enjoyed the conference because it wasn’t describe an adult who stands up for and that they could not go there alone or were hear their reflections on the children’s experiences as MCPs and child human demonstrate a children’s human rights- just sitting down and listening to people alongside children and defends their rights. facing dangerous crossings). So I advised workshop, and to learn about how they talk. I was quite nervous at the beginning Participants pledged to become Unfearties the community to find out, together with have since realised their pledge as an of the workshop because I was one of the – which you, too, can do using the link here. parents AND children, whether this is the Unfeartie in their personal life and/or https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/ case and what solutions could be found." first people to go up and start talking. I professional practice. Over email, I caught about-us/unfearties/become-an-unfeartie/ was so nervous and kept thinking ‘how am up with Hilde Wierda-Boer from the As I write this, the world is a very I supposed to do this!?’ But, once I started, HAN_ University of Applied Sciences in different place to this time last year I realised that people wouldn’t judge me the Netherlands. It was wonderful to hear when we looked forward to the WCDC. so, I just talked! I think people listened and Unfearties are individuals about Hilde’s commitment to amplifying Speaking via video-call from our homes took us seriously. They were focused on the voices and experiences of children in during the nationwide coronavirus what we were saying, not going to the side who are courageous in discussing children’s issues, her research, work and personal life: lockdown, my conversation with the on their phones. They were concentrating children culminated in a discussion about “I have good memories of the workshop, and taking in what we were saying.” Megan, are making a difference in their experiences of the coronavirus I really enjoyed it. It definitely was an aged 14 children’s lives, and who are pandemic. Both Megan and Faith energizer. A very recent example of me highlighted the importance of feeling “I enjoyed meeting people from all over willing to speak up for, and being an Unfeartie: today I was writing a included and playing an active role in the world! I felt quite nervous delivering a stand alongside, children. research report for a community. The policy their local community, particularly in workshop at first because I’d never done of the community is that playgrounds are times of heightened social isolation it before but after I got the hang of it I centralized (so small ones disappear, and for all generations. thought ‘oh, it’s easy!’ I think more children there will be only one big playground in should have the opportunity to take part the village, a place where people of all “To me, my community is my second in conferences. They get to learn about Unfearties are individuals who are generations could meet). In interviews on family. Tranent, our town, is quite small – different parts of the worlds they’ve never courageous in discussing children’s issues, the livability of the village, people mention basically everyone knows everyone. There seen before or heard about.” Faith, aged 14 are making a difference in children’s lives, that there is need for more playgrounds are misunderstandings about children and

10 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 11 “ I enjoyed the conference because it wasn’t just sitting down and listening to people talk. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the orkshop because I was one of the first people to go up and start talking. I was so nervous and kept thinking ‘how am I supposed to do this!?’ Join a global network But, once I started, I realised that people wouldn’t judge me so, I just The International Association for Community Development talked! I think people listened and took us seriously. (IACD) is the only global network for professional community They were focused on what development practitioners. We support development we were saying, not going to the side on their phones. agencies and practitioners to build the capacity of They were concentrating and taking in what we communities, to realise greater social and economic equality, were saying.” environmental protection and political democracy. We are a Megan, aged 14 non-governmental organisation accredited with the UN.

There are many ways that you can become involved in IACD. If you are a development agency manager, funder, fieldwork practitioner, academic, student or volunteer community

teenagers. Teenagers are known for being has been amplified as we navigate activist, IACD can help you through our international practice “ Being a Human Rights quite reckless, nasty and all round bad. the coronavirus pandemic. We invite exchanges, events and publications. If you have a passion for Defender means that you As Human Rights Defenders, we’ve proven you to join us as Unfearties to ensure stand up for people and that we’re not that.” Megan children’s human rights are at the heart of effective community development, then please make contact community, national and global responses “Being a Human Rights Defender means what’s right in the world. So to the pandemic. we’re there if anybody needs that you stand up for people and what’s with us – we welcome your participation! us or is need of help.” right in the world. So we’re there if Katie Reid is the Children’s Voices Project anybody needs us or is need of help.” Faith Worker for the Children’s Parliament, Faith Globally, the importance of human rights, Scotland. She can be contacted at social justice, community and kindness [email protected]

Join today and become a part of this dynamic network! www.iacdglobal.org/join-us

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12 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world policies and programmes to guarantee human rights and access to justice in case of violation of these rights. This is Human Rights and particularly true for ESCR, often considered vague and non-enforceable. There are a number of challenges that Development: two sides have a major impact on the enjoyment of rights on the ground. Let me mention just two of them. First, the unemployment-related of the same coin? challenge. Youth unemployment, long- Virgínia Brás Gomes term unemployment, underemployment, low rates of participation in the labour market and an increasing complexity of non-standard forms of employment The WCDC2019 Conference theme – people, place and power brought together at the – often catalogued as flexible work core of community development – is perfectly located in a wider context of human arrangements that are no more than a hidden informalization of work with all the rights and development in which people are at the centre in all places, and power corresponding gaps in labour regulations comes from meaningful participation of rights holders and transparency and and social protection – have pushed the less qualified out of the labour market and accountability of duty bearers. My points of departure are the International Covenant considerably increased the number of the of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), that covers all fields of economic, working poor. social and cultural development, and Sustainable Development in its broadest sense. Secondly, the the lowering of welfare protection. Due to the growing difficulties of the more disadvantaged in accessing At the Conference, conceptual It is often said that economic, social and because it is the result of various its root causes. We only need to look at goods and services, the on-going thinking, the human rights- cultural rights (ESCR) are everyday rights unfulfilled needs and shortcomings discrimination against the poor, or minority debate on the Welfare State, the Welfare based approach and real life for everyday people that need to have the at the economic, social, cultural and groups such as Roma people, or ethnic Society and the Welfare Mix that has conditions to live with dignity. Dignity is no behavioural levels. minorities, to know this is true. came together. decentralization and privatization as its doubt an intrinsic characteristic of the It is important to reiterate the obligation main features, permeate the entire rights human spirit that cannot be given nor States also have immediate obligations of progressive realization. In other words, discussion. of haphazard measures that lack global taken away. But for individuals to live in to eliminate discrimination and ensure States must take deliberate, concrete coherence and systemic intervention that dignity, States need to comply with their equality. In spite of some progress Taking the provision of social services as rights respected, but also an important and targeted steps to progressively prevent medium- and long-term change. core obligations to guarantee the in dealing with direct discrimination, an example, issues of the subsidiarity and policy tool that can offer a range of realize ESCR using maximum available complementarity of social services have practical measures to prevent conflict minimum essential level of rights as a significant gaps remain, the most obvious Participating in the Conference was an domestic resources as well as international come very much to the foreground due to and build more cohesive societies. survival kit for everyone living under their being the lack of integrated measures to enormous privilege. Outreach work with cooperation and assistance. the changes in the role of the public sector. jurisdiction. Developed countries often combat intersectional discrimination and We all have experienced, as citizens and local communities at the beginning of my It is assumed that these services can, in argue that compliance with core the particularly negative and long lasting professionals, the differences between professional life grounded me in reality most cases, be delivered most effectively obligations does not apply to them any effects they have on women and persons non-participation, token participation and helped shape my understanding States must take deliberate, and efficiently by entities closest to local longer. This is not true because even in the belonging to vulnerable groups. There and real citizen power. Citizen power of human rights. At the Conference, concrete and targeted steps communities and who are therefore more richest countries where economic growth is also a lack of recognition by States of drives change and demands accountability conceptual thinking, the human rights- to progressively realize ESCR aware of their needs. If, on the one hand, and social development have contributed systemic discrimination based on deeply of duty bearers at all levels and the based approach and real life came the State is no longer the sole provider to the improvement of living conditions, rooted societal prejudices that require a using maximum available need to exercise their decision-making together. They all make relevant specific of social services but rather the regulator pockets of poverty persist at unacceptable huge change in mindsets. Governments are domestic resources as well as powers in an accessible, transparent contributions but only together can and the enabler of an overall favourable levels and many structural constraints reluctant to recognize such discrimination international cooperation and and effective manner. they unleash a greater potential for environment for social development, it also hinder upward economic and social because it amounts to the failure of the everyday people. assistance. In every community, the problems mobility. In fact, poverty is a consequence measures they have taken to combat has an increased responsibility for ensuring individuals and families face may be of the violation of a number of ESCR discrimination without really addressing equitable delivery of and access to quality The enthusiasm and creativity put into social services through an effective legal different, but they all have the common drafting the very rich and diversified and fiscal framework. root cause of the lack of policy articulation Conference Programme led to one and coordination that allows them to fall unwanted consequence – I could not States have not complied with progressive Non-discrimination, participation and through the cracks of sectorial policies. attend all the sessions I wanted to! realization obligations. As I write this accountability are human rights principles The multiplicity and territorial nature of the contribution for the IACD Practice Insights that are especially relevant for community causes that lie at the heart of poverty and I was very glad to have been invited to Magazine, we are in the midst of the development in its various forms. Let social exclusion have not yet been fully the Young Practitioner’s Forum to speak COVID-19 pandemic with health systems me reiterate what we all know but needs translated into a rights-based approach about what excites me in community struggling to combat the virus and prevent to be reaffirmed every time we have an that calls for integrated inclusion policies, development and struggles I faced in my deaths, in particular of the older members opportunity to do so. individual support benefits and services, career. It was a lively exchange. Being in of our communities. The fact that health The meaningful participation of rights and local development that brings about the company of young professionals eager professionals remain true to their oath of holders is essential for sound and economic and social change. Human rights to learn and ready to challenge is always saving people even in the most adverse sustainable community development. principles and obligations are the best so gratifying! circumstances and endangering their own Particularly in times of adversity, tools to bring about the shift from needs lives, does not compensate for the huge Virginia Bras Gomes is Former Chair of inclusive democratic processes that to rights. They are also indispensable for deficits in underfunded and understaffed reinforce substantive participation and community development as a framework the UN Committee on Economic, Social National Health Services as a consequence empowerment help people deal with the that promotes a collective awareness of and Cultural Rights. She is also the of severe cuts in social spending over the consequences of powerlessness. Open, social problems and the establishment Senior Social Policy Adviser in the last years. participatory and meaningful dialogue of a network of partners at the territorial Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Coming from a public policy background, with the rights holders is not only a means level. It is through these mechanisms Social Security / Portugal. She can be to me law only becomes real through to ensure their voices are heard and their that it becomes possible to avoid the risk contacted at: [email protected]

14 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 15 Reflections on WCDC2019 from COVID-19 lockdown! Margaret Ledwith

“ Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the action of human beings.” (Mandela, 2005) libraries, local museums, post offices, caring, friendship, the values that most ‘If we want to change the world, we Life is a paradox! Each day we are faced interconnect local lives with bigger political this odd idea to the world – and they pulled children’s nurseries, community and youth people say they want to live by (Barrett need to be unrealistic, unreasonable and with contradictions that are often so taken- contexts, and which also interlink social it off, it globalised! Thatcher and Reagan centres, day-centres and residential care and Clothier, 2016). People have an innate impossible’ (Bregman, 2018: 263-4). for-granted they become normalised. We justice with environmental justice. In this changed the face of world politics in this homes of disabled people and pensioners, need for connection, cooperation and We have failed to create a coherent, don’t notice! What am I picturing in my sense, we are all interconnected with each extreme right-wing movement. and the enclosure of common land, kindness, and this was experienced at the mind as I say this? One vivid image I have other and with the planet, but local lives compelling counternarrative, but our In the UK, poverty escalated as the rich including parks and playing fields. The conference, across gender, class, identities, is the way people in the rich countries cannot be understood without a critical collective story is now possible, one that became richer and the poor poorer, amount of services, facilities, building cultures, nation states, ethnicities, abilities, of the West walk past shop doorways analysis of neoliberalism and how its puts people, not profit, at its heart, where justified by stigmatising the poor as and land once held in common by local all faiths and none. made home by people who have no roof, ideology has become globalised. the rights of all are central to the whole. feckless welfare scroungers. Now, after ten communities, now sold by cash-strapped dehumanised and reduced to begging for I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic Where we live with respect for each other years of suffering from vicious ‘austerity’ local authorities to developers, or simply survival, without stopping to question how offers a crack where the light gets in. and the planet that provides our home. measures, the poor have become targeted abandoned to decay, is staggering’ that can possibly happen in rich countries. That light is shining in the murky crevices Now is the time to take the ideas from the again. The welfare state was hard won (Tyler, 2020:170). Another is the way that child poverty in Neoliberalism is a threat to of neoliberalism to reveal its inhumanity conference forward, to tell a different story by generations of people fighting for the rich countries has become accepted, poor world poverty, and this The results have been disastrous. In 2018, and its disregard for the planet. My hope and change the course of history! common good. It brought free education, children going to school hungry, without Philip Alston, the UN Rapporteur on is that from the critiques the conference pandemic shines a light on its a free national health service, good quality dignity and care. In lockdown, I see images extreme poverty and human rights, visited offered we can now concentrate on a “ Sometimes it falls upon inhumanity. public housing, social security in times of of teachers mobilised to feed pupils who communities in the UK and shamed the counternarrative of belonging. Lockdown need and decent employment conditions. a generation to be great. do not get free school dinners because government saying that the evidence is has demonstrated that immediate change Now, it is being siphoned out of public schools are shut… At the same time, I see ‘obvious to anyone who opens their eyes is easy, it can be achieved overnight. You can be that great ownership by privatising welfare provision people rediscovering an innate kindness, a to see the immense growth in food banks But Bregman describes us as being in and by selling off these hard-won assets generation.” soul connection for one another and for the and the queues waiting outside them, the a coma. He tells us to ‘talk differently, Hayek first came up with this rather strange that have benefited all. But, if we explore Earth as life slows down and gives us time people sleeping rough in the streets, the think differently, and… describe the (Mandela, 2005) idea that we should all be governed by the idea of the welfare commons, we to reflect. Many people are enjoying less growth of homelessness, the sense of deep problem differently’ (Bregman, 2018:47). the market and that profit is the driving come up with new ways of seeing this, Professor Margaret Ledwith is Emeritus pressure and slower lives. But, underneath despair that led even the government to force, more important than people or the the commons belong to the people, they But we cannot dismantle the dominant Professor of Community Development this lurks the shadowlands where the most appoint a minister for suicide prevention…’ planet. He shared this idea with a carefully are not for sale! (Tyler, 2020; Sayer, 2016). story without another to replace it, and a and Social Justice at the University of vulnerable are hit hardest by COVID-19 (cited in Ledwith, 2020:6). He accused the selected group of men in the little Swiss Exploring ideas like this that challenge counternarrative of belonging starts with and the government ineptitude to provide government of adopting policies that are Cumbria. She is one of the coordinators village of Mont Pelerin in 1947. The popular power was a focus of the world conference. the values that are at its heart (Monbiot, protection. This is the political context in damaging the very fabric of society and for the international Collaborative belief was that society ruled the market, But ideas are no good if they stay in the 2017). What kind of world do we want the UK less than a year after the world breaking community roots. This, remember, Action Research Network and an so it was not likely to be easy to convince conference space and don’t get taken to live in? What does it look like? What conference in Dundee. is the world’s fifth-largest economy internationally acclaimed author in home and applied in practice. is a good society? What do people care people of the opposite. That is until he with levels of child poverty predicted to the field of community development. about? What are our responsibilities The WCDC in Dundee 2019 brought us found a champion in Margaret Thatcher, Now, less than a year after the conference, rise to 47% by 2022. Two years later, in [email protected] to one another? A counternarrative together in mutual respect from all over who became prime minister of the UK in this coronavirus pandemic is an coronavirus lockdown, Alston is shaming the globe to explore people, place and 1979 and started to put Hayek’s ideas into needs to be a story that is inspired by References opportunity for change! We need to pick governments for shutting down entire Ballatt, J, Campling, P & Maloney, C (2020) (2nd edn.) power. It provided a critical public space practice. Before long, Ronald Reagan joined imagination and positive proposals that up the threads of the conference and take countries without making efforts to protect Intelligent kindness: Rehabilitating the welfare state, bring hope and possibility. Imagine how for engaging with the thorny issues that her as a running partner on a mission to sell ideas for change forward. A rather large the most vulnerable saying that this yet Cambridge: Cambridge University Press we could end world poverty overnight by crack in neoliberal politics has opened up. again prioritises the rich at the expense Barrett, R and Clothier, P (2016) The United Kingdom giving everyone the right to a universal Values Survey: Increasing happiness by understanding First, it is vital to understand the ways in of the rest (Alston in Booth, 2020). what people value, available at www.valuescentre.com basic income. This would be cheaper which neoliberal ideology took hold. How Neoliberalism is a threat to world Booth, R (2020) ‘UK coronavirus response utterly than bureaucratic means-tested welfare, did we allow ourselves to agree to such a poverty, and this pandemic shines a hypocritical says UN poverty expert: Philip Alston say is being trialled around the world, and is worst aspects of austerity policies ‘cannot and will not be bad idea? At the conference and there was light on its inhumanity. found to restore dignity and endeavour – undone’, The Guardian, 26 April much debate about the way that the global The conference provided a critical space it really works! (Lowrey, 2018). Being kind Bregman, R (2018) Utopia for Realists: And how we can banking crisis of 2007-8 was used to justify get there, London: Bloomsbury for sharing stories about people’s lives is a way of life that extends from family austerity programmes that have been Ledwith, M (2020) Community Development: A critical in local communities around the world, to the entire human family. Kindness ‘is used as a smokescreen for the neoliberal and radical approach, Bristol: Policy Press a reciprocal, trusting space vital for the “glue” of cooperation’ (Ballatt, et al, project. In the UK, the extensive public Lowrey, A (2018) Give people money, London: WHAllen questioning the bigger political contexts 2020:16). It is a radical, transformative sector provision that looked after the Mandela, Nelson (2005) at the Make Poverty History Rally, that adopt discriminatory policies that concept. It is a lens on the world framed London available at www.one.org wellbeing of our society was dismantled, reach into communities from places of by compassion, caring, reciprocity, Monbiot, G (2017) Out of the Wreckage: A new politics for destroyed or privatised: an age of crisis, London: Verso power. But, as well as critique, we need mutuality, equality… Imagine how the ‘The programme of austerity that began Sayer, A (2016) Why we can’t afford the rich, Bristol: compelling counternarratives based world would be if everyone applied this Policy Press in 2010 was characterised by the rapid on values that most people hold dear: in practice, at every level from grassroots Tyler, I (2020) Stigma: The machinery of inequality, closure of local hospitals and clinics, public community, connection, compassion, to policy to parliament. London: Zed

16 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 17 The things they lived are not The World is Ill-Divided: finished – poverty, racism, colonialism, workplace exploitation, they all haunt our Reflections on public city today, in new buildings as history in Dundee well as old. Dr Erin Farley

