Building firm foundations: using community development
to strengthen neighbourhoods and communities
Saturday morning speaker: Mandy Wilson
Currently Co-Director of COGS, Mandy has been a community development practitioner,
manager and action researcher for many years, working for local and national
organisations to link programme and policy development with ‘on the ground’ practice and
experience.
As an independent consultant Mandy has managed consultancy projects both in the UK
and in Romania. She has been a member of advisory groups for government and the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is a member of Community Development Journal editorial
board and a Neighbourhood Renewal Advisor.
Her recent work includes exploring what needs to happen to ensure the ‘neighbourhoods
agenda’ really does devolve more power to communities. Mandy will be addressing the
conference themes, drawing on her experience of community action and policy
development at local, regional and national levels.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS 1.30pm – 3.00pm
1. Firm foundations for democracy? Matthew Scott, Deputy Director of
Panel discussion Voluntary Action Lewisham
This session will consider community Matthew has worked in the voluntary and
development practice in the context of current community sector for 15 years, and has
policy developments which aim to shift power to worked at Voluntary Action Lewisham
communities and neighbourhoods. This will since 1999 where he has led on the
include providing background to the forthcoming setting up of the Community
Local Government White Paper, which is Empowerment Network and on
expected to re-examine the relationship Lewisham’s Community Development
between communities and their elected Strategy. He is currently doing a PhD at
representatives. Goldsmiths College on the role of
community development in addressing
But what of other understandings of the ‘democratic deficit’.
‘democracy’? Speakers and participants will be
invited to explore alternative perspectives and Plus other speakers to be confirmed.
discuss their relevance for community
Chair: Sue Shaw, freelance consultant
development. and CDX Trustee
2. Organising Citizens – for a change! Neil Jameson and Sajida Madni
This workshop will focus on the story and track Neil is the Executive Director of the Citizen
record of the Citizen Organising Foundation Organising Foundation, and Lead Organiser
(COF) – the UK’s primary training institute of London CITIZENS. Prior to setting up COF
promoting broad-based community organising. It he worked for 25 years in the voluntary and
state sectors, sometimes as a community
will explore the methods and universal principles worker and sometimes not.
of community organising, which have brought Sajida Madni is a COF Organiser working for
large numbers of people and their communities BIRMINGHAM CITIZENS. She is a qualified
into powerful working relationships to act on a teacher and active volunteer with Young
range of social justice issues. COF’s affiliate Muslims and the Islamic Society of Britain.
CITIZENS groups have pioneered the UK’s first She has been a leader and Organiser with
Living Wage Campaign. BC for three years.
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3. Making values live Geraldine Blake and Matthew Smerdon
We believe values are powerful tools that shape Geraldine is the Manager of UK Links. Her
what we do and how we do it. With the government’s background is in community research, with a
new emphasis on neighbourhoods and a rekindled focus on engaging communities in improving
interest in community development, what pressure public services and regenerating
might we experience on our values? What can we do neighbourhoods. She joined Community
to protect our values and what can we do to promote Links two years ago to set up Links UK,
them? which shares the learning from practical work
in east London with practitioners nationwide,
This workshop will share the findings of the and draws on local experience to champion
Community Links collaborative inquiry into values, social change across the UK.
and will provide an opportunity to try out practical
tools that we have developed to help groups and Matthew is a Links UK Associate. His
organisations talk about their values, build their background is in community development,
activities on the values and measure their work both in the UK and abroad. Matthew joined
against their values. Community Links in 1999 to set up the Social
Enterprise Zone, before becoming Director of
Community Work.
4. What in the world? Sharing global learning and Ingrid Burkett and Harvinder (Mini) Bedi
inspiration in community development Ingrid is a researcher, trainer and practitioner
This session will share learning a project by the of community development. She works in
International Association of Community various organisations including Oxfam
Development (IACD), which explored how Australia and Upatree Arts Co-operative. She
community development workers around the world is a representative of the Oceania region on
have engaged with five specific themes: the board of the IACD.
community development, migration and refugees Mini has just retired as Field Director (India)
NGO governance for Oxfam Australia. She has over thirty
capacity-building and training years experience of community development
community development with women and and is managing trustee of the Development
children Support Team – an NGO established in India
community development, environment and to support the voluntary sector, including
sustainability operating a microfinance programme which
reaches around 35,000 women. Mini has
We will share learning from the project and open up also worked as an EU consultant with IFAD,
discussion on the themes, learning and inspiration. WFO, World Bank, ADB, AUS AID, Planning
This workshop is suitable for all community Commissions and the Government of India.
development practitioners, researchers and students
who are seeking some connection between local and Mini and Ingrid are directors of IACD which is
global community development or inspiration, hope an international not-for-profit, non
or learning about how we can further the field of government organisation committed to
community development. building a global network of people and
organisations working toward social justice
through community development
5. What is community development? Janice Marks, Federation for Community
This session will provide an introduction to Development Learning
community development for those who are relatively FCDL supports a network of individuals,
new to the occupation or those who would like to organisations and groups interested in
revisit the basics. community development learning and
training. Drawing on members’ experience, it
develops resources to support good practice
in community work training. It produces
regular training bulletins and information
sheets to help share good training practice.
