Community Economic Development Newsletter - June 2010

Hello community economic developers and supporters,

This has been such a busy and exciting month, so many opportunities, never enough time, but from the many conversations that have come my way, I have no doubt that the national interest in community economic development is growing fast. Sometimes I wonder how effective we are at communicating key messages about this space.  My current favourite descriptor is “Profit for Community Benefit”.  


The new CED web platform
This week I am deep in the midst of the yMedia Challenge to develop an interactive web platform for the CED Network. I am working with a great bunch of students and some savvy mentors from the communications industry. They are inspired about the potential of CED and how the web can support the growth of this movement. Developing websites and utilising social networking tools is a major learning curve for me and I am at times mystified by the new language and concepts and myriad of social networking tools springing up. But I am getting excited about the potential of the new web communications to create two way dialogues and enable sharing of information, ideas and peer support. We aim for the website to be live around the end of August. I am so looking forward to having this online vehicle for two way communication and participation.


The interim CED Website
While this web platform is being developed, we are continuing to use the CED Conference website for network news. Go to http://www.cedconf.org.nz/. New content that is going online from 20th June is a five minute documentary from the February conference that was made by UNITEC students. It cracks a great pace and is a wonderful reminder of the key messages from the conference. Also online are the filmed plenaries from the conference. The website has a sign up function to receive this monthly bulletin so do share it with colleagues who may be interested in community economic development. A big thank you to Lindsay Jeffs (co-host of CED Conference) and Amadeus from the Christchurch Small Business Enterprise Company for managing this interim website.  Progressing the CED agenda is a very collaborative venture.  


If We Ran the World
Talking about the web, I am currently sharing an office with Tim Gregory who ran a workshop called “If We Ran the World” at an Open Space session at the February Conference. He is talking about “making civic action contagious”. Tim says that IfWeRanTheWorld is an online programme for organising and galvanising grassroots action and coming up with solutions together, proving  that online tools can be used to galvanise community through social media – the watershed event being ‘mybarackobama’ and ‘Organising for America’.  IfWeRanTheWorld will connect you to a community of individuals, social organisations and businesses who share your goals and can join you in breaking them down into easy steps that everyone can commit to achieving in a fun and easy way. Check out IfWeRanTheWorld  where you can set up your own action platform. Or contact Tim Gregory This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . He would love to hear about your individual projects and talk to you about how best IWRTW could be used to progress them.

Also worth a look is a link that was sent by Justine Munro from The School for Social Entrepreneurs to an excellent video that explores how open source (meaning free for us luddites!)  software is serving a new era of global co-operative culture. Check out http://coalitionofthewilling.org.uk/


Glossary of key terms
I have also had a stab this month at developing a glossary of terms for the CED Network (here). The glossary is by no means definitive, but is intended as a starting point to facilitate meaningful conversations and de- mystify some of the inevitable jargon. I would like to acknowledge Senscot and Local People Leading as I used many of their definitions as source material for the glossary.  Some of the terms are contentious and there is disagreement about their specific meanings.   I anticipate that some of the definitions in the glossary will be debated.... and welcome your thoughts.


CED Events
No decision has been made as yet about a date for a second CED conference. It is a big undertaking and we have minimal resources. A group of colleagues have been exploring the idea of designing an event that will provide income to enable the CED Network to continue. That would really be walking the talk. Will keep you posted about progress.
While that idea is brewing, invitations are flowing in to talk at events around the country. This month I was invited to make a presentation to VASS (The NZ Federation of Vocational and Support Services), an umbrella group for organisations that provide employment, training and support services for people with disabilities.  A key theme that emerged was the journey that a number of organisations are on from providing sheltered workshop facilities for their clients - to operating a social firm (that is a social enterprise that provides employment and training opportunities for marginalised people– see the glossary!).  The people I spoke to felt that a social firm should be working towards paying a fair wage to all employees. Sounds fair enough to me .....

Some fresh thinking from around the globe...

New Economics Foundation, Co-production and the Core Economy
A manifesto that has come my way from the New Economics Foundation in the UK has a foreword from US Professor Edgar Cahn, the creator of Time Dollars and the Co-production principle. Professor Cahn introduces the concept of the Core Economy and says.... “Family, neighbourhood are the Core Economy. The Core Economy produces love and caring. Coming to each other’s rescue, democracy and social justice. It is time now to invest in rebuilding the Core Economy.” This manifesto shows how public services can help to rebuild and reinvigorate this core economy and realise its potential. It is about “a partnership between the monetary economy (comprised of public, private and non-profit sectors) and the core economy of home, family, neighbourhood and civil society.”  Well worth a read- Check it out at http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/co-production

From charity to social enterprise
The Senscot bulletin introduces an interesting piece from UK social entrepreneur, Duncan Fisher, who suggests that the charity model is `broken`. He predicts a crisis in the UK for the funding of all kinds of services at every level that will result in a shift towards social enterprise and self-help. It seems to me that a similar crisis is happening here in Aotearoa. Fisher’s mantra is... "Don’t mix the business management with the social sector politics...and to focus on clients rather than funders".  He says that the future belongs to those who can eliminate grants from their financial planning. Asked whether the shift he expects will be positive or negative, he is ambivalent. "The advantage is that services will become more efficient and focus on clients rather than funders," he says. "But we will get an increase in the exclusion of certain groups: it doesn't pay to cater to some, and that's where government should come in." Check out http://www.senscot.net/view_art.php?viewid=9687

Upcoming tour on Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)
Cormac Russell is an international leader in ABCD - strengths based approach to community development that refers to “assets” in the widest sense of the word.  Cormac will be touring Australia and New Zealand in November, in partnership with Ted Smeaton from ABCD Asia Pacific. Some of you will remember Ted’s dynamic presentation at the CED conference.    Cormac says “... we focus on developing new ideas and strategies which are not needs based and funding-led, but instead use assets more effectively and promote citizen led initiatives. In short, approaches that support communities to actively engage in a democratic and inclusive way in co-producing stronger, safer and healthier neighbourhoods within villages, towns and cities in urban and rural areas.” The flyer is here for further information.
 
That’s it for now- wishing you the very best in your enterprising adventures
Warm Regards
Di

Di Jennings
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