Come with me on a Victorian history walking tour of buildings built in the 1970s. Here are where there used to be mills, where there used to be houses, pubs, coffee shops, printers. It is now, in Dundee, probably a shopping centre, maybe a hotel in recent years. It’s no surprise that Dundee has not traditionally been at the centre of the Scottish walking tour industry. Waves of demolition and re-building, from the 1870s right up until the unauthorised demolition of the listed Halley’s Mill last May, have transformed Dundee’s cityscape until there seem like few physical landmarks on which to hang our local history. they did not print the words of them. Then as now: The world my contribution to destroy the capitalist Not only would the city be familiar is ill divided system.” Would she want us to focus on her with the sound soon enough, it could legacy as an individual, or to sing her songs have been read as encouragement. This phrase is now well known from the and keep working for change? We are in no The voices of Black, Asian and other final chorus of Mary Brooksbank’s Jute Mill position to stand back and celebrate. Song, for many people synonymous with minority communities in Dundee But we must keep singing about it. This Dundee’s industrial past. have also been silenced. is why we need to remember people like Oh dear me, the world’s ill-divided We do not, and will probably never Mary Brooksbank, like Adam Wilson, like will know the birthplace or real name of Them that work the hardest are Joseph Knight and the others whose the young man known as Joseph Knight. aye wi least provided. names we do not have. The things they Re-named after his slave ship captain lived are not finished – poverty, racism, It is a phrase that leaps in and out of and sold to John Wedderburn colonialism, workplace exploitation, they nineteenth-century workers’ poetry, usually of Ballindean who brought him home all haunt our city today, in new buildings as reported speech. Adam Wilson, who from Jamaica to the Carse of Gowrie, as well as old. They cannot be ‘heritage’ in wrote as ‘The Factory Muse’ and defended Knight transformed Scottish history the way we know it, because their legacies women strikers in his poems, quotes it in by refusing to accept that he could be cannot be made safe and observed from a his song The Brotherhood of Man. legally owned. This lead to a landmark distance. But they are tradition. case at Edinburgh’s Court of Session ‘The world is ill divided’ – we have History, creativity and activism come which found in his favour, only to then often heard it said – together in folklore and tradition. These slip back out of the historic record. Where luxury reclines at ease, are all fundamentally shared activities, and Hopefully he found a life of peace. the poor cry out for bread. this is at odds with how creativity is often Wedderburn, of course, has an ornate portrayed in media, galleries, education. tomb in Dundee’s historic Howff burial Tho’ the land belongs the people The image of the lone genius, creating All history is local history, as the great University Archives and the Dundee ground, marking his family out as those toiling, weary, weak, and wan, something utterly original, is now our go- folklorist Henry Glassie wrote, but we have City Archives, also hold material full History as we know it becomes who shaped our past. There’s no universal fellowship or to image of creation – but our lives, and always focused on the local histories of of these voices. a greatest hits parade of the brotherhood of man… our places, are shaped by the process of whoever happens to be the regional elite. There is no consensus among voices Across from the Howff sits the only powerful, ticking off communities remembering and creating History as we know it becomes a greatest from an archive. It is a clamour and woman, as a person rather than a In the Dundee neighbourhood of Lochee, anew. Widening the set of voices we allow hits parade of the powerful, ticking off anniversaries and centenaries. it often makes no sense, or not the collective entity, depicted in a statue a statue combines the figures of a woman to be heard from history is necessary, but anniversaries and centenaries. What What we remember shapes sense I might want it to make. It would in Dundee: Queen Victoria, pride and child millworker with the lyrics of Mary does not go far enough. We need to adjust we remember shapes what we think is what we think is possible. be impossible to tell a unified story of of place in Albert Square, named Brooksbank’s Jute Mill Song. They fairly the way we see history as part of public possible. As unlucky as we have been with Dundee’s people, even of, say, Dundee’s after her husband. The pair of them mak ye work for yer ten and nine… ‘They’ life: not something finished and removed our built heritage as a city, we are lucky, women or Dundee’s working people. still hold pride of place in current are all of the workers, a testament to every but something ongoing, demanding us to then, in Dundee to have a remarkably And I must be clear that there is no redevelopments. At the waterfront, woman and child who rose in the dark, face ghosts head on. strong surviving literary tradition of poems, escaping the gatekeeping of history the Victoria & Albert Design Museum lost fingers, coughed up coarse fibres or songs and stories inextricably linked to and protests, they talk to and across one even in these collections. There are still overlooks the Tay. On its opening who just kept going, day after day, to feed Dr Erin Farley is the Local History the lived experience of workers in the city. another. I am lucky to work closely with huge gaps even when you dig deeper. weekend, protestors – objecting to and clathe their bairnies, parents, partners, officer at Dundee Libraries, and she The voices represented there exist in the many of these in Dundee Libraries’ Local Although there is much evidence of a the idea the new museum would selves. Some days I think there should be is interested in the power of creative same space as official commemorations, History Centre, where the collections strong, female-led oral tradition around save Dundee from itself – bedecked a statue of Mary herself, unmistakeable, histories and traditional storytelling the statues and street names, but are include hundreds of local books, strikes in the nineteenth century – the Albert Square statue with the with her fiddle in hand, but then remember within the city’s communities. outside of the unified story these present. pamphlets, broadsides and manuscripts. newspapers report their dread at the name ‘Famine Queen’, and displayed her statement – “I have never had any She can be contacted at erin.farley@ They hint at conversations, performances Other collections, like those at Dundee sound of the women’s strike songs – directions to the nearest foodbanks. personal ambitions. I have but one: to make leisureandculturedundee.com

18 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 19 A Victory for Ubuntu: A Tale of Two Cities: bringing community Community Development development practice to and Systemic Inequality the battle for UK visas Anthony Cook Daniel Muia

Securing a visa for some delegates turned out to be… a political engagement which in the end could only be characterised as the triumph of Ubuntu.

The World Community Development Conference 2019 held from 23rd to 30th June 2019 in Dundee, Scotland was a great success and celebration for community Going forward, any WCDC development. Hosting more than 500 been refused a visa, including a delegate organiser will be best advised delegates from 37 countries and having over from Ghana and another from Ethiopia, both to anticipate the likelihood of As a professor at Georgetown University’s Law school, located a few short blocks from of whom I eventually met in Dundee. It took 200 contributors sharing their experiences, delegates’ visas being denied the nation’s capital, I have found community development in Washington D.C. to be a expertise and joy over a richly diverse the intervention of Clare MacGillivray, Chair of programme that contained presentations, WCDC2019 as well as the political leadership and the work required to Tale of Two Cities: rich and poor, Black and white, east and west. It’s a common tale: two workshops, film, forums, cultural of local politicians to petition UK authorities challenge these decisions. cities, two nations, two worlds divided by growing inequalities in income, wealth, health contributions, art installations, practice to get the initial refusals overturned. exchanges and walking tours – it was all any For Kenyans, British visas are processed in and quality of life. worthy conference delegate could ask for. Pretoria, South Africa. This meant that once Matvievskaya, IACD European the petition was considered, I was asked Inequality is not distributed equally Poverty is not widely dispersed over Nevertheless, while for the majority of Director. As fate would have it, I travelled to to resubmit my passport back to Pretoria. or randomly. Its distribution is shaped Inequality is not distributed Washington D.C.’s modest footprint of delegates all it took attend this great Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to get a visa, but the Eventually I was called to pick my passport by race, place, age, gender and more. 68 square miles and approximately conference was to have their abstracts Embassy of Georgia in Ethiopia had their visa equally or randomly. Its on Friday 21st June 2019, this time with the WCDC2019 brought these themes 700,000 residents. It is concentrated in accepted and then make travel arrangements machine broken down at the time and so the distribution is shaped by race, Visa granted – two days before the start of the together to create an opportunity pockets, and along racial lines. Ward 8, – waiting for the day of travel and finding Consular Officer on examining my passport conference. I had to purchase whatever ticket for collective reflection on the place, age, gender and more. for instance, is located east of the themselves warmly welcomed by the advised I use the UK Visa, which was still I could get in readiness for travel the following interrelationships between People, Anacostia river – a river dividing the “brigades in tangerine” – a few of the valid, to enter Georgia! delegates, including myself, had some day. I finally arrived in Dundee on the afternoon Place and Power. This article reflects majority Black and disproportionately Going forward, any WCDC organiser will challenges to overcome. Securing a visa of Sunday 23rd June 2019 – eventually on a Justice-as-Ownership approach low-income Wards 7 and 8 from the be best advised to anticipate the likelihood for some delegates turned out to be not participating in WCDC2019 and having an to community development, one better majority white and disproportionately experience that was worth all the fight. of delegates’ visas being denied and the just a technical process of submitting the equipped than conventional models inequality is typically rooted in histories high-income Wards 1 through 6. Ward 8’s work required to challenge these decisions. requisite documents to UK Immigration and Overturning of the visa refusals took to challenge the manifestation of of explicit subjugation of outcast groups. population is 89 percent Black, with a One means to do this would be to actively waiting the promised fourteen or so days for mobilising and calling for Ubuntu – “showing these interrelationships through poverty rate of 34.2 percent, the highest engage with the authorities in advance For instance, Black Americans were verdict – but a political engagement which of humanity toward others” – to the few of us systemic inequality in under and in the city. It has a median household so that they become partners rather than either enslaved or segregated by law for in the end could only be characterised as the who possibly did not look like everyone else disinvested communities. income of $34,000. By contrast, gatekeepers. This would be a service to nearly 350 years in America through an triumph of Ubuntu. or did not come from similar backgrounds as Ward 3, the richest in the city, has a Ubuntu and ensure that we continue to bring integrated set of laws, policies and most of the other delegates. I do not know. Understanding Systemic With all due respect and without prejudice sound community development practice to customs designed to extract and transfer population that is 72 percent white, I can only appreciate the efforts, sacrifice, to the right of British authorities to control our international conferences. Inequality wealth from their bodies and with a poverty rate of only 8 percent empathy, and love that were shown by so entry into their territory, as a delegate it was Understanding the interrelationships communities to develop white bodies and a median household income of many people many of whom I will never Daniel Muia is an IACD Board Member heart breaking when my visa application was between people, place and power is and communities. It is no accident that $126,000 – 25 percent higher than the denied. Having previously travelled to other meet. I will always remain in debt to you all. for Sub Sahara Africa and Chair of essential to understanding systemic the median white family wealth in median household income of the European countries and submitting more or The visa refusal and the eventual victory WCDC2021. He is also Chair of the inequality as an integrated set of laws, Washington, DC is 81 times that of metropolitan region. less similar documents, I had every hope I had a further silver lining. That same UK visa Association of Community Development policies, business and social practices median Black family wealth. This is not would have no challenges in securing the UK eventually enabled me to travel to Ureki, Practitioners, Kenya and Senior Lecturer functioning to extract wealth out of due to white luck, intelligence or Systemic inequality exacts its pound of visa. Eventually I learnt that it was not just I Georgia in September 2019 for the Inclusive in Sociology, Kenyatta University, Kenya. low-income communities to develop the industriousness. It is a designed flesh. Life expectancy in Ward 3’s alone whose visa had been denied but that Practices Festival alongside Anna Clarke, He can be contacted at drdmmuia@ byproduct of systemic racism. there were several other delegates who have IACD President and courtesy of Anastasia gmail.com wealth of other communities. Systemic Woodley Park is 89.4 years, while only

20 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 21 70.2 years in Ward 8’s Historic Anacostia Society (CDS), but it amends the Justice-as-ownership urges the The third and final distinguishing National Cooperative Bank. Funds would purchase goods and services from – a nearly twenty-year difference for second principle to read as follows development and proliferation of characteristic of the model focuses on be loaned to qualifying cooperatives on qualifying cooperatives. Cooperatives residents living less than nine miles apart. (changes highlighted): community cooperatives owned by innovative ways to finance cooperatives, a long term, low interest basis, repaid would compete for those co-op workers, producers, member-consumers nonprofits, social enterprises and other out of revenues generated from the dollars, as well as traditional dollars Most community practitioners know, “Engage community members in or housing residents in low-income initiatives needed in sustainable cooperative’s business. in the marketplace. after decades of working in and with learning about and understanding the communities. The core values of communities. Under and disinvested Under both the tax incentives and under and disinvested communities, that impact of systemic inequalities on their cooperatives are more aligned with the communities are precisely that – under Conclusion rising tides do not lift all boats, and when communities, and the economic, social, cooperative bank approaches, the egalitarian and capacity-building and disinvested, for all the reasons WCDC2019 was an excellent point of waves of economic growth crash back to environmental, political, psychological, funding intermediaries would be orientation of a participatory, asset and discussed earlier. Presently, the funding departure for understanding the power shore, vulnerable communities are hit and other impacts associated with organized as democratically accountable strengths-based community for community development work is too of people to reclaim place as home for hardest. Most know neo-liberal tax alternative courses of action.” member cooperatives composed of the development. Justice-as-ownership dependent on the shifting priorities of human flourishing. But more is required. incentives to the rich seldom trickle cooperatives they fund. The intermediary contends that local residents should not foundations and policy The justice-as-ownership down to the poor, and capacity-building only own the intangible processes of priorities of local and federal vision requires us to explicitly at the neighborhood level is no planning and deliberation but also the governments. Nonprofits and challenge the extractive substitute for comprehensive and tangible assets of the cooperative community development colonial and neo-colonial sustained national policies to redistribute …rising tides do not lift all boats, enterprises designed to create corporations compete practices in under and wealth, income and opportunity to and when waves of economic community wealth. intensely over limited and disinvested communities. correct histories of disinvestment growth crash back to shore, insufficient funding. This Without this, we cannot fully through systemic racism and other vulnerable communities are The cooperative is the form of business competition Balkanises appreciate the limits imposed systemic inequalities. hit hardest. enterprise most consistent with the core community development and on our work as community principles of community development, makes competitors of those A Justice-As-Ownership Model practitioners and what is particularly a justice-as-ownership who should be collaborators needed to disrupt and of Community Development in an all-hands-on-deck war First, given the discussion of systemic model. Cooperatives are democratically remake those limits. against poverty and systemic WCDC2019 did a much better job than inequality above, it is essential we operated and redirect profits back to inequality. The realisation of justice-as- most conferences in addressing how develop the critical capacity to integrate workers and communities, rather than community development work can extract them through exorbitant ownership requires a level lessons from history into our practice. Dr. King called for a disrupt the relationship between people, executive compensation, share dividends of mobilisation at the Subordination patterns reproducing guaranteed basic income as place and power to build alternative and buybacks, and a banking and community level that aligns systemic inequalities take on different the chief vehicle for ending visions of community based on equality, finance system building wealth for other with other community forms in different eras. The added poverty. A justice-as- empathy and human flourishing. Justice- communities. Cooperatives tend to mobilisations across cities, language signals the need to develop ownership model supports as-ownership builds on participatory, displace fewer workers in a down regions and nations – communities as intentional spaces to some version of a guaranteed asset and strengths-based approaches market, and they register higher worker a national union of reverse the under and disinvestment income, but is mindful that to community development, expanding satisfaction and civic engagement rates cooperatives. It requires histories at the core of inequalities in the problem of systemic them to more directly address systemic compared to workers in conventional a community development low-income communities. inequality is not merely a inequality. Our practice and conferences businesses. Typically, cooperatives train practice that sees itself as problem of unequal income. should do the same. The approach has Second, under and disinvested and employ low income residents at a movement and not merely Guaranteed Basic Incomes to several distinguishing features. First, it communities must create a relationship higher rates, provide them more a collection of isolated low-income populations may embraces the five core principles of to capitalism that better positions them sustainable incomes and build projects. This is the only way still end up in bank accounts Good Practice established by the oldest to build community wealth and resist launchpads for private entrepreneurs a Tale of Two Cities – rich and outside the community if community development organization in extractive practices that further who tend to stay in low income poor, Black and white, east there are no infrastructures America, the Community Development marginalize and subordinate them. communities longer. and west – can have to capture and recycle that a different ending than the income in a community all too familiar one we see wealth-building system. repeatedly lived out in under and disinvested communities If we value place-based around the nation. community development, it is important to figure out how While this vision may to fund enterprises and The realization of justice-as- ownership requires a seem idealistic; community initiatives operating in under development is idealistic. WCDC2019 did a better job and disinvested communities community development We are architects and builders, after all, than most conferences in that train and employ low-income practice that sees itself as a struggling to see things not as they are, residents. One possibility is to provide addressing how community movement and not merely a but as they might be. In the words of individuals and businesses tax collection of isolated projects. the poet Robert Browning: our reach development work can deductions and/or credits for disrupt the relationship should always exceed our grasp, contributing to capital funds that finance Or what’s a heaven for? between people, place and the land acquisition, construction and power to build alternative startup costs of cooperatives operating visions of community based in qualified low-income communities cooperatives would vet, fund, and on equality, empathy and and employing qualified low-income provide technical assistance to qualifying Anthony Cook is a law professor at Georgetown University in human flourishing. residents. Another approach might cooperatives. Whatever approach is create a federal programme to insure ultimately taken, it should be Washington D.C. He is a national long-term loans to cooperatives – with supplemented with a guaranteed income board member and officer of the higher than conventional government targeted to lift those in poverty out of Community Development Society and bond rates of return. This would poverty. A portion of that guaranteed has practiced at the intersection of capitalize a national cooperative loan income might be allocated in the form law, public policy and community fund, perhaps administered by a locally of digital cooperative (co-op) dollars, a development for the past twenty operated version of the already existing digital currency that can only be used to years. [email protected]

22 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 23 We do not have to escape our pains, of us were coming as wounded souls. (2019) vibrant concept called ensemble but that we can mobilize them into But, nevertheless, we showed up for each awareness. She intuits this as the essence other. Some of us were actually heart- of choral singing. Connecting this with a common search for life, those very broken. Some of us had hearts that were work in community, Wilson views our pains are transformed from broken-open. Broken-open meaning so deepest work as attuning to an awareness expressions of despair into signs of processed by the experience of pain of the overall patterns and rhythms within hope. (Henri Nouwen, 1979:93) that understanding, wisdom and healing community and as this awareness expands were already transforming us. The hidden and deepens so does our harmonizing As the mediation proceeds, deep feelings wholeness in our communities that “to foster the emergent potential of the emerge from community members about allows for this kind of coming together community” (p. 1.) During the mediation, the non-profit’s failure to deliver on agreed and processing we call love. This is not through questions and stories shared, we upon plans for the community itself to run the the fantastical, seemingly unburdened, all became more aware of the depth of love markets. Implementing this plan would mean transactional love modernity churns. It is and kindness that we had for community that community members would not only the love reflected in blood memory that beneath the tensions and conflicts. This facilitate the distribution of fresh produce, but holds healing-ancestral-memory-energies awareness carried us through the storms develop self-sustaining processes and skill sets that affirm alternative forms of community of subsequent mediations and negotiations for strengthening the community’s capacity and the embrace of tender mercies, around power, place and agency. to wrestle with the myriad consequences of rituals and conviviality even in the face historical-structural inequalities. Through this work it became clear to us of egregious forms of denial and erasure. that we cannot remain silent about the Members of the non-profit maintain It is the open, unconditioned space for immanence of love and soul in community. that community members are still not the magical confluence of vulnerability, They imbue the essence of patterns and ready to take on the responsibilities as pathos, generativity and grace. It awakens rhythms in community. As wounded healers planned, even though it has been five especially during times of struggle and attuning to this awareness, it is time to years. This resonates for us in the vibrant- unease because this is the work that we are more fully awaken to love and soul in incisive language of Black Geographies as to be about as humans. And it asks during community development. confusions on the part of the non-profit these times that we place our fearful hearts that “naturalize … poor and black agony and minds within its embrace. Rosalind P. Harris, Ph.D., MPH is and distress” (McKittrick and Woods, Associate Professor of Community and Awakening to Love 2007:2). We reflect, within ourselves, that Leadership Development, Dept. of these confusions/misunderstandings/ Through this work it became Community & Leadership Development, implicit biases work to deny the intended clear to us that we cannot University of Kentucky. She can be in Community liberatory journey of the community. remain silent about the contacted at [email protected] or and Soul However, we resolve to stay neutral, immanence of love and soul in [email protected] steady and silent. Listening, as the silence deepens, for unexpressed fears, pain, community. Ronald J. Hustedde, Ph.D. is Professor Development confusion, exhaustion, clarity, resolution. of Community & Leadership We have been in this place of pulsing- Development, Dept. of Community storied silence often. We experience this & Leadership Development, University Rosalind Harris and Ron Hustedde within ourselves, and within community We repeatedly see how love and soul dance of Kentucky. He can be contacted at circles such as this. together as unabashed partners within the [email protected] invisible web of relationship that holds us Somewhere we know that without all and reflects our deep humanity back to The tension is palpable as we sit around When the work is done understanding of their respective silence words lose their meaning. References: each other as we negotiate our respective the table in this partially hidden section The people will say concerns. In preparing for these meetings McKittrick, K., & Woods, C. A. (eds.) (2007). Black of this struggling, multicultural-centered the two of us have also talked deeply, as That without listening speaking no paths. Soul invites us moment to moment geographies and the politics of place. Cambridge: South End Press. bookstore in the heart of historically “We have done it ourselves” we have over the years, about the heart longer heals. (Henri Nouwen, 2010:21) to an awareness of our vastness, our basic goodness, our ability to think and to grow Moore, T. (1995) Care Of the Soul – A Guide for disenfranchised Lexington, Kentucky. teachings from our respective spiritual/ As broken and confused as this process Cultivating Depth and Sacredness In Everyday Life. New beyond dualities as we hold these dualities York: HarperPerennial. The “we” sitting around the table are black, faith traditions that we have often kept may feel to you, we offer it as an brown and white community residents This is not the fantastical, hidden in the closets of our hearts. We, in tension in doing so (Moore, 1995). Nouwen, H. J.M. (2010) Spiritual Formation: Following experience, one of many, that we have the Movements of the Spirit. New York: HarperOne. who have been working to provide fresh seemingly unburdened, like many community development had with the awakening of love and Our awareness of this invisible web, Nouwen, H. J.M. (1979) The Wounded Healer: Ministry in produce to this fresh-food insecure part transactional love modernity practitioners, have lived bifurcated soul in community. The members of the and our work towards awakening this Contemporary Society. New York: Doubleday. Wilson, P.A. (2019), The Heart of Community of Lexington. Also present are white lives because our secular institutions community that circled at the bookstore churns. It is the love reflected awareness for our work in community is Engagement: Practitioner Stories from Across the Globe. members of the non-profit that initiated don’t seem to value our alternative showed up knowing that most, if not all captured beautifully by Patricia Wilson’s New York: Routledge. the fresh food movement. As conflict in blood memory that holds epistemologies. However, increasingly mediators, we are also there because healing-ancestral-memory- the lifeworld – joy, pain, confusion and we have worked with this fresh food energies that affirm alternative loss has taken us more profoundly into movement from its beginnings and meshed forms of community and the our own hearts through the journeys we as fresh-food share-holders, volunteers embrace of tender mercies, make in communion with our community and, when asked, as leadership coaches rituals and conviviality even in partners. They have helped us through and neutral facilitators. our often-muddled mutual brokenness the face of egregious forms of to trust our own deepest experience as We relish those who have inspired us: denial and erasure. wounded healers. Using the energies Paulo Friere, Fals Bardo, Rosa Parks, Fannie liberated from such a process has Lou Hamer and others. We struggle with We repeatedly see how love helped us both in healing the divide neoliberalism’s aggressive dismantling and within and without. and soul dance together as disfiguring of communities by negotiating unabashed partners… we all Lao Tzu’s wisdom path: This is so because a shared pain is became more aware of the The agreements guiding this divisive no longer paralyzing but mobilizing, Go to the people. Live with them. meeting have been set, and in depth of love and kindness that Love them. Work with them. preparation for the mediation we’ve met When understood as a way to we had for community beneath liberation. When we become aware Learn from them. Start from where separately with community residents the tensions and conflicts. they are. Build on what they have. and non-profit members to get a better that