6. Evaluation marketplace Chair: Alison Gilchrist, CDF
What is your community development work
achieving? How can you evaluate and demonstrate
the difference you’re making? How can you find out
if you really are making a difference?
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At this evaluation marketplace you’ll hear from Speakers to include:
speakers about a range of different approaches to Gabriel Chanan, CDF
evaluation in community development. You can visit Gersh Subhra, Derby University
a number of ‘stalls’ to find out more about the Susan Paxton, Scottish Community
different approaches, look at examples of how they Development Centre
are used in practice and discuss the pros and cons
of each.
Find out about statutory indicators, frameworks such
as LEAP and ABCD, creative approaches and a
dedicated community development evaluation
framework.
7. Sustainable development and community Niamh Carey, WWF-UK and Hilary Kinchin
development Niamh works for WWF-UK as their Local
A practical workshop designed to explore differences Communities project manager. Prior to that
and links between sustainable development and she worked for Groundwork as a Community
community development. and Youth manager in the North West of
England. She has a background in biological
No previous knowledge about sustainable sciences and youth and community work,
development is required. This will be a fully and now lives on the south coast where she
participative workshop-style session, enabling group spends most of her spare time on her
work on issues relating to sustainable development allotment!
and community development.
Hilary is currently a board member of CDX.
She has worked in community development
in London, Leicester, Australia and is
currently working for Surrey County Council.
She also runs community development
training courses.
8. Visit to Charnwood Arts Kevin Ryan, Director
A community arts and media organisation based in
Loughborough, Charnwood Arts reaches an
estimated audience of over 200,000 people per year
through workshops, street based projects,
community partnerships, exhibitions, publications
and web developments. The project recently
managed a regional Resolving Differences project
and are involved in the Charnwood Pathfinder
programme on community cohesion. They are
national award winners for their creative approach to
community consultations and for their project work
with young people. Delegates will have the
opportunity to meet the staff, discuss and see
demonstrations of the work of the project, and take
away examples of recent publications.
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SATURDAY MORNING SESSIONS 11.15am – 12.45pm
9. Who’s in control? Forum theatre with Dead Dead Earnest Theatre Company
Earnest Theatre company Dead Earnest is a professional theatre
Ever felt torn between the needs of the communities company that uses theatre to explore,
you work with and the expectations of your funder or challenge and change the ways that people
employer? Ever felt frustrated because your behave towards each other.
manager or colleagues don’t understand community
development work? Are you expected to empower Much of their training is based on a style of
communities – but without ‘rocking the boat’? theatre known as ‘forum theatre’. This is a
technique developed in Brazil by Augusto
This performance by the Dead Earnest Theatre Boal, in which the audience are encouraged
Company will explore some of these dilemmas faced to change the action they see on the stage.
by community development workers. You’ll get the By providing challenging scenarios and
chance to discuss different responses and strategies skilled facilitation, the company enables us to
for dealing with issues around who controls your explore ways of dealing with challenges more
work. Talk the actors through different scenarios, productively.
hear about other CD workers’ experiences – and
learn that maybe ‘another way is possible’… Dead Earnest have a long record of
successful work with groups in the voluntary
and community sectors, in health and in
schools.
10. Every action counts – working with community Chris Church
on environment and sustainable development Chris has worked independently since 1990,
issues and advises the Community Development
This workshop will start by introducing the new Foundation (CDF), Defra and many other
‘Every Action Counts’ programme that be being run organisations on local sustainable
by the Community Sector Coalition. CDX is a development issues. He previously worked
member of this programme, which seeks to offer for Friends of the Earth UK, managing the
community organisations a way to take effective local development section. He is currently
action on a range of environmental issues. working on the Every Action Counts
The session will also consider the underlying issues programme that will look to engage non-
that affect how communities interact with their environmental voluntary sector organisations
environment and how community development in work on sustainable development.
practitioners can use environmental activity as a way
to build longer-term engagement and how local
concerns can link to national policy.
It will also address the issue of environmental
inequalities and ‘environmental justice’ – issues
about how poorest communities also usually suffer
from the worst environments - and offer examples of
how this is now being tackled at a local level.
11. The moral maze? Ethical issues for development Dave Carr, NAVCA
workers Dave has been involved in designing and
This interactive workshop will explore some of the delivering training for over a decade. His
tricky ethical situations development workers can previous career has involved working for
find themselves in, such as uncertainty about national charities, local infrastructure
accepting gifts, maintaining confidentiality, taking up organisations, and local community
positions on governance boards or living and organisations. He currently divides his time
working in the same community. between freelance training and consultancy
and working part time for the SKiLD Project
We will identify: at NAVCA.
