Practising Community-led Development

A range of strategies, tools and methods are available to development practitioners who work directly with communities. This subject focusses on the use of those methods, along with the strategies and skills required for effective community-led development practice. It is taught through workshop sessions that encourage a high level of interaction between students as they engage in participatory learning methods and group work. We start with the foundations of community-led development practice, including project governance and decision-making, cross-cultural considerations and the scope and nature of project achievements when viewed from a community perspective. We build on these foundations by examining examples and case studies (including from Aboriginal organisations in Australia) that illustrate ways of working effectively with the community, including partnership building, engagement with government and other stakeholders and ethical considerations in working with communities. We move on to consider how best to communicate about projects to build partnerships and attract support, using the Men's Shed movement in Australia as an example. A central component of the subject is that students will explore and apply in workshop settings a range of key participatory tools and methods. Workshop content will frequently refer to examples from diverse projects and programs. The content of the subject will address specific challenges in community-led in development practice and ways in which practitioners can navigate the complexities of the work they do.