Community Works Blog
The nuts and bolts of strengthening community organisations
Many years ago I had the opportunity to work with communities of Quechua-speaking people in the high Andes of the north of Peru. In one instance I was part of a team conducting a needs assessment to work out what programs or services a local NGO might be able to offer.
Key ingredients for effective community research
We have had a positive experience working with two community groups to design and conduct research on topics they consider important.
‘We are not researchers’ – Making M&E accessible
The increasing need for evidence of the impact of investments in social development, health and education programs places pressures on organisations and their staff. This is not unreasonable, but for many people, monitoring and evaluation remains an obscure subject, distant from the day-to-day activities of working with clients.
Applying place-based approaches to strengthen social and community support systems
As strategic partners of Spring Impact, we have been pleased to coordinate an international study of place-based approaches to early childhood development this year with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The term ‘place-based’ was new to us, but it soon...
Young Dark Emu: A new resource for conflict transformation in Australia
Over the school holidays, I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Bruce Pascoe’s new book, Young Dark Emu, along with my eight-year-old daughter. Young Dark Emu looks at the highly advanced land cultivation methods developed by Aboriginal people in this country...
Visual methods for working with community groups
This article responds to requests we have received for more information on visual methods that enable productive conversations with community groups. These conversations may be around problems they are seeking to tackle, the planning of a project, the airing of views on a particular subject or other situations in which someone is facilitating a session with a group of local people.
Review and reflection instead of evaluation
All development projects and programs need and deserve to be evaluated. A good evaluation measures impact, generates new knowledge on program design and provides insights on how to improve the work. An even better one engages participants and beneficiaries in the...
San Isidro; diversity and organisation
Carolina and Steve were invited to meet with people of San Isidro, a community in the Cauca Valley, Colombia. The purpose was to understand their achievements and priorities. In this way, we would also gain an appreciation of their work with Ecofuturo, who facilitated...
Some reflections on mental health for World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day. My mother was not a refugee, but she wanted to be. My mother was not a refugee, but she wanted to be. Her family applied for protection visas to escape the war unfolding all around them in Europe, but by the time they gained entry to the United...
The complex mosaic of health promotion
Since 2015, Community Works has contributed to the work of the National Best Practice Unit for Tackling Indigenous Smoking.