Commonly experienced ethical dilemmas
development workers face
Why the problems arise and how they make us
feel
Options for addressing the dilemmas
Strategic approaches to ethical decision making
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12. An introduction to Asset Based approaches to Mark Woodhead
community development Mark is currently employed as Outreach
This session is aimed at anyone new to the idea of Development Worker for the Active Faith
asset based CD and would like to find out more Communities Programme. He works in the
about it, try out some of the approaches and explore Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale areas,
what they can offer community development helping a range of faith-based groups and
workers. organisations to research the needs of their
communities and to develop projects. He has
The session will introduce some of the basic ideas worked in community development and
behind asset based approaches and the types of regeneration since 1982. His particular
assets which can be mobilised in a community – not interests include asset-based approaches to
just land and buildings but skills, networks and community development, community
stories of struggles and successes. Participants will profiling, evaluation, and encouraging groups
have the opportunity to try out participatory to develop a focus on outcomes – the
approaches, explore obstacles and pitfalls and changes that are achieved in the lives of the
discuss different interpretations of ‘assets’ and people we work with.
‘liabilities’.
13. Whats all the drama about? Shamsher Chohan and Lesley Rogers
In this workshop we will be presenting powerful The outgoing Chair of CDX, Shamsher works
contentious statements which are often used but are as a Diversity and Equalities trainer and
rarely challenged. We will endeavour to help others consultant. Current work includes a model to
feel empowered in daily communication with family, help organisations set and develop their
friends and colleagues. equalities work against. Shamsher was
involved in the first Diversity Audit of the
The workshop will begin with a short dialogue Audit Commission last year and is also an
presented as a conversation taking place between NLP trainer and Coach, occasionally taking
two strangers. Some of this presentation is likely to to the woods to do some firewalking and
be of a challenging nature - please remember that is shamanic development programs.
the intention of this piece.
Lesley has equalities high on her agenda as
A facilitated discussion will explore how we can deal one of the few empowerment instructors
with contentious statements in daily life. What makes working in the mainstream and in community
something contentious? How do we feel when we development. She has experience of working
hear these statements? What do we usually do - and with most excluded groups and individuals,
what could we do? What support can we access including profoundly mentally/physically
from within and beyond our organisations? disabled people, prisoners, refugees and
those in need of a Holistic approach to
dealing with sensitive issues.
14. ‘CD2’ – the community development challenge Alice Wilcock, Community Development
The community development occupation, with its Foundation
values and practices, can and should play a Since joining CDF last year, Alice has
fundamental role in empowering people at the grass worked on different policy areas including the
roots. However, this key role is not always consultation on LSPs, research into the
understood by policy makers and funders, and the impact of social exclusion policies on rural
structures for funding, support, training and learning communities, and the embedding of
are often lacking. sustainable development principles within the
voluntary and community sector. Alice has
In response to this, the Community Development participated in the CD2 working group which
Foundation (CDF) put together a working party and has provided the basis of the workshop
has prepared a report exploring these issues and material.
how community development can meet the
challenge going forward. Alice joined CDF last year from Barclays,
where her most recent role was running their
This workshop will explore the key issues raised in community programme. She lives in North-
the report including the status of the CD occupation, East London where she has been involved in
the place of local community development a variety of community projects for many
strategies, funding for community development, years.
management and delivery, training and recruitment.
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15. Visit to Global All Stars football project Kath Morton
A unique opportunity to see a live football match
between the Global All Stars and Loughborough
University – a charity game! The Global All Stars
team is made up of young people from different
cultural backgrounds including recently arrived
Asylum Seekers. Kath will give a background to how
the initiative started and how it is helping to achieve
community cohesion and working on common
ground but also encourage and recognise difference.
Fringe meetings/open sessions – Friday 13th October 5.00 – 6.00
Meeting rooms will be available in this slot for participants who would like to hold an
informal or impromptu session to share practice or discuss an issue of concern.
If you would like to book a room to run a session, please contact Tanwir Rauf on 0114
270 1718 or email tanwir@cdx.org.uk.
Sessions booked so far include:
Axis of Influence – A fringe meeting facilitated by Sal Hampson from Changes
Share learning and develop ideas about what needs to happen to increase
levels of influence
Help community networks, groups and partnerships to map influence
“On Shaky Ground". “To raise awareness about the liability we have in this
country, namely weapons of mass destruction, aka Trident. It's the antithesis to CD
as it is about the way the Govt spends taxpayers cash on maintaining the cost of
the Trident nuclear programme, instead of it helping to eradicate poverty,
starvation, poor education systems and maybe help true community development
and not destruction”. By Lesley Rogers, who has been involved in Citizens
weapons Inspections and Prestwick 17.
Friends of the Earth - The organisation runs several community projects in the UK
and abroad, and also publish a wide range of free resources for individuals and
community groups on Freedom of Information, and 'Getting involved in the
planning system', called our Community Rights Resource Pack. You can see some
of the pack on the web at:
http://community.foe.co.uk/campaigns/rights/resource_pack/index.html.
This is part of Friends of the Earth's Rights and Justice team, which includes
lawyers & planners & capacity building staff. Facilitated by Naomi Luhde
Thompson, her role is to promote people's rights - through lobbying at political
level, and to build local capacity in using those rights. They also run an annual
"Power Up" conference in Birmingham which is an intensive training course on
being engaged citizens, using these rights.
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