24 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 25 Storytelling around the wood fire stove of a mobile ‘tiny house’: experiencing the civic sanctuary of the Welcome Hut Christian H Hanser

It celebrates the arts of retreating towards society, not withdrawing away from the world.

for the first time. In this public hideaway, community action is first and foremost co-

constructed by the visitors themselves and alistairkerr.com Photography, Kerr ©Alistair not by a predefined change agenda. More importantly, transformation, empowerment and societal change are not thought out Silence speaks – the setting of a civic sanctuary through cognitive efforts. No think tanks have to provide expert knowledge. Future narrative, if pushed to extremes, can run by individuals as an uninviting, destabilising move personal coaching sessions online to narratives for the local neighbourhood, for the risk to portray society to be ‘cured’ and incoherent world. explore the deeper meaning of the crisis. the country or the planet move beyond from individualism. Sometimes fuelled by Others simply do not have the space to analysis, are narrated in this ‘dream this anti-individualism, commercial and Existential and psychosocial crises are be such pioneers, as they neither have A tiny hut at a major event number of participants. While the itinerant tank’ shed. Intrinsic imagination as well consumerist self-care sells a vision of not new in 2020, but they have been inspirational interactions with the outside mode of functioning implies to travel as collective storytelling practice are society where salvation can be found in the aggravated and revealed more explicitly world nor personal space for internal, During WCDC 2019, the campus of the across countries, sectors and institutional combined for more-than-cognitive forms privatised domains of neoliberalism. The in recent months due to Covid-19. One intrapersonal dialogues. Since 2010, the University of Dundee hosted the Welcome landscapes, the actual activity zooms in on of knowing and being in the world. success of private products also reveals element frequently discussed in the media Welcome Hut project has been installing Hut, a mobile encounter space for its visitors’ intrinsic hopes and dreams. how community development does not in this context is the unequally distributed community hubs as internal-external storytelling and daydreaming. In a packed A bubble beyond walls An experiential ‘dream tank’ necessarily reach those who are ‘passively’ right to retreat in contemporary society. In gateways which allow in-groups and conference venue where a lot of the By entering into an outdoor refuge, installed at home in consumerism by an extreme situation such as the large- invisible out-groups to come together in an inspiration circulated indoors, this outdoor in a world of busy think tanks participants are invited into a ‘bubble’ polarising and even playing the civic out scale lockdown, not every individual, family open access format. The bubble becomes extension to the event was deliberately not The mobile caravan can be invited by beyond walls. The shepherd’s hut is against the self-centred, individual longing. and community could preserve a physical a ‘safe space hub’. placed in front of the main entrance. It was local organisations to offer a temporary not an individualistic dungeon, but an A non-consumerist form of self-care that safe space, a form of sanctuary. Massive Listening to the silences of necessary to go through the back entrance gesture of hospitality in neighbourhoods introspective gateway. It celebrates the is connected to the world would provide gaps in the availability and provision of safe to notice the presence of the shepherd’s where anonymity, isolation or divisions arts of retreating towards society, not an activist stance and at the same time space exist between those who can live a disengagement hut. The Welcome Hut pop-up site usually define the routines of the public sphere. withdrawing away from the world. In allow more agency through breathing long-term confinement in inspiring solitude More important than banning the private opts for making a discreet contribution to The setting of the hut invites people to community development, the largely spaces in what is frequently experienced and those whose public access to already dimension from activist discourses is a local public setting. The wooden caravan interact through improvisation with many collective narratives around social justice scarce occasions of personal retreat the capacity to listen to people with life can be installed in parks, in front of public playful, multisensory artefacts and makes could also embrace those ecosystems (in parks, playgrounds, public squares trajectories that might not have given them libraries, at art festivals, rural markets or reference to the private sphere. Installed that are enabling healthy forms of etc.) have been radically suspended. sufficient reasons to ‘become engaged’. with long-term urban regeneration projects. in outdoor locations beyond institutional retreat. Practitioners can be more In the hut, no one is pushed to There is also a massive imbalance in the In the hut, no one is pushed to open up. The unusual presence of the wooden cabin walls, the cosy, protective walls of the explicitly invited to perceive shelter, provision of existential sanctuary, which This in turn inspires quite a few visitors not with its smell of the wood fire creates a tiny house provide an intimate hideout. A retreat and sanctuary beyond value open up. This in turn inspires is a less tangible yet crucial dimension for to stay closed for very long. Withdrawal very visible disruption, but its objective is visitor can sit down in the hut, as if it was judgments and to acknowledge introvert quite a few visitors not to stay meaningful belonging beyond the own tendencies are symptoms of deeper not to be a short-lived curiosity. The aim a miniature of their own living room. The hubs as forms of civic action rather closed for very long. Withdrawal private sphere: existential sanctuary relates structural forms of non-belonging. Failing of this initiative is to provide a space for hut is less than 6 square metres in size and than suspicious phenomena allegedly tendencies are symptoms of to the possibility of having a personal to give space for singular and complex life silent reflection, introvert conviviality and can shelter up to 10 visitors at the same void of societal concerns. Historically, deeper structural forms of space where one can continue to carve worlds can lead to even more individualistic decelerated socialising. As a small-scale time. A small, spontaneously composed out the seeds of personal meaning in the ‘hiding’ into one’s own flat. Caution community development seeks to non-belonging. experimental format, civic engagement group of people can quickly gather. propose alternatives to tendencies face of overwhelming threat. Many digitally is necessary when we classify social can be meaningful irrespective of the They can be strangers sitting together of withdrawal and individualism. This literate individuals turn to Twitter, Zoom, or participation along binary lines of ‘active’ or

26 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 27 ‘passive’ presence. The mobile shepherd’s The languages and stories that will emerge in the hut are never defined in advance. hut is a vagabond community initiative Hierarchies of values, which listens but does not belong or judge. When individuals disappear into the hut, Civic engagement, as seen from the lens languages and literacies need they disappear from the radar of public of the hut, starts with the arts of listening, to be constantly challenged in visibility and activist accountability. The not with the tools of speaking or making order to learn to listen rather challenge: to trust that people will find people speak. This is a deeply activist than preach to the converted. their own useful ways of making sense of stance: one that listens to the silences of an unoccupied, unaudited, unclaimed and disengagement rather than screaming unclaimable utopian space. This trust is the ideologies of the ‘right’ path to activism. scarce resource that one can harvest when The hut project is guided by asking the roaming freely in-between the polarised following questions: networks. If activism (as defined by the spheres of publicised citizen engagement in-group of activist networks) was the and the many invisible trajectories of • What would motivate a person to go to dominant vocabulary, participants without withdrawal. a community meeting despite having previously acquired activist literacy a tendency to avoid socialising in this Christian H Hanser is the Initiator of might feel disconnected and prefer their particular setting? private television. If academic literacy (as the Welcome Hut and a PhD researcher. • Ho w would a socially anxious, highly defined by the peer-supported jargon He works with The Welcome Hut sensitive, autistic or introverted of researcher-activists) was the ‘mother SCIO (Scotland) & Association La person find a safe haven within tongue’ of the Welcome Hut, it would Rêv’othèque (France). He can be an overstimulating, over-crowded only take about 5 minutes until half of the contacted at [email protected] community event designed by extroverts? hut visitors will walk out, and the other Further readings: half start an engaged but also selective, • W hich stakeholders and partners are intellectualised debate. Hierarchies of Flood, A. (2020). French writers’ coronavirus getaways willing to learn the languages of silence, prompt backlash. The Guardian. https://www. values, languages and literacies need to be waiting and wandering rather than theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/06/french-writers- constantly challenged in order to learn to corona-getaways-prompt-backlash-leila-slimani-marie- impose pre-established narratives of listen rather than preach to the converted. darrieussecq (last accessed: 30/04/2020) impact and spectacular change? The hut project works at its best when Hanser, C. H. (2020). A space between: Social work members of vocal groups of society can through the lens of a mobile tiny house encounter space. Qualitative Social Work, 19(3), 380- 405. Trust and humility sit with more silenced ‘others’ inside the Slowly building up the Welcome Hut small storytelling venue and realise that https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325020917428 Facilitation for project has taught me how to deal they need to tune down their own volume Thom, J. (2020). A quiet education: challenging the with my own privileged positions of in order to perceive the ways the others extrovert ideal in our schools. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational Ltd. belonging and the need to unlearn struggle to make meaning in their own Audio-visual material and readings on the practice-based Empowerment and Social my own codes and comforts of these lives. This is a form of experiential learning website about the Welcome Hut: reassuring, yet potentially exclusionary advancing epistemic humility. www.thewelcomehut.com A safe hideout for sheltered engagement Transformation (FEST): A case of process-led approach to community development in Nepal Ammar Bahadur Air

Introduction organisation, Sahakarmi Samaj, in and were encouraged that the FEST The 2019 World Community Western Nepal. The Conference was approach is one of the practices that can Development Conference – with its focus particularly significant in broadening contribute to participatory people-led on People, Place and Power – illuminated our horizons and our perspectives on development. the different traditions and approaches the unique work that we are doing to to community development, and facilitate the empowerment and Background importantly allowed us to show-case an transformation of the marginalized The modernization approach to endogenous approach emergent from communities. It also provided us with development has failed to minimize the Nepal: Facilitation for Empowerment and the opportunity to be linked with division between the ‘haves’ and ‘have Social Transformation (FEST). FEST is a international forums and organizations nots’. A just, secure, sustainable and new innovation built on the Freirean that work in the different sections of peaceful world is possible only when the tradition of Community Development the world, which foster a culture of people lead their development through work and popular education, along with exchanging international learning. their own analysis of the situation and the principles of Carl Rogers’ Person- We felt a part of an international take an active role and participate in Centred Approach, which has been community committed to best the process to influence the overall ©Alistair Kerr Photography, alistairkerr.com Photography, Kerr ©Alistair developed and implemented by our development practices in the world development outcomes. The approach

28 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 29 has been developed and proven by range of understandings, values, and marginalized communities/groups to application in Nepal since the early principles that must be respected during strengthen the connection and build 1990s. There was a concern that rather programme design and implementation rapport. Their actual interests and than offering them sustainable solutions, to bring about empowerment of the concerns (known, in Freirean terms, as the dominant development approach in marginalized and a wider transformation ‘generative themes’) are identified using Nepal may be contributing to the in society. The principal innovation of the ‘listening survey’ technique. problems that they faced. It was FEST was to educate and develop skilled recognised that the top-down approach group facilitators, and then deploy them 2. Community group formation: to development where the agenda for to catalyse and support locally led This step takes 2-3 months, and brings change was controlled by seemingly development through a carefully together community members in one all-powerful donors and technocrats had constructed process of change. forum to provide encouragement and undermined marginalised people’s reassurance to the people who are the Do you have any experience of this?) learned from their experience. Community Based Organisations to confidence and motivation to seek Overview of the FEST most marginalized. During this stage, the 4. Related problems (What happened to Depending on the outcome, group share and learn with like-minded groups change on their own behalf. This left approach: Community Educators present the his family...? How does that affect the members may decide to define a new and organisations. programme approach and ask the goal in relation to the unresolved them in passive dependency on 1. Issue identification through listening community?) Through these Community Based community members for their full problem or to tackle a completely somewhat unpredictable external actors. and observation: This step takes 6 5. R oot causes (Yes,... but why?… I see, Organisations and networks, participation over the course of the different problem. The action and It also left them blind to the simple fact months. The field staff (a team of but why? … But why does that marginalized communities have been programme. This is followed by the use reflection cycle goes on as a regular that many development challenges can community educators – CE) reside in happen?) able to bring about sustained significant of participatory tools to facilitate schedule of community. Once they have only be successfully addressed through each target area where they conduct changes, drawing appropriately on local discussion on group concept, community 6. A ction (What can we do about it? How completed at least four action plans collaboratively planned action at the meetings with local government and external resources and partnering vision, seasonal calendar, development could we change that ?) using their own local resources, the local level. authorities for the programme’s process effectively with Nepal’s new local and trend analysis of past years, and Through the entire process, group Community Educators will ask the group introduction and to secure official regional government institutions. invitations from local levels. They resource analysis over a period of 6-7 members are encouraged to think about if they require external resources to fulfil conduct Community Screening Process meetings. It is only at this point that the and analyse the problem and its possible their needs. The Community Educator The principal innovation of meetings in different parts of each ward Community Educators facilitate the solutions. This stage is of variable then facilitates them to review their FEST was to educate and of the selected targeted areas and use group to develop a ‘group contract’, duration, depending on the nature of the demands and provides a list of external FEST has shown that skilled develop skilled group participatory exercises to identify the which includes the basic guidelines for problem to be addressed. In the first resources that they can use to respond facilitation of a clear change facilitators, and then deploy most marginalized communities with the effective group interaction and instance, Community Educators to their identified need. process can put people in the behaviour, and then they provide encourage groups to address a small- them to catalyse and support realistic reasons for them being most 4. The development of self-managed driving seat of their ongoing feedback to the group on scale problem, using only locally marginalized. Based on information organisations and networks: development. locally led development behaviour, with reference to the contract. available skills and resources. More collected, the team reflects on and A series of trainings that focuses on through a carefully constructed ambitious projects may be initiated once analyses the situation of the respective leadership, management, facilitation, process of change. 3. A cycle of planning and action: the group is familiar and confident with communities and identifies the key institutional, participation, planning, Community Educators conduct weekly the process, although the emphasis issues. Simultaneously, based on the networking, decision making, resource meetings in the selected community, remains throughout on the creative information collected during this first acquisition and liaison with external Conclusion where they address different concerns utilisation of local skills and resources. stage, they select possible marginalised agencies are then offered to help each (generative themes) using a problem- Empowerment is a powerful concept communities to work with. Initially, the group decides on a goal for group to develop its internal capacity This approach, termed as ‘FEST’, was posing tool known as a ‘code’ (It may be within development discourse. its action, and Community Educators to be able to operate effectively in the originally developed by the Surkhet Then the team conducts visits to every a play, mime, role-play, picture, photo, or However, the tendency of development help them out using ‘force-field analysis’ absence of an external facilitator. Project Awareness Raising Cycle household in the selected communities anything which brings out only the to disempower is often inadequately if the problem to be addressed is very (SPARC) in Western Nepal starting in to establish contact; they explain the problem into sharp focus), without FEST process also includes facilitating recognised and the need for a different complex or abstract. Strategies are then 1992, and then it was taken forward by aims of the organisation and document providing any solutions. This is workshops for local governments to raise approach is therefore often inadequately identified by ‘brainstorming’ and group former members of SPARC who the details of these visits including conducted as following steps described awareness amongst them regarding acknowledged. FEST has shown that discussion. Lack of information, skills or established the NGO Sahakarmi Samaj identifying factors and critical issues by Paulo Freire: marginality, injustice, good governance skilled facilitation of a clear change resources in the community can be (www.sahakarmisamaj.org) in 1997. FEST affecting marginalized individual families. and democratic accountability. Alongside process can put people in the driving 1. Description of the code (What did you recognised at this stage where the root draws on non-directive, empowerment- Familiarizing themselves in this way with this, interactive meetings between local seat of their development and it is for see? What happened then....?) problem is redefined and a new goal is focused methods that aim to put people the locality and its people, they perform government and the groups, known at that reason that we want it to be more set to solve the identified problem. They in the driving seat of their development, a social analysis to identify the most 2. Firs t analysis (Why do you think this stage as Community Based widely understood. The 2019 WCDC then help the group to enhance without providing a blueprint to be marginalized communities or groups. he/she behaved in that way?) Organisations, are conducted to carry out Conference was an important step for knowledge through use of appropriate directly replicated. Instead, it suggests a Further visits are then made to these 3. R eal life (Does that ever happen here? the effective service delivery process. At us in doing this. participatory research methods. the end of the fourth year, the field team Ammar Bahadur Air, who started as a Once they are skilled, Community conduct a participatory assessment of Community Educator in 1994, is Educators help the group to determine the capacity of each Community Based Executive Director of the NGO objectives in relation to its chosen Organisation before exiting from the field. Sahakarmi Samaj (SS) established in strategy. As many group members are After this, regular capacity assessments Nepal in 1997, which developed the illiterate, pictures are generally used to through participatory self-assessment FEST approach and has been applying represent the group’s objectives. They tools continue to be undertaken to it with communities in Western Nepal help the group to formulate an action monitor progress. for almost 25 years. He can be plan and develop a strategy to be Following the exit of the field team, contacted at [email protected] carried out. Pictures or agreed symbols regular coaching and feedback is are used to represent tasks on the group A generative theme is issue, which strongly people feel provided to the Community Based and is willing to take some action about. action plan and incorporate ‘monitoring’ Organisations which enables the creation as its most important tool. Code is a term used for problem reflection on community of linkages and opportunity with wider generative themes to interact towards problem solving Later on, Community Educators help the audiences for regular learning and among the group members group members to conduct an sharing. The formation of a national level Kurt Lewin, Force Field Analysis – https://www.mindtools. com/pages/article/newTED_06.htm evaluation, reflecting on the outcome of federation, or network, then gives an their actions and drawing out the lessons avenue for the representatives of

