Power to the People Conference 2022

Where:  Bankstown Sports Club, 8 Greenfield Pde, Bankstown, NSW. 

Dates:    Thursday 27th and Friday 28th October 2022   

Cost:     Regular ticket $594.00 (incl. GST)   

**** Please scroll down for information on Masterclasses*****  

‘Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation’. (Mahatma Gandhi)

In 2022, The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. will partner with Community Minds to bring it to Bankstown! to deliver our annual National Community Development Conference. The theme for the Power to the People 2022 Conference is “Diversity and Inclusion – Cultivating and Celebrating Everyone’s Role in Building Community”.

So what exactly does ‘diversity and inclusion’ in the context of the Power to the People Conference look like?

Essentially, it is any example of community building that seeks to make the ‘invisible visible’.  It is about sharing examples and stories of community building initiatives that seek to bring down barriers and silos and use a multi-sectoral approach wherever possible. In other words, it is about bringing about different, difficult or unlikely partnerships and providing opportunities for often marginalised community members to get involved, contribute their skills and passions and be heard.

This Conference will bring together people from across Australia who share a personal or professional passion for building citizen driven communities to –

• discover the power of harnessing social capital and local assets to help address the complex and entrenched financial, social and environmental issues that challenge our communities;
• discover the power of local, ‘bottom up’ and asset based approaches to strengthen community;
• explore the institutions and structures which both impede and enhance citizen driven efforts;
• explore a range of tools and methodologies that will empower people to believe, behave and act like citizens in control of their community and their destiny;
• discover like-minded people to network with and create a lasting legacy of peer-to-peer learning; and above all,
• have fun!

The Power to the People 2022 Conference will take place in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown, located approximately 20kms south-west of the CBD. Bankstown is a hidden gem in the heart of south west Sydney and offers both locals and visitors a delicious variety of international cuisines, unique retail options and cultural diversity. It is widely regarded as one of the most socially diverse and multicultural communities in Australia and this is ‘Where Interesting Happens’! This historical diversity of Canterbury-Bankstown’s faith based and cultural communities has led to a fascinating social landscape that provides the perfect background for the theme of this year’s Conference.

The Power to the People Conference Program, 2022 aims to create the space for participants to explore how communities can strengthen and become more resilient by harnessing community diversity and focussing on inclusion. The heart of Bankstown displays a constant unearthing of local assets which will be highlighted throughout the Conference Program. The Program in 2022 will be interactive, and will seek to showcase how cultural and socio-economic differences can be used as a point of community connection, busting the myth that differences create barriers.

Conference Program

Power to the People 2022 Conference Program

Power to the People 2022 Workshop Synopsis

Accommodation

There are lots of accommodation options to choose from in Bankstown!  Accommodation and travel costs are not included in the Conference Registration fee. Participants will need to book and pay for any travel and accommodation they require. Our preferred provider for accommodation is the Mercure Sydney Bankstown. Please email HB975@accor.com for a further 10% off the Best Available Rate.

Please quote code: 2210COMMUN

Please check terms and conditions with Mercure Hotel.

‘Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness’. (Ola Joseph)

MASTERCLASSES

Where:  Bankstown Sports Club, 8 Greenfield Pde, Bankstown, NSW. 

Dates:    Masterclass Wednesday 26th October

Cost:      $198 (incl. GST)     

Time:    9am to 3pm (Regsitration from 8.30am)

 

The Power of Participatory Community Building

Exploring the powerful and productive intersections of strengths-based approaches to community development

Underpinned by ABCD, this practical, immersive workshop is for anyone who lives in a community; that’s everyone!

Participants will explore the complementary intersections between a range of strengths-based community development approaches based on the facilitator’s 20 years+ of practical experience around the world.

Many of the challenges faced by individuals and communities require transformational change, which can be achieved by focusing on the strengths already found within communities. Some of the approaches include:

• Community-led Initiatives and conversations
• Asset-based & Place-based projects
• Collective Impact/Action work
• Strengths-based Monitoring & Evaluation & more

To address complex community challenges, it is crucial to explore ways of blending tools and strategies from strengths-based approaches such as:

• Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
• Results Based Accountability (RBA)
• Art of Hosting & Harvesting (AoH)
• Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Throughout the workshop, participants will discover ways to weave, embed and sustain strengths-based approaches through the lens of co-design and collaboration and will discover ways to move from ideas to action.

“Imagine a meeting of 60 people, where in an hour you would have heard everyone and at the end you would have precisely identified the 5 most important points that people are willing to act on together.” Toke Moller, Art of Hosting

Dee Brooks (she/her); ABCD & Art of Hosting Community Builder and Chief Hugger, Jeder Institute, Australia

 Through her down-to-earth style, Dee builds on what’s strong, not what’s wrong, by bringing people together in dynamic ways to realise and engage the full potential of their networks and communities. Over 20 years, her community engagement and development work has inspired thousands of people worldwide in community, organisational and governmental settings.

Dee’s background is in youth work and community-university outreach and research, and she is a passionate grassroots practitioner, facilitator and trainer who believes in tapping into the collective wisdom of communities to strengthen what’s already there. Dee was an Intentional Nomad for 5 years who travelled and worked in over 20 countries until COVID had other ideas. Dee currently resides on Boon Wurrung Country in the Kulin Nation.

Dee is a founding member of the Jeder Institute, a Director for Oceania for the International Association of Community Development (IACD), a Board Member and Steward of the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, a co-founder of the ABCD Asia Pacific network, an Art of Hosting Steward and Practitioner, a Senior Facilitator for Holyoake’s DRUMBEAT, a Flow Game Practitioner and a founding member of The Unconference.

Michelle Dunscombe (she/her); ABCD & Art of Hosting Community Builder and Deadly Advocate, Jeder Institute, Australia

Michelle is based on Taungurung land in rural Victoria, Australia and is an enthusiastic community development practitioner, facilitator and trainer. She is passionate about strengthening regional and rural communities particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to discover possibilities, develop community leadership capacity, build community resilience and support community led projects. She draws on her experience working with local and state governments, a community foundation, the private and the not for profit sectors to inform her work with communities.

Michelle is an ABCD Institute Steward, Vice Chair of ABCD Asia Pacific Inc, a Regional Development Australia Hume committee member and Vice Chair of the International Association for Community Development (IACD) with a wealth of experience working with communities and community organisations.  Michelle utilises asset based community development methodologies and participatory leadership practices to support community led initiatives.

Michelle has experience working with disaster affected communities across Australia and internationally, happily sharing her lived and professional experience in disaster preparedness and recovery using ABCD principles and practices.

 

Refund Policy

Please note: The Conference Registration Fee does not include travel and accommodation costs.

In the event of a Covid-19 related lockdown in areas outside of Bankstown / Sydney, we will offer participants a Virtual Attendance Ticket and refund the balance.

In the event the Bankstown / Sydney area is locked down, we will offer an 80% refund to participants.

As per all our other events, if a participant cannot attend the event they need to give written notification to obtain a 90% refund. No refunds within 3 weeks of the event – unless due to Covid-19 restrictions.

 

Further information contact:
Maria D’Souza
Phone:  (08) 6293 1848
md@bankofideas.com.au