Implement Community Development Strategies Sessions Supporting group processes and skill development 1

What we will cover Identifying Roles & Resources in Community Groups Determining Desired Community Outcomes Facilitating Group Development and Processes Effective, Engaging & Sustainable Group Processes Looking after yourself as a worker 2

Some questions for discussion: What do you think are the most important things to remember when supporting groups in a CD context? Who sets the agenda? How is the direction set? Who decides what the goals &/or outcomes should be? What needs to be in place for effective group engagement and development to take place? What are some of the potential challenges &/or frustrations working with groups in a CD setting? 3

Community Resources 4 What are the resources needed by a community Group? People/members Place to meet, Issues/content to discuss &/or activities to do together, Funds, office consumable & equipment, Transport, Skills: education/training, leadership skills, admin skills, Good processes, a mission/purpose, etc

Community Resources 5 How do we determine/develop Community Resources? Membership databases Community Focus Groups, Surveys & Mapping Networking Pro-Bono Professional Services Grants &/or philanthropic trusts Collaboration Charts Open Space Frameworks

‘Open Space’ Meeting Agenda 6

Community Mapping 7

Collaboration Charts 8 From: Learning Communities Framework and Measuring Impact Toolkit Vol 2, May 2015, pg 14.

What kind of outcomes will community groups want to achieve? 9 Services: PT, Aged care, Disability supports, Projects: comm. Gardens, cultural festivals, farmers' markets, Planning: town planning, creating green space, needs assessment, Advisory/Consultative committees: transport, health & well-being, public housing, commercial/residential development with green/recreation space; Social capital: networks, partnerships, collaboration, individual and group needs analysis & skills building; Community skills: skills sharing, learning by working on community projects, pathways to education programs; Community capacity: using resources to expand on existing strengths and lead to more democratically informed and engaged decision-making, eg lobbying/advocacy, media campaigns, local employment programs; Facilities: skate parks, youth centres, sporting grounds, learning centres, neighbourhood houses, process involves showing evidence of need and advocating/working with authorities to plan ne facilities; Policy changes: community safety (CCTV, lighting, police presence), limited license for aged instead of banned. Individual community needs identified by the group. Facilitating Effective Group Outcomes

What kind of outcomes will community groups want to achieve? 10 Services: PT, Aged care, Disability supports, Projects: comm. Gardens, cultural festivals, farmers' markets, Planning: town planning, creating green space, needs assessment, Advisory/Consultative committees: transport, health & well-being, public housing, commercial/residential development with green/recreation space; Social capital: networks, partnerships, collaboration, individual and group needs analysis & skills building; Community skills: skills sharing, learning by working on community projects, pathways to education programs; Community capacity: using resources to expand on existing strengths and lead to more democratically informed and engaged decision-making, eg lobbying/advocacy, media campaigns, local employment programs; Facilities: skate parks, youth centres, sporting grounds, learning centres, neighbourhood houses, process involves showing evidence of need and advocating/working with authorities to plan ne facilities; Policy changes: community safety (CCTV, lighting, police presence), limited license for aged instead of banned. Individual community needs identified by the group. Facilitating Effective Group Outcomes

11 Media/PR engagement: media strategy, press releases/information, making links with media contacts, identify people with media skills in the group/community. Meeting facilitation: procedures/requirements, distributing information about meetings, encouraging and motivating people to attend meetings and engage with them. Advocacy: links to other centralised advocacy/lobbying bodies, research case studies on effective advocacy in similar situations, ID individuals with good advocacy skills, facilitating networking/partnerships. Conflict/Power management: resolving problems with a transparent process Motivation/Activation: What's in it for me? See how individuals are connected to group and how they are valued for their contribution. Inspire with case studies, identify clear strategies, create enjoyable experiences. Leadership: modelling leadership, identifying leaders in community. Networking Data collection & analysis Gaining new resources Evaluating performance of group Facilitating Effective Group Outcomes What skills are needed? What tasks may take place? Why is it important to facilitate consistent & accountable group processes in working toward effective group outcomes?

Strategies, Problem Solving & Burnout 12 What kind of strategies might we have in place to proactively assist our group to be effective, productive and avoid problems and burnout? What processes might we have in place in order to respond to problems and burnout if they do occur anyways? Delegating Conflict management Maintaining neutrality Voting: using different methods (as discussed) Following process and making formal changes to process if consensus Confidential debriefing with professional colleagues Employee Assistance Programs Mediation Restructuring the group Resetting the agenda/objectives of the group Disbanding the group Reforming a new group or sub group with a new agenda/objective

For next session Read your Aspire Book from pages Is there anything we missed from today’s session or which you’d like to focus on? Bring notes &/or questions. Be prepared to be in the driver’s seat … you will be planning your own Open Space session to run an ABCD-style Community Mapping session! 13