30 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 31 dialogic exercises and structured analysis Collective Response 5: within established themes. Iterative data Ideal Outcomes: analytic processes allow for those themes Community Development to be collectively constructed and • Balanced relationships built on trust deconstructed while building individual • Equal and meaningful dialogue and group skills. Repetitive layering of • Increased clarity for community researchers these exercises facilitates exploration of the Workshop: Native Lands, depth and nuance of sociopolitical, cultural, • Acknowledgment of past wrongs and structural contexts and how they influence increased sense of justice the themes from the perspective of the After presenting, participants were eager Native People, Native Rights individual and/or the community (for to discuss their impressions of the work, examples of this, see Lykes & Scheib, 2015). which included participant anxiety in the process of drawing, uncertainty in Each of the chosen exercises were committing both drawing and words to a Participatory practice in the intersections completed, although they had to be page, and then comfort and validation in completed with some time pressure. the shared discoveries within and across of community strategic planning, data A normal workshop experience would be groups. Once completed, the impact and much longer, with opportunities for deeper potential for this process became clear to exploration and analysis of the topics that participants. Participants recognized the sovereignty, and cultural identity in Taos emerge from the research question. value of the process in eliciting their own This process can be used repeatedly to individual and collective responses as data, Holly Scheib draw important data from a sample of as well as the opportunity to interpret the participants, much like a survey can, work collectively. End of session data sovereignty – processes by which but with added steps of group analysis, conversations included discussion of how communities can self-organize to produce categorization, and prioritization. In the workshop, Native Lands, Native Priority Strategic Planning Process, where this process links to formalized data and control the knowledge generated to collection and analysis (surveys and support their goals. The methods in this People, Native Rights: Participatory engagement with tribal leadership shaped The three exercises were conducted in Building capacity of researcher-focused analysis), instead workshop illustrated the use of science in practice in the intersections of community each step to local realities, forming a a layering fashion where groups traded participants in the steps of opening up the process and building a manner that is deliberately and explicitly strategic planning, data sovereignty, and community development process unique generated data with each other and were capacity in doing so. With more time, anti-colonial, building participants’ “critical cultural identity in Taos Pueblo, 20 priority planning and strategic to Taos Pueblo. The enthusiasm from then asked to perform analytic tasks on these statements could be further refined bifocality,” a term used by Weis and Fine attendees participated in an illustration of development is an explicit goal participants in these techniques grew that data. These analytic tasks identified through similar exercises – themes could (2012) to define a subject having both the exercises undertaken in a dialogic in this work. the priority process into a long-term core values most relevant to the research be identified and separately explored, a a critical stance on social systems and relationship-building practice with the Taos partnership. Ultimately, the outcomes question, and then combined those values singular mission defined, or other areas structures that impact their lives while Pueblo Native American community. The of the priority process are providing the in narrative form to come up with a explored for clarification and definition. also participating in and resisting those goals of this workshop were twofold: to foundation for increased data sovereignty statement to answer the question. Upon After working through this process, systems of marginalization, exclusion, and/ demonstrate an aspect of the practice and for the tribe. This data sovereignty process completion of these narrative “Collective participants could see how these types or privilege. In these ways, this workshop to gain the perspective of community as program development, implementation, aims to utilize the sciences of Sage Stories,” each group presented the stories of exercises may be building blocks to gave insight into how partners may better development professionals and academics and evaluation. Building capacity of Consulting to build leadership continuity, to each other. The following are the larger data gathering and analysis. reflect local needs within communities as the Taos Pueblo tribe establishes best participants in the steps of priority planning data-driven programming, and Collective Stories generated in this process practices between outside partners and and strategic development is an explicit goal comprehensive data assessment and where historical legacies of oppression in response to the research question: still influence daily life. First Nation communities. Taos Pueblo in this work. This goal shapes the manner in analysis through a tribally-run census. “What are the ideal outcomes that result village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is which data gathering and analysis It is possible to build a For this workshop, very basic techniques from relationships between research Photos from the process, including a the oldest continuously inhabited homesite techniques are chosen and conducted. from the process were introduced to entities and First Nation communities?” science of community that group photo taken for the purposes of in North America. sharing it with Taos Pueblo, are included in The background of the project partnership participants with the goal of exploring a works in conjunction with this publication. The group responses and This workshop engaged participants in that led to this data-gathering process was specific question. Members of Taos Pueblo Collective Response 1: traditional practices, is photos were shared with tribal leadership collaborative exercises that explore the shared in a video created by Taos Pueblo First Nation Peoples posed this question Everyone is listened to and has a respectful of local culture, and in July 2019. The comments are being nature of relationships between external leadership specifically for the WCDC to WCDC attendees: “What are the ideal contribution to make through the identifies and utilizes local included in considerations for a tribal entities (community workers, researchers, audience: https://www.youtube.com/ outcomes that result from relationships opportunity to listen and communicate, knowledge and strengths. standard for external partnership. program partners, etc.) and First Nation watch?v=kpBdVk4N3OI. In the video, Taos between research entities and First Nation by supporting mechanisms to identify communities. For community development Pueblo leaders describe how external forces communities?” Participants self-divided and realise dreams and aspirations. Holly Scheib, PhD MPH MSW, has support, New Mexico indigenous have created a need for long-term planning into groups, were supplied with verbal and Collective Response 2: more than two decades of experience communities engage with external agencies and how these processes work in contrast to written instructions, and were supported in public health, social work, human that practice hierarchical models of the yearly traditional systems used by the by facilitators through each step. Work to change the balance of power, This methodology is not only appropriate, rights, development, disaster, and implementation, with rather limited success. tribe for millennia. Tribal leaders knew they in measurable steps with informed data Due to time constraints, only three types but perhaps essential in indigenous advocacy. Specializing in In direct reaction to that history, the needed data to inform this long-term as the new process to be adopted. of exercises – collective drawing, word communities, as it recognizes that science transformative practices that adapt techniques used in this data-gathering planning, and they wanted to gather it in a association, and collective storytelling and data are not limited to formal, scientific methodologies to fit the process allow for locally-led innovation, way that is meaningful and productive within Collective Response 3: – were modeled. In the full community Western, interpretations. The humility of needs of communities, her work has enhancing capacity in the mechanics of their tribal systems. They describe seeking The ideal outcome is a process of listening science context of this work, these researchers, the willingness for outsiders to reached more than 40 organizations assessment and needs prioritization, as well technical support in the planning on four and hearing each other in a continuous cycle techniques are positioned with other know themselves and operate with great priorities: education, housing, economic of exchange and dialogue, through an across 5 continents. Dr Scheib is self-reflection, and the challenging of who development, and community health. They embedded process that leads to a flow and President of Sage Consulting, is an “expert” are essential to this process. reached out to Dr. Holly Scheib of Sage transfer of energy and power without an Incorporated, and can be contacted It is possible to build a science of Consulting (a research and evaluation overpowering outer influence, ultimately at [email protected] community that works in conjunction with organization) and Po Chen of Youth Heartline leading to enlightenment and indigenous will. traditional practices, is respectful of local (a child protection organization), who work Lykes, M.B. & Scheib, H. (2015). The artistry of Collective Response 4: culture, and identifies and utilizes local together with Native communities to build emancipatory practice: Photovoice, creative techniques, The drawing shows a family-centered knowledge and strengths. The importance and feminist anti-racist participatory action research. In culturally appropriate policies and programs. Bradbury-Huang, H. (Ed.) Handbook of Action Research of allowing communities to self-identify This partnership proved quite fruitful. relationship with a research entity in a kind III. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. pp. 131-142. and compassionate environment with trust themes, self-generate data, and self- Weis, L. and Fine, M. (2012). Critical bifocality and circuits The techniques showcased in this and respect that leads to a pathway of analyze that data speaks to a larger of privilege: Expanding critical ethnographic theory and workshop were integrated into the Tribal enlightenment and empowerment. conceptual argument for community-led design. Harvard Educational Review, 82(2): 173-201.

32 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 33 The Factors Influencing Power and Politics for Women in Liberia: My Personal and Work Experience Dorothy Kwennah Toomann

Many people acknowledge that organizing and contesting against men is an uphill battle. In the upcoming 2020 mid-term election in Liberia, the men who are contesting are already in powerful governance positions (Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator and others), have easy access to public resources, and are backed by major political parties. For me, coming from a civil society background, the hill is even steeper. But I refuse to be deterred by those forces of power.

Rather, I am encouraged and convinced reminded constantly by them and gender training programs with the that my decades of people-to-people others that such work was not for a girl. Development Education Network-Liberia engagements through community However, from a young age, it was (DEN-L). DEN-L is a national grassroots grievances that caused the civil war aspirations and platform but to listen to development work with marginalized clear that I refused to accept these organisation established during the civil Women remain home makers remain unresolved for the nation and its their concerns and identify potential people (women, youth, children, the boundaries. I enjoyed being with and war to contribute to a Liberia at peace people. Many people, mainly women, are and domestics workers, but strengths for collaboration to influence physically challenged, local media and supporting my father on the rooves of with itself and its neighbours. Grounded living with the scars of wounds and pain these no longer stop them from local, national and global dynamics. rural communities) for the common buildings. I climbed trees, played soccer in the conscientisation approach of of violence they sustained during the engaging in initiatives that This is different from the approach good will enable me to engage with and with my brothers and organised girls’ Paulo Freire and other approaches that war. What has changed is how women have the potential to change used by mainstream male dominated garner people’s support. This is soccer games. contribute to social justice and view their roles and place in society. politicians who send their fold-runners combined with my ability to be with and sustainable environment, we work in a their place in society. Women remain home makers and to communities to raise awareness and connect with the local people, to initiate way that enables people to discover domestics workers, but these no longer mobilize them to attend centralized and forge new relationships, my record themselves. We respect and value our My ambition is to discover and stop them from engaging in initiatives meetings; rather than engaging on in peace-building, advocacy and contribution and those of others, and we explore new ways to link the that have the potential to change their activist. As I explore my new identity as the ground, they make donations to networking, and my approach to advocate for a more just world including platforms of parliament and place in society. a political candidate with a desire to play attract votes. transparency and accountability. I believe better interconnectedness between community development for more strategic decision-making role, these skills and experiences will enable people and their environment. Despite efforts to strengthen the place I am convinced that community these are more pronounced. I consider me to continue to pave my way to social change and contribute of Liberian women in public life, multi- engagement with connection has the community engagement and connection becoming an elected official in the meaningfully to the changing Liberia is situated in West Africa with a dimensional factors that limit women’s potential to go beyond supporting as the best option for understanding Liberian Parliament. My ambition is relationship between people, population of about 4.5 million people. roles remain. Women are challenged to political candidates. Nevertheless, the local people’s situation, and these are to discover and explore new ways to Originally, the place known as Liberia face the reality of poor governance, the size and population of Bong County – an place and power. essential for my political campaign. This link the platforms of parliament and was a collection of chiefdoms led by reality that decision-making remains estimated population of nearly 350,000, approach to political campaigning is community development for social local chiefs. However, after the 1800s, under the control of men in society, and spread over nearly 3,500 square miles, difficult; however, it is based on my change and contribute meaningfully the area became controlled by a one- the realities of high poverty rates, with 12 districts, 42 clans with a experience in working with marginalized to the changing relationship between party centralised system led by male corruption, negative cultural practices, township, 39 health facilities, including I married a pastor and had three and oppressed women. Throughout my people, place and power. dominated elite Americo-Liberians high financial costs of political 3 hospitals, 367 schools, including 14 children during the civil war. Obviously, campaign, I have been able to engage (free slaves) from the United States of participation, increased human rights high schools, a university and a technical As a child in rural Liberia, unlike many the expectations were that I focus on with single mothers, widows, women America. This structure then remained abuses, high illiteracy rates, and college, more than 10 community radios, girls in the country and beyond, my my family and church matters. I did involved in petty trade, victims of abuse for more than a century. extremely high maternal morbidity and etc – community engagement becomes education was prioritised by my parents. these, but I also engaged in nonviolent including sexual abuse, disadvantaged mortality rates – 1072 deaths per challenging especially when faced with Though I had to learn domestic work as actions for peace with other Liberian In 1989, the country experienced a children and youth, substance users, 100,000 live births. Alongside all this, in limited resources. expected within my culture, I didn’t wish women to end the civil war. I engaged 14-year-long brutal civil war. During the health and education under-paid political parties, women are pushed to to limit my capacity to domestic in educational initiatives for my personal civil war, women were victims of all workers working in difficult situations, In June 2019, I transitioned from eight the margins with weak opportunities for activities – they simply were not development and to enable the types of violence; however, they also and food insecure communities. months of community consultation to them to increase their involvement in interesting and attractive. Instead, I was empowerment of other rural women to contributed greatly to ending the war, Engaging local people from diverse public awareness about my political local and national politics. interested in the work my father did as a increase our space in public life. Initially, and influenced the election of Africa’s backgrounds in their own communities ambition. I have made progress but more hunter, builder, and pastor. Despite my I conducted adult literacy, micro-finance, first female President, Madam Ellen These challenges and many others and work settings affords me the needs to be done to enable me to secure parents’ support for my education, I was women’s development, leadership and Johnson-Sirleaf. Still today, the already confront me as a development opportunity not only to share my space in the Liberian parliament. I have

34 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 35 not clear. Often, politicians think they are doing favours for local people when they make allocations in national budgets for community projects – schools, LGBTQ+ Rights and agricultural inputs, clinics, etc. Politics in these situations benefits the privileged few, a situation which is not only difficult Community Development: to sustain but also undermines the efforts of community development agents and increases the vulnerability of local people and their communities. In A Global Roundtable this political process, my hope is through direct engagement and connection with Paul Lachapelle and Deborah Albin local people, my political platform will be strengthened to influence social change.

I find myself here in the United States of America, where I traveled to attend The WCDC in Dundee meetings including the 64th Section of presented a unique opportunity the United Nations Convention on the to engage friends, colleagues, Status of Women in New York, while practitioners and youth from the Coronavirus pandemic has reached around the world on the topic of Liberia. Considering Liberia’s fragile LGBTQ+ rights from a community health and other systems, I am deeply development perspective. concerned. I find myself caught in the travel restrictions and unable to return home. So, I am exploring ways to remain engaged with the local people and The LGBTQ+ community has made experiences from our other participants session, we also recently offered our first contribute to COVID-19 response significant progress in terms of rights and from their own perspectives. We wanted the annual Virtual Rainbows Summit for Youth, process. Networking with people in the recognition over the past few years (note: event to be youth-led and youth-focused Families, Allies and Professionals (http:// diaspora and those at home with the term LGBTQ+ is used throughout this and our colleagues from LGBT Youth msucommunitydevelopment.org/rainbows. internet support, I have mobilized and article; no offense is meant by excluding Scotland provided just that. They began html) with 3-days of on-line learning and developed COVID-19 awareness anyone from its use). Examples of progress the session by sharing self-introductions that information sharing content on a wide- My roots as a community materials in five local dialects and these include the legal status of same-sex included brief overviews from Scotland of variety of topics. The goal, as was our organised a core team to manage my development practitioner are being aired in Liberia. Currently, I am marriage in 28 countries, various policy their own experiences and the programming WCDC session, was to increase networking campaign; set up teams of community mobilizing similar awareness messages fostered have enabled me to discussions and platforms for LGBTQ+ rights offered by the organization. We then went and build community. volunteers in each of the 12 districts to in the sixteen dialects of Liberia for at the United Nations, and the election around the circle to others sharing their Our WCDC session was meant to offer a support the setting up of clans and develop a means of mobilising, national awareness. While my political and celebration of openly gay politicians. experiences from their home communities safe space for discussion and be an open community volunteers; conducted even when far away from home. campaign remains strong, my roots as Yet, significant challenges remain and the and countries. Discussion focused on and supportive opportunity to explore community engagement meetings in a community development practitioner LGBTQ+ community still face widespread key contextual themes of current legal critical community development from at least 15 communities in each district, and the connections I have fostered stigmatization and persecution. There are an LGBTQ+ perspective. The overall goal attended major events such as religious over 70 nations where homosexual activity have enabled me to develop a means of the session was to create new global conferences, school and community problems associated with the centralized between consenting adults is illegal with Our WCDC session was meant of mobilising, even when far away from networks and enhance creative and programmes, and organized small economy with poor local investment some resulting in prison; there are still six to offer a safe space for home. More than anything else, this productive partnerships between community groups meeting with people from countries that effectively impose the death and exploitation of natural resources is demonstrates the power of genuine discussion and be an open and development practitioners and those diverse sectors. I continue to ensure penalty on consensual same-sex sexual acts. also a priority. Communities are asking community-led political engagement. supportive opportunity to involved in the LGBTQ+ community. It is our Globally, individuals face violence, arbitrary my campaign is organized from the to address bad governance practices: explore critical community hope that the IACD will continue to play a I believe that social change can become arrest, imprisonment and torture because grassroots. The challenge however corruption, the unfair and slow justice role in facilitating opportunities for learning, a reality for local people in Bong County of their sexual orientation. development from an LGBTQ+ is finding ways to deal with the system, and food insecurity. Interestingly, sharing and building community, and that and beyond. To achieve this, community perspective. misinformation and propaganda there are also signs of local people’s The WCDC in Dundee presented a unique together we can and will continue to make from my opponents. willingness to improve their well-being. development agents need to consciously opportunity to engage friends, colleagues, a difference in the lives of ALL individuals, This is one of the motivating factors in support direct a connection between the practitioners and youth from around the regardless of their colour of the rainbow. The level of propaganda is astonishing. my political journey. However, the reality sector and politics, and they need to be world on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights from a However, the process is fascinating; it Paul Lachapelle is a Professor at Montana is these situations cannot be changed represented on political decision-making community development perspective. The enables me to understand the nature rights, cultural conditions, and planned State University-Bozeman in the United through localized effort alone, and platforms at all levels. Politics can achieve authors of this article, in close collaboration of political campaigning and identify and established community development States focusing on teaching and research neither will they change if community far more when drawing on the skills and with Cari Patterson of Horizons Community great opportunities – to see and grapple programs. The conversation was lively, knowledge of community development; Development Associates (Canada), Cara on community climate change resiliency, development professionals are only spirited, emotional, but most importantly, with the situations of people, to listen I hope my new path will find ways to Spence of LGBT Youth Scotland (UK), and diversity and inclusion, and social justice comfortable at the margins of local and enlightening and informative for those who to their hopes and aspirations about build a bridge across this divide. Jeff Myers of Del-Myr Associates (US) topics. [email protected] global decision making. Social change attended. As a result, in the United States, politics with enriched learning. In all planned an open roundtable workshop requires engagement with political the authors created a new website to offer Debora Albin is currently program these, I have come to realize that the Dorothy Kwennah Toomann is a Gender format for the conference where we could decision-making, and I believe that as educational content to constituents not coordinator at Montana State University challenges and hopes of the local people Specialist, Peace & Development engage with local LGBTQ+ organizations in community development professionals, only in our home state of Montana, but Extension, Community Development are increasingly confirmed from one Activist and Former Executive Director Dundee and Scotland and others globally to we need to consider our engagement available to anyone interested in learning Program; her focus areas are diversity community to the other. The priorities at the Development Education facilitate learning and information sharing. with mainstream politics. more on a variety of LGBTQ+ topics (www. for the communities are: access to Network-Liberia (DEN-L). She is and inclusion, climate change, and Our intent was to have the local LGBTQ+ montana.edu/communitydevelopment/ intergenerational programming. improved health care, quality education, In Liberia, and perhaps in many currently a Potential 2020 Senatorial organizations provide us with the context lgbtq.html). The website is currently being [email protected] safe drinking water, shelter, and developing countries, the link between Candidate in Bong County. She can be and content for learning about their local populated with material and will go live recreational facilities. Addressing contacted at [email protected] community development and politics is LGBTQ+ rights issues and then share the soon. With the inspiration of the WCDC Photo courtesy of LGBT Youth Scotland, used with permission Scotland, Youth of LGBT courtesy Photo

36 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 37 Unconferenced: The Unchampioned Views Delight Sunday-Anicho

In this piece, conference delegate Delight Sunday-Anicho reflects on the difficulties of challenging dominant views and voices in the unconference sessions. Delight works outside of the field of community development and attended the conference to learn more about community development practices.

