About the Conference
We invite you to be part of this conference with a difference – a think, talk and do conference focused on how we can build strong, creative and sustainable local economies into thefuture.
We are all aware of the links between the global economic system and growing inequalities between rich and poor, climate change and environmental degradation. The question is, what do we - in the community, government and corporate sectors - do about this situation? Answering this question lies at the heart of this conference.
Global changes to address these issues are certainly important, but at the same time inspiring, thought-provoking and practical answers are also being developed in local communities around the world and are supported by people of good will across all sectors.
Local food systems, community and social enterprises, social investment, strong and ethical local businesses, local energy production, fair trade opportunities, community gardens, corporate-community engagements, micro-finance institutions, local currencies and exchange systems, community banks and local credit unions, federations and consortia of non-profit organisations to leverage common good … these are just a few examples.
Initiatives like these are part of a growing movement towards the creation of community centred economies, improving the lives of many and ensuring the future of local environments around the world. All these avenues need to find their own voice and sustainability and be supported properly by governments and corporations. This movement is full of unlikely alliances, courageous conversations within and between sectors and explorations of how to work in the spaces between traditional disciplines and sectors.
We invite you to come, share and explore, be inspired, and be part of a dialogue for action as we create and grow these and other possibilities for Building Community Centred Economies.
Conference Vision
The conference vision reflects the intent for the four day event to generate a proactive atmosphere based on learning, action and real outcomes:
To create a vibrant meeting place in which people can share stories, discuss ideas, reflect on possibilities, build hope, create energy and plan for action, centred on how we can develop real and sustainable community-centred economies locally, regionally across Oceania and globally.
Conference Themes
Building Community-Centred Economies: Dialogue for Action.
The over-arching conference theme focuses on the importance of building community-centred economies using community development methodologies. This is a timely and universally critical theme that recognises the interconnectedness of economic, social and environmental issues.
It is becoming clear that solutions must include cross-sectoral action between corporate, government and community sectors. It is also becoming more widely recognised that these solutions must also involve a relocalisation of effort in generating local and sustainable solutions to the fundamental issues impacting our communities today: such as community access to and ownership of resources, food security, access to economic processes, peak oil, water security and environmental regeneration.
The main conference theme has been broken down into several themed subjects which can be explored throughout the three-day program and which build a broader understanding of the depth and breadth of community economic development as a conference theme:
- Building Sustainable Livelihoods
- Promoting Human Scale Economies
- Engaging and Leveraging Community Development Finance
- Exploring Government / Corporate / Community Relationships
- Protecting the Right to Local Security and Sovereignty (over food, land, water, energy, resources, local enterprise)
- Breaking New Ground on Old Issues
Building Sustainable Livelihoods: How can we Create Real Jobs, Living Wages, Work with Dignity, Local Employment, Social Enterprises, Micro-enterprises? What are the opportunities for local, ethical and social businesses?
Promoting Human Scale Economies: Does size matter? What is Human Scale and is it always good? What is the ‘right size’ for participatory economies? Is small still beautiful? What organisational structures and governance models support human-scale organisations and economies?
Engaging and Leveraging Community Development Finance: What are the opportunities and leading edges in micro finance, social investment, ethical finance, community finance, credit unions, local banks and local currencies? How can we bring community finance to bear on creating affordable housing, sustainable livelihoods and community regeneration?
Exploring Government / Corporate / Community Relationships: What’s working in partnerships – and what are the raw edges and the courageous conversations that still need to be held in cross-sector work?
Protecting the Right to Local Security and Sovereignty (over food, land, water, energy, resources, local enterprise, housing): How can we ensure that communities have access to and ownership of important resources? What models, methods and approaches can be used to ensure long-term sustainable access and ownership over key resources such as food, water, housing, natural resources?
Breaking New Ground on Old Issues: What are you working on that links community development to community centred economies? What is working in what you are doing that might excite others? What’s happening in your community that is breaking new ground on old issues? What is innovative, creative, and exciting about the work that you are doing?