Building Strong Communities
I can almost guarantee that I will open my local newspaper on any day and find an article or headline telling me how bad youth crime is in my city. … Continue reading Crime: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?
Last week I heard a story about a small group of residents who were at a meeting with their local Mayor, the CEO of the Council and a senior Council … Continue reading Not a Consumer, Client or Customer but a Citizen
Workplace bullying and harassment cost the Australian economy up to $36 billion per year (Australian Human Rights Commission).
It is time we stopped seeing homelessness and those homeless as a problem but as ab opportunity. An opportunity to become a civil society and build a stronger, safer community.
These were the word of John Lennon from his song Happy Xmas (War is Over). I think most of us are happy to see the end of 2020 and looking … Continue reading Another Year Over and a New One Begun
I’ve recently taken up cycling. it is amazing the dangerous things I notice as a cyclist.
Staff retention and worker burnout is a major issue in community services sector. But there is a way forward.
The United Nations Sustainability Goals represent a set of lofty collective ideals designed to improve equality and wellbeing for all.
Approximately 1 in 10 people, globally, live in extreme poverty. This equates to less than $2 (US) per day to live on. Up to 25% of the world’s population survive on just over $3 (US) per day. These figures are hard to comprehend.
For the best part of two decades I worked in and with communities to create solutions to issues facing members of the community, create connection between community members and mobilise … Continue reading The Healing Power of Community
Over the past five years, my focus both personally and professionally has been on trauma and the impact it has on all of us. Many of the people I have … Continue reading That One Need We All Have
Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of your local Council? Why does it exist? I spent 16 years working in local government, and over those years, I came … Continue reading Does Your Local Council Fulfill its Purpose?
Introduction At 5:45 pm on Wednesday, December 13, Tropical Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North Queensland coast between Cooktown and Port Douglas. It was a Category 2 cyclone but still … Continue reading A Time to Rebuild and Heal
A mighty tree grows from a tiny seed and is nurtured by many other small actions, such as watering, sunshine, and mulch. Without the support provided by the myriad of … Continue reading Small and Quircky is Best
When our thoughts turn to youth, particularly youth crime, one of the immediate strategies that comes to mind is mentoring. I am by no means an expert on mentoring as … Continue reading Mentoring….Why Stop at Youth?
So, we are in a situation where government policies and actions need to address the drivers of crime, and their explicit policies are creating a problem where crime will not reduce and may even increase.
What are we to do?
The answer is quite simple. And that is Community. It is always the answer. We have immense power as a community to create change, but we have abdicated our responsibility for action to the government and its agencies. Let’s look at how we can take this power back.
It is a real joy to read a book outside of your usual professional reading that strikes so many familiar chords. Mia Birdsong’s How We show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship … Continue reading How We Show Up: Reclaiming, Family, Friendship and Community by Mia Birdsong. A Review.
Over the past year I’ve read some amazing books from a range of disciplines and at least three of them sit well together as books that complement each other. While … Continue reading Cormac and John, Bruce and Oprah, Gabor and Daniel
Introduction When I first heard that Cormac Russell and John McKnight were going to release a new book I placed a pre order with the Book Depository. I was that … Continue reading Connecting Community
When I first arrived in Nowra a well known travel guide referred to it as the place you drive through to get to somewhere nice. Not a glowing reference. Nowra … Continue reading How a Mural Changed The Way I Worked
Herding Together 