Following my participation at the conference our communities since we are in a Nigeria. There was only one viewpoint in in Dundee, I was asked by the editors catch-up race with the rest of the world. that conversation that was given oxygen. to reflect on my experience at the 2019 This perspective was not necessarily In both examples, the conversations would Conference in writing. It took a while to represented in the conference programme, have benefitted from more structure, but get around to it as a result of the Covid-19 but I had the privilege of chairing an balancing the need to champion unheard Pandemic, which re-arranged our lives. unconference session where I presented voices with making sure every voice is Seven minutes to share, The Conference Theme: how my employer is developing critical heard remains a challenge. infrastructure in Nigeria through Social Lessons for Organisers – Themed, “People, Place, and Power,” the Investment Projects. Through these Social IACD conference in 2019 took place in Next Steps an eternity to learn: Investments, hospitals, schools, skills Dundee, Scotland. Dundee is a beautiful acquisition centers, solar boreholes, roads, During the conference, Delight city. I enjoyed my stay, met some of my and electricity have been provided not only came up with an idea for an environmental compatriots, acquired a new friend. The in our areas of operations, but throughout project to establish a conservation Building and deepening attendees were from different countries, the country – from Lagos to Maiduguri, center to restore lost biodiversity due nationalities, races, and creed. That, projects constructed by the company to oil exploration. Upon returning for me, was a high point. dot the landscape. home, Delight’s plan was approved The organization was very professional. by her employer. common grounds The young volunteers that ensured Criticism – People, Place, As organisers, this demonstrates to us the everything went well deserves our and Power? benefits of including delegates from non- Mário Montez praise for a job well done. The main drawback I observed was community development backgrounds. The spacing of sessions with good timing the inability of the various conference We believe that the annual conference appeared perfect. The unplanned session settings to accommodate opposing provides a mechanism by which we can Dundee (WCDC2019) a group of four Portuguese colleagues at students all realised that each group was the conference, plus the key-note speaker able to present the core of their project was a good innovation in that it provided ideas. An example is the discussion on bring together diverse viewpoints and For me, Scotland has been a brilliant Virgina Bras Gomes, who I was later able in the given time; and that all other opportunities for other ideas to be put the Palestinian-Israeli situation during a reach out to people who may not consider school on community development. Since 7-minute presentation. One speaker made themselves to be community development to welcome as an invited speaker at a groups paid full attention, all in an out in the public domain. Still, even these my first time in Glasgow for the IACD his presentation on the situation, but he practitioners. This enables us to identify lecture in my school. The Dundee adequate time of 21 minutes of possible unstructured sessions that were meant to 2014 Conference ‘Community is the challenge dominant views fell short of went quite a bit over his allotted time and opportunities for new collaborations, conference provided the opportunity concentration. Finally, we had about 60 Answer,’ I have connected with their remit. thus only one view in a complex situation extend our reach as a field, deepen our to “matar saudades,” as we say in minutes of debate and sharing which organizations and with several dedicated was given oxygen. Spaces must be created dialogues and push ourselves to further Portuguese. This means: to reconnect brought new perspectives for each Unconference Sessions and friendly community development to allow for people to ask questions and improve our practice. and chat with my Scottish friends. group, and an enriching collaboration The concept of community in Europe practitioners, with whom I became close challenge dominant views. among the class. What I received from is different from what we consider Delight is Head of Partnership during later work visits to this country. The conference had several creative this previous experience was precisely community development in Africa. A further example came up during an Development at Corporate Social These experiences enabled me to enrich features and a wonderful atmosphere. what we experienced in Dundee. The We are looking for the fastest, simplified unconference session where a delegate Responsibility, Total E&P Nigeria my learning on community development I outline the courageous, and somehow fact that we can easily follow three and workable technology to develop brought up the issue of killer herdsmen in Limited animation and to share experiences and misunderstood, 7 minutes presentation presentations while we can manage to thoughts on this field. It also brought time as one of the original characteristics be concentrated without great effort, inputs to my work and to the school of the WCDC2019 conference. This was very positive for me as an audience where I teach (ESEC-IPC: School of strategy allowed delegates to share the member. I recall that English is not the Education of the Polytechnic Institute of core topics of each presentation and to native language for many participants, Coimbra), in Portugal, leading to student debate properly the specific or common therefore, presentations may be harder practices and recent staff study visits issues, afterword. It was not an easy to follow. The following time for debate under the Erasmus+ mobility programme, feature to understand, and the short was suitable to explore more details with other projects still to come. time for presentation received several critiques when compared to according to the concerns and interests WCDC 2019 in Dundee was therefore an conventional presentations of 15 to 20 of the audience. opportunity to revisit Scotland, this time minutes. I did react similarly at first, In my case, it was an interesting exercise with another colleague who is leading before I recognized the potentiality of to condense my presentation to the time the Portuguese association for Local this approach. Thus, I tested the model limit of 7 minutes. It was a challenge, but Development – ANIMAR, with whom I in one of the classes I run on Education after rehearsing it I believe the message spent the last few years talking about and Community Intervention, in January, got through. And there, I had the chance IACD, and the Scottish practices of before the conference. At first, I received to share my knowledge on the process community development. Finally, we were several negative reactions – but then, the that I created to deliver a participatory

38 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 39 ages! Now they gather here once a week because we created that time and space. This is the only time they see each other, but they have those moments.” Many times, words said by local people are true local knowledge; and those are the times when experts and professional practitioners shall bow and learn.

The WCDC2019 was the perfect setting to connect my Portuguese fellows with the practitioners I know and the friends I made along this last five years since the conference in Glasgow. The city of Cissy Rock Dundee, with its historical heritage, the North Sea breeze, seagulls’ squawking, tasty fish and fine whiskey, was the video experience with groups. of Lochore Meadows, through hearing perfect venue to gather and to get to The COMVEX (Community Video the words of a former worker and know new people from around the Experience) process has been community activist. The country park world, who share the same passion for undertaken with young people and created after the community action to Reflections on World community development. The IACD higher education students and allows regenerate the place is amazing and it is events I attended are not common them to express themselves and to worth a future visit with my family. But I conferences. They are gatherings of reflect on the topics and issues that could not avoid emotions when learning people from around the world who share Community Development affect them, using video as a tool. about the hard work and life of miners. the values of human rights, with which The questions and comments following Specially, I became emotional when I they underpin their professional and the presentation encouraged me to listened my local colleagues sharing militant actions in the contexts of their deeply explore, in the coming future, the stories of their miner grandfathers the Dundee 2019 communities, of their research work or Conference potentialities of the use of technology evening before; and one of them told us of the organisations were they work. for community development. But even about an episode happened in Lochore To bring such a massive number of community developers together is a real feat. more, it ignited within me the need to Meadows which took the life of a family In Dundee, I was able to deepen my I came from Aotearoa New Zealand on the opposite end of the earth from Scotland to educate young people on the use of member. Indeed, the history of people understanding about the complexity technological devices. As strange as it and communities is alive as long as of communities, discovering different attend, full of anticipation and looking for opportunities. I was glad I went to the can seem, many young people do not somebody tells the stories. realities in a chat with African colleagues international reception the night before opening as a way to integrate on a small scale. know how to properly use technological or in a poetry walk around the city. I was devices such as smart phones. For able to extend debates with colleagues It took me a while to work out that there The HIIC Women’s Group lunchtime behind our traditional boundaries.” example, they record thousands of In Dundee, I was able to deepen I had met before or that I met at the were two streams each with offers that performance stays with me as a powerful I liked the promise of the vision images with their mobiles, not knowing my understanding about the time. I had a chance to introduce my totaled over 11 options. These included expression of community development. statement and would have appreciated in which folder they will be stocked. In complexity of communities, countrymates to other practitioners some “unconference sessions” and sessions It was a short play written and performed more purposeful attention being given my experiences with this process, I have discovering different realities and organisations in the IACD network, for unfinished conversations as a nod to the by those affected by the issue; the to connecting delegates throughout witnessed participants searching for the in a chat with African hoping for a future partnership. open space concept. process itself healing and the product the conference. Examples may be files of the footage they had just shot, Therefore, we committed ourselves hard hitting. But I was one of only 5 establishing “learning pods” where we colleagues or in a poetry walk The most amazing keynotes packed into among hundreds of video and photo to translate the IACD standards into people out of the 500 conference could join up as small groups to reflect around the city. plenary sessions left me wanting more. For files in their mobile phones. Meanwhile, Portuguese. I experienced a new model registrants who attended that session. and share experiences, structuring for sharing our experiences in a short example, in her keynote address, Margaret invitations to talk to a stranger over they are exposing private images, for The conference structure was typical of time frame, and I adapted to use in my Ledwith, whose book Community morning tea, or organising or instance, intimate pictures. most conferences – like a buffet with so professional context. I was able to know Development – A Critical Approach has encouraging people to sit and chat much on offer that there is the inevitable Learning from sharing was one of the more about the Activate programme been a big influence in my practice, spoke at long tables over lunch. The same visit took us to the small town degree of dissatisfaction because there are major features of the WCDC2019, (development education delivered by on reclaiming the radical agenda, of Blairhall and to the ancient town of always treats you miss out on having filled powered by several activities such as: the University of Glasgow along with introducing the idea that intersectionality is In conclusion, I applaud the notion of Dunfermline, once capital of Scotland up on the chocolate cake before you saw presentations, workshops, a poetry tour, local communities); and later, me and a neoliberal project. Immediately I wanted including impromptu sessions, creating and the place of rest of Robert the the lemon meringue pie. and cultural and convivial moments, in a a couple of colleagues had the to understand more about what she meant time and space for registrants to make Bruce. The historical site is worth the very well-organized conference with an opportunity to visit the programme – I wanted to engage with her and others The major criticism I have is that in connections that might build alliances, visit and the history class we had. In amazing atmosphere. Each day the on site and we are working to adapt it thinking critically about this. This was the the conference design, the naming, and having a forum to integrate what Blairhall, we witnessed the vibrant and opening panel was composed by a few to the Portuguese reality. I believe that stimulus for an “unconference session” scheduling and publicising of the has been presented in a keynote dedicated work done by community speakers who complemented the subject connecting people is the best way to I initiated. I followed the process for conference “unconference sessions” address. Rather than have these as development practitioners and local brought by the key-note speaker, in a learn, enlarge our horizons, improve our registering the session and told a few and lunchtime sessions relegated them “unconference sessions” or fitting them women volunteers at a regenerated very suitable time frame and with very practices and policies, and to build a people what I wanted to explore. A handful to be added extras, alternative choices into lunchtime conference breaks, community centre and tasted their enriching insights. I underline the lunch common ground for human of people came and without Margaret I positioned outside the “real” conference I regard them as mainstays for building delicious cakes. At a certain moment we time as a major opportunity to connect development and global peace. guess we were never going to be able to offering. As community developers communities. My hope is that for future asked them what they had learned from with delegates or conference speakers, The IACD and the World Community fully understand, but it was a good feeling we are guided by principles of conferences, such sessions are included this experience of revitalizing the while grabbing a piece of tasty finger Development Conferences bring to be with others that had the same inclusion, participation, contribution as essential elements of the conference community. Their answer, “That food and moving around. these possibilities closer. interest. It was one of the few times during and empowerment. Considering these design where their value and potential community brings people together”, the conference I felt truly connected and principles as key conference design can be realised. The extension programme to the sounded rather a cliché for us. But they Mário Montez is a Sociocultural had a sense of belonging. issues would have enhanced the region of Fife, under the theme of explained: “This is real. There are old Animator and Teacher at the Cissy Rock Led is a strategic facilitator conference experience for me. Environmental Regeneration – people living in the higher area of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, The “unconference sessions” and at Community Think, a small community Community Action, was an interesting town who didn’t see their friends who School of Education (Portugal). He lunchtime sessions were wonderful The conference vision said, “Come development agency. She can be chance to learn about the old coal mines live in the lower part of the town, for can be contacted at [email protected] alternatives providing real gems. together as activists and build alliances contacted at [email protected]

40 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 41 Teaching and Learning in Community Development: The Role of Praxis Catherine Forde

Exploring the dilemmas of community power dynamics at the ‘The complexity of community decision making - who has the power?’ workshop with Cissy Rock, Community Think.

effectively spend several million dollars Crucially, the session also which had been granted to her agency by We can sometimes forget a corporation. How different from the reminded me that teaching that community development Irish context where much of the is a unique approach that is community development community development funding comes practice can be very effectively from the state and where the funding is about creativity, ingenuity, Fun and learning at the “Loadsaweemenlaughin’: You Can’t Be Serious” storytelling workshop for women done through the use of action rarely enough! The conversation moved relationships between people and reflection in action. organically to other stories, including and, as Margaret Ledwith As a community development worker and lecturer in community development, those about family, cultural differences would say, love. I am constantly thinking about how to teach community development practice to my and children and young people. students. As a dynamic activity, community development is always evolving and workshop because I had limited One woman told us about her experience being shaped by different factors including societal change and government policy. experience of story-telling as a form of of taking a Scottish youth group to love. These are important characteristics practice, but I quickly realised the power London in 2017 and their proximity to to cling to in an increasingly challenging This presents a challenge for teaching and learning. of this approach. We started by London Bridge during the terrorist attacks. world, and especially important during introducing ourselves and where we were She talked about the darkly humorous this enforced period of physical Two sessions that I participated in at the by ‘doing’ is a powerful way of from, and then we moved quickly into experience of hearing one of the young separation during the Covid-19 WCDC conference gave me a renewed demonstrating the intricacies and As a dynamic activity, discussions about our community people, who had Aspergers, crying ‘bomb’ pandemic. They are also characteristics sense of what community development dilemmas of community development community development is development practice and the issues and at intervals on the train journey home. This that should be conveyed to students of is and how it should be taught in the practice and of getting practitioners challenges that confront it. What was made us laugh but also reflect on lots of community development, whether in classroom. The first session was always evolving and being to think about the issues that affect amazing was the ease with which these things, including the changing and often formal or informal learning situations. facilitated by Cissy Rock from the shaped by different factors communities and how they may stories emerged, the parallels between frightening world in which we live, the As we teach remotely, we need to find Community Think creative collective and including societal change and be addressed. practice in very different contexts and impact of violence on children and young imaginative ways to transmit these ideas explored through role-play the power government policy. some of the differences. One of the people, and the way in which humanity to students online, while encouraging dynamics of community decision- The second session I attended members of our group was a community can (sometimes) be found in unlikely and them to think about their communities making. Everyone in the group was reinforced the power of learning development practitioner from the United negative situations. The session was fun, and how they might contribute to asked to play roles of different by ‘doing’. I participated in the States, and her dilemma was how to informative and enlightening and led to maintaining community in the current reminded me that teaching community “Loadsaweemenlaughin’: You Can’t Be community members; I started the connections between women who may situation when it is most needed. At a development practice can be very Serious” storytelling workshop for session as a member of a local not have otherwise had the opportunity time when we are most challenged, effectively done through the use of women, facilitated by Clare MacGillivray, community council and then became What was amazing was the to meet or talk. community development practice can action and reflection in action. Rather Corinne McGinley and Jo Ross. The aim one of a group of villagers who were ease with which these stories help us to recover and hold on to our than just telling students about of the workshop was simply to get In a neo-liberal context in which reports, challenging a decision of the council. emerged, the parallels between humanity and find ways to work community development or talking women talking to each other and to tell documentation and evaluation Cissy’s expert facilitation led us to the practice in very different together for a better future. realisation that all members of a about it, there is often greater learning in each other stories of their own choosing. predominate, we can sometimes forget community have a measure of power encouraging them to model community The participants were from all over the contexts and some of the that community development is a unique Dr Catherine Forde is a lecturer in and that often power can be most development in practice, through world, including Asia, Latin America, the differences. approach that is about creativity, Community Development at the School effectively used through collective activities such as role-play, story-telling United States, Australia and Europe. I ingenuity, relationships between people of Applied Social Studies, University action. Crucially, the session also or Theatre of the Oppressed. Learning was a little nervous going into the and, as Margaret Ledwith would say, College Cork, Ireland. [email protected]

42 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 43 21%

76%

" The unconference space was really useful to enable 17informal conversations to carry on8 where time was tight. 43 56 I liked the unstructured nature 1-3 4-6 7-9of these10+ organic opportunities “Conference programme for learning." was outstanding. Innovative, creative and high impact. 21% I liked that there was space Activist 2 for activists, practitioners and academics in equal measure, Student 5 76% and at an equal level – there Other 10 was no priority given to " I represent a national academic content for example. Academic 20 Government perspective and The keynotes were brilliant – IACD Member 23 it was useful and interesting to well constructed and hear the discussions around conference flow was strong. Manager 23 the role of community Volunteers were excellent at Practitioner 64 development and its showing delegates around importance in society." and creating a welcome.” 17 43 56 8 Delegates1-3 described4-6 7-9 themselves10+ as… Delegates per Practice Exchange “The focus on the power of music 20 throughout, but Activist 2 particularly during the Student 5 15 last session on the Other 10 last day, was brilliant 10 and allowed time to Academic 20 relax and reflect on IACD Member 23 5 the whole learning Manager 23 0 experience.” Practitioner 64 PE 7 - HP PE 6 PE 4 PE 3 PE 1

“As a local I was so proud that we could "There was space welcome and look to connect in social after so many peers events, over lunchtimes and breaks and in from so many 20 countries and the unconference 15 planning committee sessions. The pace created a programme 10 of the conference was, although that would be hard to 5 beat anywhere.” packed – not too 0 hurried as to preclude PE 7 - HP PE 6 PE 4 PE 3 PE 1 connection time."

" I wondered if my position as a non academic or professional would make my voice not heard. However, I was welcomed by everybody I spoke to and it felt great to be included."

44 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 45

21%

76% " I feel it reaffirmed for me what’s important: building of How many new connections relationships in local did our delegates make? communities, mapping/ identifying issues & then opportunities for people to progress towards their or community goals however small they may be." 17 43 56 8 1-3 4-6 7-9 10+

Activist 2 Delegates were asked if they Student 5 would collaborate with someone Other 10 new they met at the conference, Academic 20 they responded: IACD Member 23 Manager 23 " One of the main insights Practitioner 64 I got was the importance of No storytelling and listening to others in community development practice. This came through very " The conference was an 21% strongly in some of the excellent opportunity to learn workshops and fringe events." 20 about innovative and exciting practice linked to social 15 justice issues. I met some amazing people and have built 10 76% good working relationships 5 for future practice." Yes

0 PE 7 - HP PE 6 PE 4 PE 3 PE 1

17 46 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 47 43 56 8 1-3 4-6 7-9 10+

Activist 2 Student 5 Other 10 Academic 20 IACD Member 23 Manager 23 Practitioner 64

20

15

10

5

0 PE 7 - HP PE 6 PE 4 PE 3 PE 1 the disruptive spontaneous nature of was a small, interesting and engaging when this will be able to happen again…) these morning sessions afforded group, with whom we more deeply – witnessing the drive and determination everyone the opportunity to let their explored how simply sharing the activity of all these wonderful people doing such My experience as the guard down a bit more than perhaps a of receptively listening to a familiar or amazing work to help bring us all more scheduled event would have done, new piece of music; of teaching together was incredibly inspiring. Thank as we tend to bring our expectations, someone a favourite song or learning a you, Clare and Vic for allowing music to spontaneous minstrel apprehensions, and pre-judgements new tune together; of asking someone a connect me with such a unique and along as baggage to more structured simple question related to music, can memorable experience. events. I am also hopeful that the engender engagement and connections delegates taking part in these – regardless of the cognitive or physical If you would like to know more about my for Dundee WCDC 2019 spontaneous morning music sessions state; the ethnic background; the cultural work with music and connection, please took away a greater appreciation and background; the financial background; contact me: https://drclairegarabedian. Dr Claire Garabedian curiosity regarding how music can be the educational background of those com/ called upon to foster connection within who are involved. all communities. Dr Claire Garabedian is a professional Some months after having fortuitously sonic space or ‘haven’ wherein all those present for one day of the conference) This was a wonderful three-plus days. So cellist, therapeutic musician, educator met Clare at a Burns Night Supper involved are sonically ‘transported’ away and then asked everyone to turn to a I also enjoyed presenting a workshop many interesting people from all over the and researcher focusing on using music (where I had spoken and played cello), from their individual cares/realities – neighbour (ideally someone they had specifically looking at using music for world (sitting in my Edinburgh flat to foster connection – especially with she contacted me to ask if I would open making room for the music to ‘refurbish’ not yet met) and chat for a few fostering connection and community. It during this awful pandemic, I ponder people who are living with dementia. the conference by playing cello this cleared space with a new moments about a music-related question alongside the venerable Dundee icon experience, in the moment; a shared (e.g. ‘what type of music did you used to traditional Scottish singer and composer, experience and connection – regardless dislike that you now enjoy?’ or, ‘What Sheena Wellington – this was no small of whatever real-life differences (e.g. sort of music to you listen to when you ask for me, being a United States physical/cognitive abilities; race; income) are sad – why?’ or, ‘What’s the first piece incomer and classically trained! Sheena may exist. It is important to note that of music you remember hearing?’). kindly sent me solo recordings of her these morning music sessions were These simple questions nearly always I believe that the disruptive singing three lovely and well-loved tunes wholly unscheduled and unplanned. In elicit animated chat – whether or not the spontaneous nature of these of hers and I proceeded to have a really retrospect, these sessions can be seen people who are interacting know each morning sessions afforded fun time working up cello as an overt act of (positive) disruption; other or not. This comes about because everyone the opportunity accompaniments… little did I know that I went in to the room with my cello, the music they have already collectively to let their guard down a bit there’d be some 500 people attending much as I do when approaching the shared has sonically created a ‘haven’ in more than perhaps a more this event AND we’d have NO time to room of a person with dementia or which their defences are diminished, scheduled event would have rehearse, much less properly meet each nearing the end of life – committed to allowing all involved to be more open to other before we opened the conference! being open to the person/s present and being their authentic selves – even with a done, as we tend to bring our Sadly, I have no clue how well this willing to respond to their expressed stranger who is also sharing this space/ expectations, apprehensions, actually sounded as regrettably it turns mood and nonverbal (as well as verbal) experience. and pre-judgements along out that no official recording has ever cues. Thus, no one present – including as baggage to more materialised (IF ANY reader out there me, actually knew what was going to I next urged those who were able, to rise structured events. happens to have recorded Sheena and I happen next! up and join-in singing along while I performing, PLEASE let Clare or Vic played a well-known Scottish tune, (e.g. know as I would be very grateful to get In truth, I cannot even remember exactly ‘My Bonnie’ or ‘Loch Lomond’). I to hear how we actually sounded what occurred during these morning suggested that those who were familiar together!)… sessions: I likely began by playing with the tune help their neighbours who something lively (or gentle?) in order to were not. When we sang ‘My Bonnie’, I What I do know, is that on the back of signal to the delegates that the encouraged the Scots in the audience to this wee bit of playing, many delegates conference day was indeed beginning. If demonstrate the movements they all will spoke to Clare and Vic, requesting that I played something lively, this was my have learned as young children (people music start the following two days of the responding and matching (or are always astonished to discover that conference. Sheena was unable to return, ‘entraining’) with the lively anticipatory although they likely have not sang a but as I was attending the rest of the excitement in the room. If I chose to once loved/familiar song for many years conference anyway, I was happy to give begin with a gentler tune, this would – and certainly not with its associated it a go. What transpired over the next likely have been for one of two reasons: motions, it all returns. This phenomenon two mornings was that, while as a means of creating a different sort of is known as ‘embodied memory/ unavoidably inevitable technological disruption – as this would likely have felt knowledge’; a critical aspect of our issues were being sorted, I enjoyed at odds with the excitement in the room, human-ness that is particularly spontaneously facilitating connection or I may have been responding to a important to be aware of when working and engagement with the full house of sense of people still waking up from their with people who are cognitively delegates. I played some tunes on the previous action-packed day(s)/night(s) impaired/have dementia). This was an cello; I encouraged everyone to get up – matching this drowsy feeling, followed especially wonderful moment – as the and sing familiar songs (and to help their by my gradually picking-up the pace of Scottish delegates proudly neighbour if the song was not part of the music to move us all into a more demonstrated to their colleagues from their culture); and I spoke a bit about my energetic space (this is another example all parts of the globe this well-known/ passion and my work – using music to of using a powerful tool known as loved childhood song with its sonically create a ‘haven’ connection and ‘entrainment’). Having (hopefully) accompanying physical motions! By now community are fostered. What I mean by captured everyone’s attention, I bade most everyone was energised and this, is that sharing the simple act of everyone a good morning, introduced smiling – and the technology was ready receptively listening to music creates a myself (some delegates were only to go, so my job was done. I believe that

