Engagement without Borders, Melbourne, 2012

    I was delighted to assist IAP2 with this forthcoming event at Abbotsford Convent on the 29th May in Melbourne.   Download the PDF of the program here: Engagement Without Borders _outline program   Personal, organisational, cultural, demographic or geographic; engaging with the full spectrum of our communities can be a significant challenge.  … Continue reading Engagement without Borders, Melbourne, 2012

Helping Sally at dinner: what to do at the dinner table when sustainability comes up?

Old friends having dinner and reminiscing in the comfort of Sally’s spacious home. We’re talking about the environmental crisis facing the Earth, and my concerns about flying across the Pacific Ocean from Australia for my teaching job in Vancouver. I’m certainly worried about the environmental impacts of all that travel and yet I really want… Continue reading Helping Sally at dinner: what to do at the dinner table when sustainability comes up?

Local Wisdom about Apartment Storage

  When I lived in Vancouver in 2007, teaching and managing a housing research project at the University of British Columbia, I had several interesting accommodation experiences.   The first one was terrible: a chronically ill middle-aged couple with a dog who was dying of cancer. They slept with the dog and spent all day… Continue reading Local Wisdom about Apartment Storage

Why bother with community engagement, anyway?

April 11, 2010 – 9:43 pm   In the past couple of weeks I have been confronted by many aspects of the community engagement debate. Angry residents questioning my integrity as I try to help them with a local environmental problem I’d say qualifies as a “wicked problem” in their neighbourhood.   Then I experience… Continue reading Why bother with community engagement, anyway?

A Bow of Gratitude to Bang the Table

March 5, 2010 – 5:36 pm         You may have been reading about the Australian community engagement firm, Bang the Table, recently caught up in one of those sorts of political issues that characterise community high-profile engagement – at least in some Australian states.   I have been concerned that the “baby… Continue reading A Bow of Gratitude to Bang the Table

Evaluation Research: Must the Messenger Always Be Shot?

22 July 2009 at 2:39 am                             A few months ago, I was lucky enough to have to write a short piece on evaluation for a consulting report. I reviewed what I had in my library, did a quick Internet search and… Continue reading Evaluation Research: Must the Messenger Always Be Shot?

Why is community engagement central to achieving sustainability?

15 June 2009 at 2:38 pm     Sustainability Fatigue   I’m getting the feeling that our communities are being engulfed in a wave of “sustainability fatigue”. “Don’t talk to me any more about climate change,” a friend says over coffee in the Village. She cradles her coffee and mumbles, “I’ve had a gutful of… Continue reading Why is community engagement central to achieving sustainability?

What’s best practice in community engagement?

July 9, 2009 at 12:45 pm   The other day I went to a local community workshop in my small rural village. The topic is not important for my purposes and it’s not my intention to embarrass anyone.   Rather I want to make a point: there’s more to community workshops than a conversation at… Continue reading What’s best practice in community engagement?

Community engagement with people with disability

  This week, I’ve been reflecting on the responses I’ve received to my recent blog post about Mary Ann Hiserman, my friend in Berkeley who was a wheelchair user and activist for people with disability. I’ve been thinking about the actual experience of being “locked out” of an environment. And comparing it to being “locked… Continue reading Community engagement with people with disability