Category: Papers
Community Transformation – preparing the foundations
Introduction Community transformation has been an ongoing process since humans began forming into groupings for support, security and comfort. Throughout history these community transformations, resulting from dramatic changes brought on by natural disasters, famines, strife and economic shifts, have often been exceedingly difficult and swift (i.e. the recent Tsunami, the flooding of New Orleans, the […]
The Complexity of Engaging Communities
Introduction: For over 20 years I have pursued community, economic and sustainable development in peripheral regional communities in Atlantic Canada, North Eastern Scotland and most recently in Quebec, a province of Canada. Each of these regions has gone through some crisis or challenge or has been languishing in the wake of such events. A multitude […]
People – their humaness
Globalization and the global community are words used to address a phenomenon causing the breakdown of geographical boundaries among the nation states of the world. We are slow to recognize that the collapse of local borders in our community-based structures is also occurring. As the world becomes borderless, ultimately everything we do will become borderless. […]
The Fragility of Communities
(The Picture – Heading to the office on my rental machine that will be used to travel along the string of communities along the Lower North Shore of Quebec to engage people in a series of CED workshops to address their serious issues of fisheries collapse and its implications) This presentation was delivered to our […]
Building Community – revisiting values
Building Community – revisiting values is a compilation of my articles published by Sir Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1997 COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT A conundrum Current government retrenchment with an ensuing devolution of responsibilities to more local areas is causing interesting dynamics in the field of community and economic development. Traditionally considered the […]
An Indian Experience -a report to the Commonwealth Foundation
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study tour was made possible with the support and assistance of many. First and foremost, Sam Chelladurai and his family who provided accommodation, guidance and a varied itinerary. The Commonwealth Foundation who provided support for travel costs. Numerous development groups, local community associations and individuals who shared their work, knowledge and hospitality. To […]
Community Wealth – Community Power
With conventional jobs rapidly disappearing new mechanisms are needed to distribute wealth and provide for the needs of people. The future will require local people have access to investment earnings as a means of wealth transfer. Taxation and social handouts have proven a disaster in this interim period that we have been struggling with job […]
Community Development – out from the margins
The nineties brings us to another similar but, profound juncture, as in the thirties and sixties, once again, the impacts of technological advancement begins to impact those further up the chain in society. Local initiative and involvement are again being espoused as the route forward. Similarly, as in other times, I would suggest, it provides […]
The Challenge of Change – dependency and its origins
This was a presentation to a fisheries based conference in Aberdeen First of all I am delighted to be able to participate in this forum dealing with the opportunities and future for fishing communities. In particular, it is encouraging to discuss these issues with the knowledge that a human tragedy hasn’t happened or is in […]