48 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 49 that questions austerity as a political choice is difficult in the context of that austerity’s attack on A Year On: Thoughts and the redistributive capacity of the local state. This complex relationship to power was acknowledged in the Reflections from Dundee’s conference vision and addressing this unfinished business in practice can be difficult unless we learn to be the reflective practitioners mentioned by Practitioners Mark above. The conference played a big part in encouraging us to embark Stuart Fairweather on, or to reconnect with, that learning journey. If there was one limitation with the WCDC events it was that, This time last year a number of Dundee’s community workers were giving thought to despite the ingenuity of the organisers in finding ways to maximise their planned contributions to an international event that the city was about to host. accessibility, more Dundonian Practice visit community workers and that more A year on things feel a bit different. Given conference fees – even for local the conference as tangential. However, Dundonians could not attend. the global pandemic, asking people to practitioners and organisations – the she felt that the panels she attended reflect on an event, even one as ambitious organising committee set about “were excellent, and it was brilliant to see This opportunity for exchange proved to be a powerful aspect So what now? The conference and multi-facetted as the World identifying ways to maximise accessibility activist groups like the Brazilian Landless delegate documentation stated that, to the conference for local the climate emergency front and centre Community Development Conference and, while far from facilitating access to all, Movement represented.” Erin added that “The city of Dundee has a rich history of professional practice in CLD (WCDC), caused me a degree of over 40 local practitioners and community “I think representation of community Dundonians, widening the of social change, community activism (Community Learning and Development) trepidation when researching for this volunteers were able to attend some or all activist groups and connecting visiting impact of the conference and and community arts and it is through and discussions outwith the formal article. However, in spite of the personal of the conference. For these participants speakers with local groups with similar celebrating the achievements of the enabling learning to extend sessions reinforced this impression.” and professional stresses associated with there was the dynamic of simultaneously aims” was very positive. Importantly Erin beyond the formal spaces of city’s past that we will build spaces for Covid-19, a number of those contacted being hosts and taking part in the event. also felt that the conference took this conference lecture halls. In terms of the lasting impact this engaged, practice-led dialogue that still had things to say. These participants Highlighting what is good about Dundee seriously and that things like knowledge conference discussion had on the poses questions about the identity, added their thoughts to a broader whilst acknowledging the challenges it exchange could be developed even City, Kate lamented that “Dundee purpose and practices of community consideration of this significant event, and its communities face was an further in future. City Council made their own declaration development.” one that tried to take into account interesting balancing act. Some aspects of Community Empowerment Act. The of climate and ecological emergency Dundee’s relationship to the conference this dynamic can be detected in what is Erin was not the only one inspired by Often during the conference five-day post-conference Practice while the conference was happening themes of People, Place and Power. shared below. Kelli Mafort from the Brazilian Landless Dundonian delegates were humbled Exchange further reinforced this, with and this felt like it would result in a shift Workers Movement. Mark McDonald, a by the contributions being made by discussion about the possibilities and in practice with service reviews across Accommodating eight days of learning Sheena Wellington is a renowned singer Dundee based community worker with a others, particularly in parts of the world limitations of local community planning the council to reduce emissions and and culture for 500 delegates from and scholar of the Scottish folk tradition, youth work background, found that where the context was overcoming and visits to local community growing adopt more climate-friendly practices. around the world is no minor although she is too modest to go out of Kelli’s contribution acted as a resource. crisis or disaster. What is happening sites. These visits were important in The relief that this had happened while undertaking. Bringing people together her way to point this out. Sheena More broadly, Mark added that: “As now builds a live connection, however allowing space for Dundonians to tell surrounded by the positive attitudes from countries and communities around explained that ‘’my involvement in the someone who had begun a new role small, to that humbling experience. By their own stories of community to an of worldwide CLD practitioners was the globe does however offer major World Community Development working in a different field of Community connecting with Dundee’s history and international audience. This opportunity emotional.” opportunities. Ensuring that these Conference was brief but enjoyable. I Learning & Development, I found the contemporary experience of activism for exchange proved to be a powerful learning opportunities were taken was also very proud to see my home city conference to be an invaluable learning and social change we can contribute to aspect to the conference for local advantage of, and indeed built upon, was hosting this important international experience for me. It was extremely the educational and social purpose of Dundonians, widening the impact of the important for Dundee, its community event. The pleasure of meeting and refreshing for me to be able to speak to community development: Community conference and enabling learning to “I was deeply impressed by the workers, its communities, and its citizens. performing with the distinguished cello and hear from lots of practitioners from development that questions why the extend beyond the formal spaces of frequency with which the The conference organisers set out to player Dr Claire Garabedian was an across the world speak about the world is so ill divided. support this process. added bonus. Team Dundee proved its challenges and successes of Community conference lecture halls. Climate Emergency was mettle then and is proving it again now!” work in their own communities. The discussed, addressed and Stuart Fairweather is a Dundee Doing this would require going beyond Another theme running throughout the conference enabled me to become a solutions presented. It was based community education worker the ‘fanfares and bagpipes’ that the Sheena’s reference to ‘proving it again event that chimed with People, Place and more reflective practitioner.” clear that global heating and who works for Dundee City Council formality of hosting perhaps dictates. now’ speaks to the response from Power was that of environmental justice. CO2 emissions are a central as a Communities Officer in the The aspiration was to create a community groups and others in Liz Allardice, an Adult Learning Worker Kate Treharne, a local community Maryfield Ward. stuart.fairweather@ conference that went beyond traditional addressing food poverty and isolation, and conference delegate, explained that development practitioner, said that, “I was issue for community dundeecity.gov.uk formats to develop a community of exacerbated by the pandemic. WCDC she particularly found Scottish Traveller deeply impressed by the frequency with development the world over learning. This was assisted by the 2019 gave Sheena the opportunity to Activist Davie Donaldson’s presentation which the Climate Emergency was and this was reassuring to me.” Contributors: addition of film, practice visits, walking collaborate musically but the event more really inspiring. Liz highlighted the discussed, addressed and solutions tours and dance as well as more broadly located participants in a impact of Davie’s keynote in which he presented. It was clear that global heating Sheena Wellington – Folk Singer traditional formal presentations. A wide community of activism. One that can celebrated his heritage and highlighted and CO2 emissions are a central issue for Erin Farley – Library and Information range of techniques were employed to ‘organically’ mobilise when required. The the injustices his community continue to community development the world over Officer, Leisure and Culture Dundee and this was reassuring to me.” Kate However, Kate reported a year on: support discussion and dialogue. Music, reference to Team Dundee suggests experience. Mark MacDonald – Communities Officer added that “In Dundee it can sometimes “sadly, it did not result in any song – and indeed bagpiping – were something about pride in people and – Strathmartine, Dundee City Council used not just as added extras but as place – two of the conference themes. The consideration of land and of its feel like you are the only one who meaningful action and DCC continue Liz Allardice – Senior Community integral parts of the event. ownership or other forms of relationship remembers or cares that the planet is with business as usual despite the Erin Farley contributed through her to land and ownership has a distinct hurtling towards ecological disaster, with unanimous declaration.” This feeling of Learning and Development Worker, Attempts were also made to involve poetry performance and supporting Scottish dimension. In addition to the impacts disproportionately and unfairly there being unfinished business was Dundee City Council community representatives, activists and historical walking tours and, again contribution alluded to above, delegates affecting disadvantaged people who have not unique to this delegate’s Kate Treharne – Community Allotments workers. Aware of the barriers of high modestly, described her involvement in heard about the Scottish Government’s virtually zero emissions. Talk after talk put experience. Progressing a curriculum Officer, Dundee City Council

50 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 51 images maggie hanley

We need to be open to hearing Realising the Dream: how we perpetuate structural processes that are not consistent with the anti-racist, identifying unexamined anti-colonialist, equality-driven values in community privilege as a path to equality development.

up concrete spaces for thoughtful dialogue, IACD can begin to welcome in the field of community the challenging conversations that emerge out of honest sharing of experience – and do so in a structured, development deliberate manner aimed at behavioural change. This is a different process than Meredith Greta, Victoria Jupp Kina internalised activities of self-care, moving beyond these individualised & Holly Scheib processes towards the idea of collective care. It is embracing the healing process of sharing to enable us to speak out In the March 2020 Women in individually difficult to encapsulate yet ourselves, participate in other people’s about areas where we, as individuals, Community Development Special Issue we all, implicitly, understand. What our negative experiences. We need to be as an organisation and as a field can of Practice Insights, the three of us conversations have revealed to us is the open to hearing how we perpetuate improve. co-authored a piece disclosing our necessity to actively create spaces and structural processes that are not experiences and observations of moments where we seek to reveal the consistent with the anti-racist, anti- We see the complexity of this task. challenges to women in our Community interpersonal expressions that structure colonialist, equality-driven values in Every conversation we have about the Development practice. We articulated our field. If we are truly working towards community development. We need to ways power structures and hierarchical our frustrations at the irony of working in social justice, we need to understand the find ways to ensure that conscious behaviour influence our work will change a field dedicated to identifying and multitude of ways that we are subject to spaces are built into our ways of working depending on who is in the room, how challenging hierarchical power structures and perpetuate these dynamics in our in order for us to identify where we are safe those inside that room feel, and the while seeing our own careers and those daily interactions. going astray, why it is not consistent ability of each of us to be honest. Our of our female colleagues being moulded with our goals, and how we need to own professional relationships with by these same dynamics. After change to improve. Current spaces are people that we care about and respect publication, we had conversations with Being a professional in not facilitating this examination. It is are not exempt from the privilege other women who strongly associated community development through inviting uncomfortable behaviours that we are trying to change. with the sentiment in the article. Women dialogues that we can hope to identify We recognise that the burden and risks demands us to constantly and recognised their own experiences in our the ways that we perpetuate the systems of these conversations is not shared words. And they did so powerfully, consciously look for our own we claim to be trying to dismantle. equally. We therefore need to accept The Fish coveys a well-oiled machine, working together, making room for all in a immediately, and profoundly. unexamined privileges. that change requires us to turn towards common environment To that end, we have asked ourselves to and be open to perceptions of our What we have identified in our imagine leadership based on the values behaviour that we may find painful. A niceeliminating color the need pairing to describe - theThe Fish• R ealising coveys that we may a need well-oiled to develop machine, working together, making room for all in a discussions stemming from both the of community development. And, as experience of what it feels like, multiple terms to further define and Dundee conference and the March leaders ourselves, we have talked about The pathway for moving from our commonpurposefully environment. or non-purposefully, to be Portrait understand speaks white fragility, of white optimism and vision, taking a stand, a firm stand, and commitment. article is the way in which cultural, racial, Our everyday actions are inherently our responsibilities in achieving these current space of inequalities and patronised). privilege, cisgender behaviour, sexist social, and political inequalities are shaped by privilege. Acting in changes. We realise that learning new privilege in our field to a space that is behaviour, heteronormative behaviour, reinforced through authoritative community development values means ways to interact is deeply challenging. more equitable and aware is not clear. neuronormative behaviour, colonialist practices in our field. The perpetuation that we must identify our privileged Yet it is only through the process of No single answer emerged through our behaviours, and anyone trying to assert of inequalities in power is clearly not behaviours and seek to change them. identifying, clarifying, and naming our conversations, but what did come We need to be comfortable with power over another via “otherising.” consistent with the values of community Being a professional in community practices of hierarchical behaviour that through is the need for clarity about the the idea that we have things we Situations we encounter will benefit development. We define power development demands us to constantly we can train ourselves to behave issues we continue to face in our need to change to be better. from having actions and feelings called inequalities as interpersonal expressions and consciously look for our own consistently in the community practice and the depth of questions that out and named. Community of hierarchies and structures that are unexamined privileges. If we want to development values we seek to emulate. these experiences raise. We continue to development leaders have a created by cultural, racial, social, and reach the dreams that we laid out in that dream of new structures that welcome responsibility to ensure that our political inequalities. These expressions March article, we have to consciously We believe that IACD can lead the way open dialogue. Some ideas that we have language constantly evolves to address are embodied, continual and dynamic. In create spaces where it is possible to in understanding how inequalities in discussed to realising this dream include: • Identifying a term for when people these ever-changing power dynamics. processing our experiences with examine privilege. We need spaces for community development operate do not understand, and seem to responses from the article, we kept dialogues where individual experiences through our power hierarchies. We • Sharing experiences in order to deliberately or intentionally not • Intentionally creating spaces for groups returning to the idea of how critical it is can be shared, processed and identified. believe that our IACD spaces should be process, organise, and define the understand something important, to discuss microaggressions and to find ways to identify and deconstruct In these dialogues, we must invite safe for the equal and overt examination behaviour, which in turn can neutralise for the interest of promoting or experiences that are safe, protected, our experiences of our field. It became constructive examination of our privilege of our privileges. They should provide the situation through focusing on supporting their own privilege and/or and built for the purposes of sharing clear to us that the power dynamics that and consciously seek to grow personally space for conscious reflection of how naming the behaviour rather than the dominance, and where it becomes and validating. This includes ensuring limit or control or belittle us are not and professionally. Crucially, this process inequalities manifest through the feeling generated as a result of the your responsibility to explain this to that these spaces are embedded in presented in grand gestures but in tiny of examination can only occur when we microaggressions embedded in behaviour (e.g.: we now use the word the oppressive or privileged voice in events, such as academic conferences, moments – moments that are are ready to hear about how we, everyday interactions. Through opening ‘mansplaining’ to describe a behaviour, the room. to enable people to address – through

52 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 53 images maggie hanley

Maggie Hanley-Welles is a painter and community arts grant specialist for the US State of New Mexico. See more of her passionate oil paintings on Instagram: @maggie6846

Portrait speaks of optimism and vision, taking a stand, a firm stand, and commitment

the political act of sharing – embrace the challenge of breaking microaggressions in real-time. out of this mould. The work of self- The work of self-examination, examination, shared experiences, and • R ealising and accepting without shared experiences, and behaviour change is difficult, yet will defensiveness that we will get it wrong. provide us with the awareness and tools behaviour change is difficult, We need to be comfortable with the we need to push ourselves and our yet will provide us with the idea that we have things we need to field into the professionals and the awareness and tools we change to be better. The dominance organisation we know we can be. need to push ourselves and of the current models of hierarchical Our intention is that this article provides leadership means we revert back to our field into the professionals a starting point from which we can the power dynamics we know. By and the organisation we actively seek a new model for becoming aware of the practices that know we can be. community development leadership. perpetuate these dynamics we can We believe that this work can push us A nice color pairing - The Fish coveys a well-oiled machine, workingfind new models together, for community making room for all in a to align our values with our practice and development leadership. bring us closer to realising the dream of common environment. Portrait speaks of optimism and vision,• S triving taking to articulate a and stand, reflect the aequality firm in communitystand, development. and commitment.She is fluent in Portuguese and values of community development by Director of Social Research, conceptualising a new model for Meredith Greta has been administrator ReImagined. She can be contacted at leadership and collaboration. for IACD since December 2018 and was [email protected] the Operations Manager for We believe that IACD is an organisation WCDC2019. She has a background in Holly Scheib, PhD MPH MSW, has more that reflects the values of community accounting and finance and also works than two decades of experience in development in a meaningful, realised as a yoga teacher and volunteer public health, social work, human manner. We believe that as a bookkeeper. She can be contacted at rights, development, disaster, membership, we can build on this [email protected] and advocacy. Specialising in foundation to create a community transformative practices that adapt development model for leadership that Victoria Jupp Kina, PhD FHEA MRes MA scientific methodologies to fit the embodies equality and respect amongst DipSW, has worked with marginalised needs of communities, her work has its global, multinational membership and communities as a practitioner and reached more than 40 organisations executives. We recognise that researcher for over 20 years. She is an across 5 continents. Dr. Scheib is community development operates in a independent interdisciplinary President of Sage Consulting, world that does not always follow its researcher and critical educator with Incorporated, and can be contacted values of equality and respect, and we specialist knowledge of social justice. at [email protected]

54 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 55 churches are no longer able to meet Corporation to provide residents contributes to these developments the needs of elderly or other needy in nine struggling communities with through providing several examples in populations with few other resources in high quality food at affordable prices rural England and the U.S. on how to Community Supported remote rural places. Thus, Plunkett uses plus offers quality jobs at competitive build social capital and make small rural a similar approach in supporting local wages with benefits. HPH shares profits communities more attractive to current groups to help churches add part-time from a monthly community supper and prospective residents. Enterprises as a Local compatible commercial activities such co-sponsored with local non-profit as food pantries, low-cost clothing organizations that promote the event. Further Research Opportunity outlets, working spaces, and other HPH also supports the local economy Variations of the community owned options to their activities. Revenues by purchasing inputs from local financing model described above are Development Option generated help finance other church sources when possible which builds used around the world to address unique Norman Walzer sponsored activities plus build social further support. local needs. While specific financing capital that strengthens the long-term methods vary, they all involve a prosperity of the rural places. Lessons Learned community supported business venture After reviews of more than 40 with a common social purpose. Based on Demographic changes including aging of the Post WWII Baby Boom population and Somewhat different approaches have community supported enterprises in the IACD conferences in Scotland and migration from rural areas to larger centers challenge local decisionmakers around been tried elsewhere. Traditional the U.S. and limited contacts in Western Ireland, the author is compiling businesses, such as grocery stores or Europe, the author identified several information and analyses of successful the world to find ways to keep rural areas vibrant places to live and work. These issues restaurants, in small towns have key elements in ventures that are practices in other countries. This data are prominent in the People, Places, and Power theme of the 2019 International succeeded in the U.S. A survey of more economically sustainable and continue will be included in an edited research Association of Community Development conference held in Dundee, Scotland. than 40 such efforts in the U.S. by to generate active public participation. volume that will help local practitioners Norman Walzer and Jessica Sandoval These findings are useful in considering learn about and adopt promising Residents must become more directly engaged in local decisions about places and documented key elements in these similar ventures around the globe: practices. Potential authors of chapters must take action that shapes the future viability of where they live. successes (Walzer and Sandoval, 2016). analysing these practices should contact Vermont has led these efforts with a • A clearly recognized and agreed-upon Norman Walzer at [email protected] at This article, based on the WCDC 2019 operate business ventures as part of declines and loss of business activities in state-local government initiative, the need for the enterprise in the their earliest convenience. conference presentation, reports on their social missions with donations general had left the pubs as one of last Vermont Preservation Trust that community; research regarding increased use of raised by the parent organization. social gathering places in some towns. organizes and guides local groups • A local person or group with credibility Norman Walzer, Ph.D. is a Senior community-supported or owned (Plunkett Foundation 2019b). interested in reopening essential who believes in and champions the Research Scholar at the Center for enterprises in England and the United Community-owned or supported businesses that have closed, some cause; Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois States. Residents in both countries invest enterprises described in this article are The Plunkett Foundation organizes local because of retiring business owners. • Progress on the project is University. He can be contacted at money and time to retain long-serving economically sustainable and provide groups, provides educational materials, communicated regularly with the [email protected] opportunities for residents to invest both and helps convert pubs into social Two success stories from Vermont are public, especially in the early stages to local businesses about to close. Many References such businesses face closure because of money and time to make them succeed. centers with a wide range of services. discussed next to illustrate different build an awareness and successes; Residents are engaged in financing and These efforts have expanded to issues and how they were initiated. In the • Goods and services provided must Plunkett Foundation. 2017. Social Enterprise and Places of retiring owners without local heirs or Worship in England. Available at: https://plunkett.co.uk/ others interested in managing them. managing the operations. Building social community shops that serve elderly case of Shrewsbury Cooperative, Pierce’s meet market needs and be wp-content/uploads/places_of_worship_and_social_ enterprise_final_report.pdf These businesses provide access to capital is a critical part of the effort. and other groups in places where these Grove Store (http://www.piercesstore. economically viable for local market goods and services essential to social Investors often do not expect a financial services would not otherwise exist. The com), a family had operated a general conditions; and Plunkett Foundation. 2019a. Community Pubs and Shops return but want to enhance quality of shops are managed by local groups and store in a rural town with 1,056 residents. Booming Against Backdrop of Closures. Available at: capital and the viability of communities, • The enterprise must follow a https://plunkett.co.uk/community-pubs-and-shops- such as groceries or restaurants. This life in the community by supporting provide opportunities for both elderly When the last family member could no sustainable business model without booming-against-backdrop-of-closures/ longer manage the store, it closed. The article describes several examples of local community interests with access to residents and youth to engage in additional investments from the public Plunkett Foundation. 2019b. Community Shops: A better efforts so readers can see how rural essential services. community activities as described family left a bequest for another group on a regular basis. form of business. Available at: https://plunkett.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/PF_BB_SHOPS19_web-version-1.pdf residents are directly engaged in in annual reports by the Plunkett to continue this type of activity. The Rural communities around the world will Walzer, Norman. 2019. Guidebook and Resources for revitalizing their communities. Examples Foundation (Plunkett Foundation, 2019b). Preservation Trust, a state agency in Vermont, organized a request for continue to decline in population in the Starting Community Supported Enterprises. https://www. in England and the United States are Investors often do not expect a cgs.niu.edu/Reports/cse-guidebook-final-2-8-19.pdf Based on surveys of those engaged in proposals (RFP) and a local group foreseeable future due to changing presented to illustrate approaches used Walzer, Norman & Sandoval, Jessica. 2016. Emergence and financial return but want to these efforts, representatives of demographics. Innovative ways to and results obtained, but similar activities organized to reopen the general store as Growth of Community Supported Enterprises. Available enhance quality of life in the community shops are optimistic about finance essential services are being at: https://www.cgs.niu.edu/Reports/Emergence-and- are available in many other places. a cooperative. community by supporting future operations with 66 percent explored by local leaders. This article Growth-of-Community-Supported-Enterprises.pdf Local development agencies in large community interests with reporting confidence in their prospects The organizing group raised nearly cities often provide tax relief, low interest access to essential services. for 2019. Indeed, 16 new shops and 11 $125,000 from interested residents and loans, land donations, and other forms of community pubs opened in 2018 with a now has a part-time manager with a subsidies to large businesses. However, 100 percent survival rate demonstrating small staff. Volunteers do much of the small businesses about to close due to the success (Plunkett Foundation, 2019b work and members of the Coop receive retirements may not have access to p.2). Community shops are most a discount on purchases but no these incentives. Thus, faced with loss of Creative Uses of Community common in Southwest, Southern, and dividends from revenues. Recent an essential business, residents in small Central England and Wales. Interest was customer evaluations gave high marks communities pool their funds to Supported Enterprises shown by 17 places in Scotland based and the specialty grocery store purchase and manage them. These Strategic approaches used to start on inquiries in 2018 to the Plunkett continues to succeed. It sells both basic actions involve several approaches and community supported enterprises differ Foundation (Plunkett Foundation, grocery items and crafts – artisan works legal structures, such as cooperatives or depending on local conditions and desired 2019b, p.6). from local producers which builds strong nonprofits. They all involve investments outcomes. For instance, long-term local bonds and social capital. by residents in a business venture with a concerns about rural isolation and The Plunkett Foundation also works with social purpose, such as improving quality loneliness led the Plunkett Foundation to rural churches facing dwindling Another approach was used by the of life. They are commonly termed help organize local groups in areas of rural attendance, making it difficult to Hinesburgh Public House (HPH), also in Community Supported or Community England to save community pubs that maintain old buildings that are important rural Vermont (http:// Owned Enterprises but should not be were closing due to shrinking markets landmarks in the community (Plunkett hinesburghpublichouse.com). It was confused with philanthropic groups that (Plunkett Foundation 2019a). Population Foundation, 2017). Financially, these organized as a Social Benefit

56 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 57 The Cultural Journey of a City Stewart Murdoch

As part of the WCDC2019 ‘unconference’ programme on Tuesday afternoon, a walking tour of the cultural agencies in the centre of Dundee was organised by Stewart Murdoch, IACD Global Ambassador and Dundee City Council’s Director for Leisure and Culture. Here, Stewart reflects on the role the city of Dundee played in bringing the cultural aspects of Scottish community development to life at an international conference. The city The walking journey The plan was that each group would incredibly diverse range of films, the newly formed ‘green square’ opposite this wealth was created are all walk in different directions around the Dundee Print Studio, a young person’s the V&A which provides a vista from the highlighted. Dundee has a number of claims to fame, On an unusually sunny Tuesday circuit to avoid arriving at the same studio, the Visual Research Centre (run city centre to the river. To reinforce links but perhaps the one we should shout afternoon, delegates gathered at the venue at the same time. Well, that was by the University of Dundee) and a shop. with the city’s past, bronze plaques This was a fitting location to end our loudest about is that it is one of very Dalhousie Conference Centre for what the theory! In the wonderful chaos that It has become the centre of the city’s commemorating those who achieved tour – the history of Dundee’s jute mills few cities to have sustained a was expected to be a one-and-a-half- is reality, groups bumped into each cultural renaissance and has hosted a medical, botanical, scientific, mechanical, highlights how our city got its first taste commitment to ‘culture led hour walk. If you are familiar with other, people defected from one group portfolio of international exhibitions. astronomical and social change are of globalisation early. Over a period of regeneration’ while at the same time Gilligan’s Island, you might see where to another, overstayed their allotted time embedded around the gardens. These fifty years, Dundee’s mills closed one actively investing in and developing its this is heading. and got lost. Location 4: Dundee Heritage have been privately sponsored and are after another and the machinery was approach to ‘community led Trust (DHT) another artist-led regeneration project. shipped to India and Bangladesh. The regeneration’. Highlights from selected The tour then moved onwards to explore local workforce, comprising half of all The scope of this play was Location 8: The Caird Hall and jobs in the city, were progressively made This dual approach to Dundee’s journey locations the heart of the Waterfront regeneration enormous – not only was there City Square redundant and for many families the development is far from an untrodden Location 1: Dundee REP and Scottish project, in which lies the Discovery legacy of these closures remains three avenue for this city. In fact, Dundee’s a cast of hundreds, the play Dance Theatre visitor centre. Built in 1901, the RRS Moving towards the city centre, we took Discovery was the first ship to be full advantage of Dundee being one of or four generations later. deliberate two-pronged approach goes actually required the audience Our first stop was possibly the longest designed specifically to conduct the first cities in Scotland to back well over thirty years. This to be bussed around the city to established cultural agency on the tour, scientific research. After harnessing the pedestrianise its city centre and to invest thoughtful approach to celebrating a range of site-specific venues. with strong community roots in the city expertise of the Dundee whaling industry in a significant programme of public art. There was a shared sense culture has helped to re-image a and community outreach in its DNA. It to design a ship able to withstand the The legacy of this is evidenced across of social purpose and post-industrial city in the eyes of its achieved international recognition for conditions of the Antarctic, Captain the city, but it is truly most visible in the citizens and visitors. Although the city’s the community play ‘Witches Blood’, collaborative support for Scott sailed the RRS Discovery for her city centre – bronze statues of some of method benefits from strong cross- first produced in 1987 and then repeated Dundee’s approach which it three-year exploration of the Antarctic. the many comic characters to come out party support, the challenge for this city Each group was led by both a in 1989. The scope of this play was would be very hard to replicate. The DHT fits well with a city whose of the DC Thomson publishing business as it moves into the future is how it will representative of the cultural sector and enormous – not only was there a cast economy today is based on higher decorate the square to truly celebrate continue to sustain both aspects of this a community representative. The groups of hundreds, the play actually required education, bio-medical research, our city’s colourful history. approach in the face of current were to visit the same organisations – the audience to be bussed around the computer games and design. Indeed, it economic circumstances. each of which had agreed to a brief visit. city to a range of site-specific venues. shows a quite different side to Dundee Location 9: McManus Art Galleries Audiences heard the tragic story of the from the heavy engineering and textile and Museum Summary last witch to be hanged in the city and manufacture of the past. The location of the International the combining the play with audience Dundee’s citizens have a great pride Reception, and voted Dundee’s most interaction with different locations in in its history and its renaissance. Location 5: V&A Dundee popular building, the city’s art gallery and the city enabled them to understand Delegates could not help but be Our next stop was the newest and by museum has just celebrated its 150th better their city’s history. impressed by the passion of those they far the grandest of the city’s cultural anniversary. A stunning building housing met in the different cultural agencies. Location 2: Dundee Contemporary attractions: the V&A Museum of Design. eight galleries, including royal collections, There was a shared sense of social Arts (DCA) Opened in 2018, the striking building was we were able to gain a deeper insight into purpose and collaborative support for designed by Japanese architect Kengo Dundee and her people. Next on the tour was a visit to the DCA. Dundee’s approach which it would be Kuma. It projects out into the river Tay Opened in 1999 it had been conceived very hard to replicate. Dundee’s and was inspired by the cliffs and sea Location 10: Verdant Works and developed at the time of an earlier approach evolved over many decades – arches of the north east of Scotland. For Completing the circuit of cultural economic crisis in local government but it could be wiped out if the civic many visitors the building also reflects agencies, the Verdant Works is owned finance and in the face of not commitment to nurturing the sector the ice cliffs against which RRS and operated by the Dundee Heritage inconsiderable political opposition. How and recognising its contribution is Discovery was berthed in Antarctica. The Trust. It is based in one of the last could a city facing a housing crisis justify not given the priority it deserves. opening of an internationally acclaimed surviving jute mills in the city. It tells the investment in what was the largest new national museum on the shores of the story of how Dundee became a veritable Stewart Murdoch is the IACD Global contemporary art gallery in Scotland? Tay is symbolic of our changing city. Jutopolis with a global market. The Ambassador and was Dundee City Twenty years later the DCA’s impact on unique circumstances which created this Council’s Director for Leisure and the city is immeasurable. In addition to Location 7: Slessor Gardens monopoly, the wealth it generated, and Culture. He began his much-deserved the art galleries, foyer and social We were then able to walk through the the exploitative conditions under which retirement at the start of 2020. facilities, it has two cinemas showing an

58 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 59 Last year together with my colleagues I attended the World Community Development Conference (WCDC), on behalf of Malta’s Foundation for Social Welfare Services. Throughout the conference we got to mingle and network with people involved in all aspects of community development from research to project planning and implementation, and from participants to initiative managers. After the conference, we also participated in three practice exchanges held in collaboration with a organisations based around Dundee and in the highland area of Perthshire. Understanding how diverse and creative community development work can be, is what stuck with me most. Getting the opportunity to immerse myself in the community development projects we observed and living the Scottish highland culture, was for me the highlight of this enriching experience. Elaine Attard

60 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 61 Playground was a value-led exploration: Conference in Detroit, USA. Watching people who live there think. We there were no choices to make. Through the way that people engaged the tools experience survey after survey asking three different design tools – dirty in different contexts helped designers question after question, looking to get mono-printmaking with wooden blocks, Ryan Mcleod and Lyall Bruce gain insight the answers to what people want to clean colourful building blocks, and a into exactly why this tool works so well. happen locally. More green space? Less digital version hosted on the Design dog fouling? Better street lighting? Festival website – the Poster Playground Building Back Better: adapting These surveys are often binary in their simply asked one thing of the design processes to respond approach – choice focused rather than participants: to ‘Say Something About to Covid-19 value led. Your City’. Through using a series of The Poster Playground has In early 2020 we were in the throes of tools to play with and use, the public demonstrated its power to engage with planning the 2021 festival and had were able to explore their thinking and the public in creative ways. But I’m not been thinking through taking Poster visualise their statements. Through the writing this article to tell you about Playground on design tools, the road to people were able engage people in to personalise the themes for and add further the 2021 design meaning to their festival. Then, statements. Covid-19 hit and The joy of Poster we found Playground was ourselves within this visualisation a global of people’s pandemic unlike statements. anything Participants were we’ve ever encouraged to experienced. leave the A4-sized posters What will our with us, and at city look like on the end of each the other side of Visualising People and day these lockdown, in an posters were environment pasted up on where physical hoardings at distancing Place: embedding design- Slessor Gardens, restricts our the newly most basic desire developed open – to come thinking in Dundee’s space next to the together? There V&A Museum. was the quick The posters realisation that created an places needed to development evolving wall think through of comments, creating and Annie Marrs thoughts and implementing feelings about recovery plans. Dundee. What is also clear is that Dundee is a UNESCO City of Design, a designation awarded in 2014 that acknowledges This proved to those recovery be a powerful the role that design industries like textiles, electronics, print and others have played in plans will be led by council officers. tool. It strengthened people’s messages, We need to ensure that the voice of the development of the city and highlights the city’s commitment to using design to extending the mechanisms by which a Places, or rather the people Dundee’s citizens is at the heart of our improve the city and the lives of the people who live here. wider range of views can influence the who run places, are desperate city’s recovery plan. And, due to our perceptions and understanding of key to know what the people who work preparing for the 2021 festival, we Our UNESCO status demonstrates that only deepened our commitment to deep emotional connections for many decision makers. People were able to see live there think. had a digital platform (almost) ready Dundee is on a journey, and that it is championing the role creativity and local people. that their experiences are shared and to take on this role. committed to using creativity as part of design play in the development of The producers of the 2019 festival, valued across the city. They are able to that journey. This creativity was reflected people and place. But what does using Dundee-based design business Agency see that the way they feel, or the values We knew that we needed to develop an throughout the programme in design to improve lives actually look like? of None, had selected the broad theme they hold close, are not only respected understanding of how people have been WCDC2019. Taking place in one of the of ‘Liveable / Loveable Cities.’ Over 8 but also held by others. Through this, we feeling during the pandemic. This is 180 UNESCO Creative Cities, the The Poster Playground: a tool for days, and through the festival’s many are able to identify and amplify what is something that happened a year ago. where the magic of the way our city conference enabled us to bring citizen engagement design interventions, exhibitions, most important to the people of Dundee. Rather, I want to share with you how the works comes together. Partnership central concept of the Design Festival – delegates from other Creative Cities In May 2019, we opened our annual workshops and events, we explored how We are able to create a collective voice. working and collaborations have always using design as a communication tool together to begin a dialogue about Dundee Design Festival in The Keiller Dundonians felt about their city. During the last year, we’ve continued to been at the heart of what happens in for citizen engagement – has influenced hosting a creative design festival here in Centre, a typical 70s shopping centre The Poster Playground was at the core explore uses for this set of tools. Poster Dundee, and by working in partnership our city-wide response to the Covid-19 Dundee. While the current pandemic hidden behind the city-centre high of the festival, a design tool that Playground became a mobile workshop with Creative Dundee we were able to crisis. may have diverted our focus to the street. Although in recent years it has supported citizens to explore the way which visited local schools. It became a adapt our work preparing for the festival immediate challenges facing our city, the become somewhat overlooked, it still they feel about their city and their place tool for delegates to engage with a Places, or rather the people who run and get this up and running under the depth of the challenge we now face has generates significant footfall and holds in it. Unlike regular surveys, the Poster conference programme in the Include places, are desperate to know what the banner of ‘We Dundee’.

62 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 63 In 2013, ‘We Dundee’ was part of As a UNESCO Creative City, embedding Dundee’s bid to become UK City of This proved to be a powerful creativity is at the heart of all urban Culture. This was a citizen engagement tool. It strengthened people’s development plans. It is paradoxical process which crowdsourced thousands therefore to think that a few decision DigiShakti: Digital of thoughts, opinions and ideas about messages, extending the makers are best placed to solve the Dundee. The power of that platform and mechanisms by which a problems we collectively face. We face its ability to amplify the voices of citizens wider range of views can them together, therefore we need to Empowerment of Urban resulted in a legacy in which, despite influence the perceptions solve them together. As we begin to Dundee not being awarded the title of and understanding of key look towards ways to recover from City of Culture, many of those ideas have decision makers. People this pandemic, this is the moment to since been delivered. genuinely ensure that power in our and Rural Women in were able to see that their experiences are shared and place – in our city – is in the hands of Collective solutions: design- Dundonians. Through ‘We Dundee’, valued across the city. thinking as a bridge to bring we intend to achieve exactly that. Maharashtra, India together people, place and You can access ‘We Dundee’ at: power www.wedundee.com Sonia Garcha By combining ‘We Dundee’ and Poster phrases like ‘build back better’ and ‘new Playground, we’ve been able to respond normal’. But if we are going to achieve Annie Marrs is Lead Officer for immediately to the questions raised by that, we need to change the way that we Dundee’s UNESCO City of Design the pandemic and develop a mass generate ideas, and change the way we designation, working across sectors to “ If digital is the way forward for citizen engagement platform to collect engage with citizens. In short, to achieve use and advocate for the place of India, then women must use the values, experiences and stories of the goal of building back better, we need design to improve everyday life. She digital technology with ease.” people during this time. During the to ensure that people are more than just can be contacted at annie.marrs@ Covid-19 crisis, we’ve heard many of the a group of people to survey. leisureandculturedundee.com

Nirmala Panand, an “Anganwadi” preschool teacher from Shindethackerwasti, a tribal village about 40 kilometres from Pune City, also works as a community worker in the Women’s Empowerment program. Nirmala’s experience of attending a local tribal wedding in her village was a practice of ‘DigShakti’ – Digital Empowerment in social transformation. In her village riddled with blind beliefs, no priest was ready to perform wedding rites for the tribal couple. Digitally Empowered Training session Nirmala rose to the occasion and downloaded the wedding rites recited by deeply patriarchal setup in India has and empowering communities. Sharing a priest on her smart phone. The couple resulted in reduced access to digital one of the analogies at the conference got married listening to the online technology amongst women. Low that one of my co-presenters drew, chanting of the wedding rites. This IOT literacy levels and lack of digital “You may have a Porsche parked in your (Internet of things) used in rural India awareness led to women developing a garage but what use is it if you cannot and how a woman’s ability to access fear for using digital technology which drive it” could be a remark on the information paved the way solve has led to an increased dependency on importance of DigiShakti to equip community problems. the menfolk, children or local agents for grassroot communities for adaptation simple tasks like tracking bank accounts, of digital technology leading to digital Initially, Nirmala used a feature phone booking bus/train tickets, etc. empowerment. only for making phone calls. After attending the digital empowerment “DigiShakti”, the Digital Empowerment The future in India is digital and through training, she gained the confidence to of women, is a process to overcome “DigiShakti,” women are empowered use a smartphone. A smartphone was the digital gender gap, provide an through increased awareness and given by the Indian Government to all opportunity to the women to access independence in use of digital preschool teachers for monitoring daily financial services and information, and technology to enable them to contribute attendance of school children, and it use digital technology to improve their towards socio-economic development. became her device in doing community daily lives. It also empowers them to Changing Indian Scene work. Nirmala is now a master trainer know “what not to do with digital The number of ‘Nirmalas’ in Indian cities and trains other teachers! During the technology” and stay safe online and and villages is growing. The low cost of COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, she on social media. using the internet has led to fast growth became the point of contact in the WCDC2019 provided an opportunity in acquiring smart phones, which are community to conduct a needs for sharing and learning best practices affordable across all social strata. Indian assessment for providing food kits to the across varied contexts from community consumers use an average of “1GB of migrant workers family in her village. practitioners across the globe and to Mobile Broadband data” every day A mix of economic, social and cultural learn how the relationship between costing under Rs. 3 (0.40 USD). In 2017, factors placed against the backdrop of a people, place and power is changing the cost of 1GB in India was just 1.53% of

64 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 65 per capita income and was the cheapest Why did DST initiate involved the Corporate sector in among the world’s 61 low-and-middle- DigiShakti? developing a framework for Digital income countries. According to the UN, Literacy for community women with basic A study conducted by Development the Internet is ‘affordable’ in a country if it literacy. These shifts resulted in the Support Team (DST), a Pune based NGO costs 2% or lower than per capita income. implementation of training programs in urban communities of Pune City, across a range of urban communities. revealed several interesting aspects of India has gone digital in a big way. Over However, arriving at a standard training women’s use of mobile phones. More than 90% of Indian households have access to module suited for urban communities with 70% of the women who had access to mobile phones and close to 40% of the various socio-economic backgrounds technology and Internet through their Indian population now has internet became illusive for most organizations smart phones fear using digital access. Another major development is working in the field of Digital Literacy. DST technology, which has led them to an 99% of adults have a digital identity and thus developed a framework for “Digital increased dependency on menfolk/ 100% of households have bank accounts. Literacy for Community Women” training children for even ordinary daily life This access has allowed innovative packages that provide participants with activities like booking cooking gas interlinking of mobile phones and the basic digital knowledge which covers cylinders or paying for services like development of government schemes like advantages and disadvantages digital electricity bills. Another challenge was Jan Dhan, Aadhaar. Jan Dhan Yojana is technology, including: communication and exploitation through agents in the the financial inclusion program of the social media; accessing digital information community charging women exorbitant Government of India that aims to expand and services; opportunities for women fees for information access. Ironically, the Nirmala graduting the training programme Covid-19 relief efforts and provide affordable access to financial entrepreneurs in digital space; and staying move towards mass use of digital services such as bank accounts, safe online and on social media. young and adolescent children are now and access to such service providers and month of March as these payments had remittances, credit, insurance and platforms to complete even everyday aware of the various apps and are schemes was a challenge. been transferred online by their pensions. Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual tasks meant that women had begun to Impact therefore in a stronger position to be able employers and also identify when the It was important that these messages identification number issued by the rely heavily on men even for routine to protect them from the risks associated Rs. 500 had been deposited by the This framework was implemented for a reach urban and rural community Unique Identification Authority of India activities like accessing children’s school with digital technologies. Mothers have government. Crucially, they were also mix of urban and rural communities and women so that they are able to take full and serves as a proof of identity and results, online school admission processes, also registered their mobile numbers with able to use digital payment methods to initially more than 2000 women were advantage of these benefits. These address. The government and private online gas cylinder bookings, etc. their schools to receive messages about buy groceries as they were unable to go trained through on-site digital training messages along with the guidelines were players now are able to reach out to a the children. to the bank to withdraw cash. programs. Some of them, like Nirmala, translated in Marathi (a local language) majority of the unreached rural and urban are now proficient in using this new- Digitisation in reality has A further impact is specific to women and shared through calls, text messages The “digitally empowered women population across the length and breadth found knowledge for their community entrepreneurs like vegetable vendors and and WhatsApp. entrepreneurs” have been able to of the nation through SMS and voice calls. widened the divide between work. The most significant impact of the owners of small grocery stores. After leverage increased business turnover by men and women. Digital Empowerment program is the India’s approach to financial inclusion participating in the program, they have using digital technology to take orders increased participation of community through the use of mobile technology started to use Paytm and other online They now have access to through Whatsapp and also adopt women in community development helped provide access to basic financial payment modes, which has strengthened information that was previously Digital payment options like Paytm and programs both in the urban and rural products – a basic bank account, an their businesses and increased their unavailable, resulting in women GooglePay facilitate home delivery communities. As a next step, sessions on affordable need-based credit card, turnover. being able to save time and options. For DST, this study showed that digital opportunities in the digital space were remittance, insurance and pension Our work demonstrates the social, literacy training was another essential conducted for 300+ entrepreneurs. A Digishakti Impact during money as well as increase their services. The first step of Financial economic and political impact of digitally dimension in the process of empowering Digital Literacy workshop on Cyber COVID-19 pandemic independence and reduce Inclusion led to the introduction of empowering women. Through enabling community women. DST has been Crime and Trolling and how to be safe on potential risks for them and women to the banking sector by Digishakti gained even more relevance access to training, women have overcome working for over three decades with social media was conducted for Civil their children. opening bank accounts, and the second during COVID-19 to share relevant their fear of technology and developed a urban and rural women of Maharashtra Society Organizations. step was to empower them to access the schemes, needs assessment and more comfort and ease in using digital through the promotion and strengthening financial services for their socio- A further significant impact is the importantly, a tool to stay connected technology in personal, social and of community-based, community-owned economic development. The lack of increase in women using smart phones with the communities we work with. economic spheres of life. They now have institutions – Self Help Groups and Financial and Digital Literacy amongst and accessing online services. For Locally, we have learned that panic due Access to digital technology enabled our access to information that was previously Federations. It focuses on strengthening the women and limited access to mobile instance, they register mobile numbers to fake WhatsApp messages/videos and “Digitally Empowered Community unavailable, resulting in women being able the organisational structure of the weaker technology became major challenges. So for tracking the banking transactions, emails impersonating various Workers” who used digital technology to to save time and money as well as sections of the society and practices instead of fast-tracking financial electricity/water bills, book tickets, book organisations, including WHO, is overcome the challenges of a strict increase their independence and reduce people’s participation in self- inclusion for everyone, digitisation in their Ola/Uber cabs or auto-rickshaws. common. Increasing numbers of lockdown and social distancing.The potential risks for them and their children. development. DST identified that digital reality has widened the divide between Women from rural Self Help Groups who Covid-19 cases and the announcement of technology enabled women to: Going ahead, these empowered women empowerment, or “Digishakti” as it was men and women. This issue is not unique have to walk 10-15kilometres to the bank, the lockdown in India has created panic can transform challenges into named, would enhance women’s active • Communicate with the organization to India, but is spread across South Asia. a trip which previously resulted in a day’s and uncertainty, and particularly opportunities, accelerating socio- participation and involvement in the staff on the status in the communities wage loss whenever they needed to go impacted the urban poor – especially the economic development through active The Covid-19 pandemic made digital community development processes. DST to the bank, proudly share that now they daily wage earners and small businesses. • Conduct the needs assessment and participation in the Digital India revolution! access essential to share information therefore decided to roll out tailor-made track their bank transactions on their As of 1st May 2020, in India had 34,934 identify vulnerable families Digital Literacy programs to equip the Sonia Garcha is associated about emergency welfare measures smart phones and thereby save time, cases, 1% of the global confirmed cases community women for the new digital with Development Support Team, provided by the government. More money and physical energy. with 10,498 cases in Maharashtra. • Distribute food kits and share lists of critical was how to access existing environment. beneficiaries through WhatsApp Pune, India an NGO working in schemes in both urban and rural These digitally empowered women have The Government announced a number of Women’s Empowerment initiatives • Share various government schemes communities. During the Covid-19 ‘Digishakti’ -Digital also learnt about the disadvantages of welfare packages including additional with a specialization in strategy with the women in the community pandemic, Whatsapp is being widely Empowerment program social media through understanding how distribution of free wheat, rice and pulses development, implementation through calls, SMS and WhatsApp used to broadcast information about the While DST was working on Digishakti, the their personal photos and information through the Public Distribution System, and impact assessment. relief measures being announced by the Development Sector too was deliberating could be misused. They now pass on this cash transfers, advance payments for Further benefits during the pandemic Email: [email protected] Government. The Government has been over the question, “What do we mean by knowledge on to other women in their pensions, and the quick start of public include Community Women, who are using bulk messaging with links for Digital Empowerment and how do we do communities. Similarly, they know about schemes for generating employment. employed as domestic workers, References: schemes to reach out to population it?” At the same time, implementation of the health hazards caused by overuse and Since a large number of informal sector housekeeping staff, etc, shared that they 1. http://idronline.org/financial-inclusion-the-key-to- without smart phones. laws on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ addiction to digital technology. Mothers of workers lack awareness, digital capacities were able to track their wages for the closing-indias-gender-gap/

66 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 67 a women’s officer, youth worker with We already have a number of directions girls, urban regeneration co-ordinator forward. There are the United Nations and head of a social inclusion unit. Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Earth as Community: The regional partnership North West (SDGs) which offer guidelines for holistic Together We Can worked to deliver action. We have a range of thinkers and empowerment training and learning for dreamers who see that we live on our putting nature, communities communities and public sector workers planet, in ‘communion with the Earth’ as in the Northwest of England. I learnt that Thomas Berry expresses it (1988, 1999). communities can achieve real and lasting We have others who have created the changes working together if they are Earth Charter which gives the planet and community development given the support and resources they and nature rights (2000). need: workers, funding, space to meet and opportunities for learning. How might we start with community development? Studies suggest that at the heart of tackling climate The third and final strand of my journey communities and indigenous to Earth as Community is learning about communities are crucial to the struggle what humanity is doing to the planet. to get climate justice and a zero-carbon change, biodiversity loss For over two decades, I have collected world, most recently a report from the newspaper cuttings on biodiversity loss, Intergovernmental Science-Policy climate change and social justice Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem (Kettleborough, 2019). From the early services (IPBES, 2019, Banning-Lover, and social justice warnings from the Millennium Eco- 2017). Other studies suggest that the System Assessment in 2005, to where involvement of everyone is crucial to Helena Kettleborough we are now, with the planet burning from Examples of living together: Stories of a making change happen (Harley & the Amazon rainforest, to California, Manchester Street – photos copyright Phil Scandrett, 2019). In community Indonesia and Australia. The glaciers are Barton, copyright Phil Barton and Elaine development, we know how to work retreating and all over the world the ice Bishop, published by the Manchester with people, to bring people together, caps are melting. There is flooding in to identify and solve problems and Mozambique, Wales and Venice. As to take action. hundred astronauts and cosmonauts Prince Ea recounts, all the big animals of who have seen planet Earth from space To tackle the climate our childhood and our children’s books reflecting on her beauty and her fragility are threatened with extinction (2015). Communities and indigenous emergency, biodiversity loss (Jackson, 2017). and social justice, it is communities are crucial to the Research now indicates that Covid-19 struggle to get climate justice necessary to put nature, may have arisen from the damage This journey to Earth as Community communities and community humanity is inflicting on nature relates closely to the themes of the and a zero-carbon world. development together at the (Carrington, 2020). Humanity is caught Dundee 2019 World Community heart of our approaches. This in an economic system that is making Development Conference of People, can be summed up by the lovely billions of people very poor and creating Place and Power. People are the human and more-than-human together. Place is phrase Earth as Community. a tiny percentage of very rich people A way forward could be to work and destroying our natural life support work from the street, to the ward, to the together on Creating a Roadmap for systems. We have only a short time to city, to the bioregion, to the nation state, Earth as Community as part of the make a difference. continent and the planet. Power is the International Association of Community power of the human over the more-than- Development. Such a map might Between the mountains and the sea, human communities and our planet together – copyright Phil Barton human, the power expressed in the consider: social justice issues of today and the In these challenging lockdown • Can we learn together to see Earth as power of humans to make changes times, how can we understand Community as a new map for us all, As I finalise this article, Covid-19 has stopped society in its tracks and opened the door when working together in communities. the concept of Earth as acknowledging and honouring our to new directions and an end to business as usual. At the WCDC 2019, the Climate work to date? Justice Panel considered four oral presentations mapping out such new futures: green Community as something Nearly a year after Dundee 2019, with meaningful which might Covid-19 dominating the headlines, how • Whenever we talk about communities urbanism in the USA, the Anthropocene in Dundee, water and sanitation in the Amazon lead to action? can we start to put nature, communities needing resources, we also talk about and, from myself, exploring Earth as Community. and community development at the the resources nature needs as well. heart of our practical and strategic • Creating debates about our definitions To tackle the climate emergency, and humans and their mutual city Manchester. Here, people from four work for social justice and the climate of community development; can we biodiversity loss and social justice, it is interdependence. continents and eighteen countries live emergency? For philosopher Satish include Earth? necessary to put nature, communities together in peace and harmony. In the Over the last two decades, I have come Kumar, we all have the power to make • In talking about the future, rather than and community development together In these challenging lockdown times, book Stories of a Manchester Street, to see that we need a new story for our change. Satish suggests that we can all telling stories of how bad it is, we at the heart of our approaches. This can how can we understand the concept of neighbours talk of caring for each other, work with communities to join these become “artists, creators, makers, create and share stories of how we be summed up by the lovely phrase Earth as Community as something organising litter picks, neighbourhood different strands together. How might we musicians, singers, managers and doers made the difference: how we became Earth as Community; the bringing meaningful which might lead to action? days, planting trees and holding carbon get a positive story that can unify us all? in daily life” (Kumar, 2017). As we spend carbon neutral, how we saved our together of the human and more-than- Three key factors influenced my thinking literacy training (Barton and Bishop, The beginnings of such a new story time at home and come to appreciate precious swallows, our daddy long legs human communities, not in a monetary in the development of this concept. 2019). Through such participation I learnt emerged on Christmas Eve 1968, when nature more, we might glimpse where and our orangutans. relationship or a relationship of the power of communities working three human astronauts saw the earth we actually live, not in our homes and • Ensuring we keep systemic and holistic resources, but a joining of the heart. The first element of understanding Earth together to make a difference. rising over the moon, seeing Earth as streets but between the mountains approaches alongside working locally, Such an idea represents a total shift in as Community is through my experience the bright and shimmering jewel in the and the sea, between the land and using the UN SDGs, and stories about mind set or paradigm, encouraging us to as a community activist and bringing up The second influence on my thinking is splendid blackness of the cosmos. This the sky, between ourselves and the inspirational cities and communities think at one and the same time of nature my children on a diverse street in inner my career in community development as is a feeling since echoed by the five planet herself.

68 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 69 which are going carbon neutral and Earth as Community. These roadmaps Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P., and Dirzo, R. ‘Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled Notes biodiversity friendly. could then be shared with others, by vertebrate population losses and declines’, PNAS 2017; • Using our skills and knowledge in including the IACD and policy makers as July 10: https://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/E6089 community development to prevent a determined response to the pandemic Earth Charter (2000): https://earthcharter.org/act/ and a way to move towards ecologically Green Belt Movement Kenya: http://www. the sense of paralysis generated by greenbeltmovement.org and socially just futures. looking at the scale of the problems. Harley, A. and Scandrett, E (2019) Environmental justice, Through starting with the small and the popular struggle and community development, Bristol: With thanks to Phil Barton, Elaine Bishop local to support people to incrementally Policy Press. and Victoria Jupp Kina for their IPBES: https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment-report- create wins and feel hope. contribution. The author welcomes any biodiversity-ecosystem-services feedback and Roadmaps! IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) ‘Special This is a call to become community Report on Global Warming of 1.5o Centigrade’, (SR15), development workers and activists not 2017. http://www.ipcc.ch/meetings/session44/l2_ Helena Kettleborough is an action adopted_outline_sr15.pdf just for our human communities, but for researcher: lecturing on business, Jackson, L. (2017) A Galaxy of Her Own, Amazing Stories our animal, bird, insect and climate ethics and sustainability at Manchester of Women in Space, London: Century communities as well. We can take heart Kettleborough, H. (2019) Gaia’s Graveyards – bearing Metropolitan University Business and inspiration from movements around witness, a first person inquiry, in Action Research School; active locally & in networks Journal, vol 17 (3) 292: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ the world, like the Green Belt Movement creating hopeful futures such as a full/10.1177/1476750318818881 in Kenya. Under the leadership of Nobel Kumar, S. (2017) ‘Soil, Soul and Society – towards Wandering Scholar. She can be Prize Winner Professor Wangari Matthai, sustainable cities’, in Kettleborough, H. and Barton, P. contacted at h.kettleborough@mmu. (eds) ‘Green Spirituality in the Community’, GreenSpirit this movement brought together ac.uk Magazine, London: GreenSpirit, p6, 2017. women, local communities, nature and Millennium Eco Assessment (2005): https://www. trees to create a movement which has References millenniumassessment.org/en/index.html planted an inspiring 52 million trees. Banning-Lover, R. (2017) ‘How to stop deforestation’, Prince Ea (2015) ‘Dear Future generations: The Guardian, 4th August: https://www.theguardian.com/ Sorry’, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ global-development-professionals-network/2017/apr/04/ watch?v=VrzbRZn5Ed4 What might be the immediate steps in how-to-stop-deforestation-indigenous-people-are-the- Raworth, K. (2017) Doughnut Economics, London: this time of reflection created by best-park-rangers Penguin. Covid-19? There is welcome news, Barton, P. and Bishop, E. (2019) Stories of a Manchester Tam, H. (2019) (ed), Whose Government is it Anyway? Street, Manchester: History Press. confirmed by President Anna Clarke, of Bristol: Bristol University Press. Berry, T. (1988) The Dream of the Earth: New York: Bell IACD moving towards a strategic and UN SDGs 2030: https://www.un.org/ Tower. sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ values-based approach to climate justice. Berry, T. (1999) The Great Work, New York: Bell Tower. WWF (2018) the Living Planet Report: https://www.wwf. The author suggests community Carrington, D. (2020) ‘Coronavirus: Nature is sending us a org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/wwfintl_livingplanet_ development practitioners might create message’, the Guardian, Wednesday 25th March: https:// full.pdf www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus- roadmaps with communities to explore nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment- the ideas inherent in the concept of chief

Earth Rising: a first view of planet earth as a whole – copyright NASA This is a call to become community development workers and activists not just for our human communities, but for our animal, bird, insect and climate communities as well.

70 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 71 Notes Notes

72 Practice Insights | Issue 16 Read IACD’s Daily News on community development from around the world www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ Issue 16 | Practice Insights 73 Autumn 2012 Spring 2013 Winter 2014

Building bridges Community in Maharashtra: a dual ownership: approach to tackling poverty 03 a catalyst for community-led Passage from India: regeneration 04 Re-imagining self-interest The role of community and common good through Community development in building Self-Reliant Groups to community resilience in response to (SRGs) in Scotland 06 empowerment: disasters: the Queensland the story of the experience 04 Community development AusCongo Network 06 and poverty: reflections Community on experience in Scotland 08 Community leadership Resilience 07 and empowerment in Tackling poverty Portugal: a brief summary of a Learning to live with in Scotland: a local view 10 research project 08 flood disasters in Miga community, Asset building in Europe: Visual voices: Jigawa State, Nigeria 10 a community approach 12 World Comics Network 10 Community resilience Brazil and the struggle Good Cents work in Great Yarmouth: against poverty 14 makes good sense 12 a neighbourhood and Celebrating One Village community development co-operatives: One Product: approach 12 a global movement empowering Resilience, inequality to build a better world 16 one woman and resistance 15 at a time 14 Community organising: Transforming Scotland’s the Chicago experience 19 Reflections public services from the on two decades inside out 16 Victory Village Forum: of ‘community a partnership approach empowerment’ 16 to transformation 21 Community resilience, cultural identity International and heritage: Nympheo, About IACD 23 perspectives on Greece and the empowerment 18 HISTCAPE project 18

Issue 1: Poverty and Issue 2: Community Issue 3: Community Community Development Empowerment Resilience

Issue 5 2016 Issue 6

Edition

Editorial 03

The European Community Development Network reaches 25! 04

Accessibility: the social change movement of the 21st Century? 06

Women, leadership and power; equalities, social justice and community development 08

Sustainable Communities: The IACD 2016 Practice Exchange 10

Community Development in Scotland: have we lost our way? 16

Am I willing to be changed? 18 The conference organising partners 02 Community Development through the United States Editorial 03 Land Grant University Day 1: Health 04 System: The National Association of Community Editorial ...... 03 Can we expect a successful Day 2: Wealth 08 implementation of SDGs Development Extension Reflections on in Iran? ...... 18 Derek Mackay MSP on Professionals 20 Sustainability ...... 04 The Limitations of the Without Community Scottish Government and technology transfer approach Community economic Involvement, there is no community development 10 for community development Sustainable Development ...... 08 WITHOUT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT development in Hong Kong: in rural Peru ...... 20 THERE IS NO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT You, Me and the SDGs ...... 10 The places we’ve been 12 A snapshot 22 Community Development for Strengthening Community-based Sustainable Development: Day 3: Power 14 Veterinary Extension Systems Placing Community Development using the “Paravet” Model in Values and Practices at the Smallholder Farming Areas of Heart of the Sustainable Field Visits 18 Zimbabwe ...... 12 Development Goals ...... 22 When life gives you apricots ....14 IACD’s Position Statement Community is the answer: on Community Development Issue 4: Community international reflections 20 Strengthening literacy and and the U.N. Sustainable numeracy through community Development Goals (SDGs) ...... 25 reading champions in northern is the answer Acknowledgements 22 Nigeria ...... 16 www.facebook.com/IACDglobal/ and check out our website www.iacdglobal.org/about

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Challenges and opportunities the EAST ASIA SPECIAL ISSUE SPECIAL ISSUE Sustainable Development Goals and public service reforms present for IACD the first 65 years community developers

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