[Nettime-bold] Promoting Public Participation in Community Development -

[[We apologize for cross-postings]]

( Please forward to colleagues or professional list-serves and publicize this information in newsletters or other publications )

Promoting Participation in Community Development

Models, Methods and Best Practices

A workshop for practitioners, researchers and community organizers wanting to build public participation in community development, community youth development, community health and environmental projects

Sponsored by the Community Partnership Center - University of Tennessee

Email Registration Packet

Preliminary Workshop Schedule

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

November 30 - December 3, 2000

Hilton - Downtown

Knoxville, TN ~ USA

About the workshop

This four-day workshop will focus on models, methods, tools and best practices for promoting participation in community development.

During this workshop, practitioners with particular experience in the areas of community development, community youth development, community health, and environmental projects will share their models and methods for doing participatory community research and planning, and will facilitate small group sessions around their own experiences and participants' best practices in these sectors. Presenters include representatives from The National Civic League, The Center for Community Change, The National Network for Youth, The Urban Habitat Program, Community Resources Inc., The Institute for Development Studies, the Community Partnership Center (CPC), and local organizations in Knoxville, TN.

Participants will get hands-on experience in a number of participatory methods and tools during the workshop, and will have the opportunity to select working sessions most relevant to their own work or capacity building. A special session on the CPC's Planning Team approach to participatory community research and planning will be held. In addition, plenary discussions will address participatory monitoring and evaluation opportunities, techniques, and concerns.

Workshop Sessions

Bridging Participatory Approaches in Community Development: In this plenary session, Andrea Cornwall from the Institute for Development Studies, Sussex, UK will discuss the relevance of participatory approaches and practices pioneered in the developing world to community development contexts in industrialized nations (e.g. United Kingdom and United States). Ms. Cornwall will draw heavily on her own experiences in applying these approaches to urban community development contexts in London. This session will provide participants with an opportunity to dialogue with Ms. Cornwall and discuss models, methods and tools for promoting participation in community development efforts.

Public Participation Best Practices Sharing and Strategizing Sessions: There will be (2) best practices sharing sessions and (2) participation strategizing sessions. The (2) best practices sharing sessions will be composed of (4) concurrent sessions where practitioners from Community Resources Inc, The Urban Habitat Program, The National Network for Youth, the CPC, The Center for Community Change and The National Civic League will share their own models, methods and tools, and facilitate an open dialogue on best practices for promoting participation in community development, community youth development, community health, and environmental projects. Participation strategizing sessions will highlight why, when and how to use specific participatory methods and tools during each phase of the community development process in order to maximize citizen participation and capacity building.

Tools Bazaars: (2) Tools Bazaars will be held for workshop participants. Each bazaar will highlight a number of tools and methods for promoting participation in community development and give workshop participants hands-on experience in using these tools. Workshop participants will choose the tools and methods that are most relevant to their own work and be trained in the implementation of these approaches.

The Planning Team Approach to Community Development: The Planning Team approach to promoting participation in community based research, planning and development will be described and discussed during this session. Additionally, phases in this approach will be further discussed during the participation strategizing sessions and best practices sharing sessions mentioned above.

Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation in Community Development: During this session workshop participants will be introduced to the conceptual framework and techniques for implementing participatory monitoring and evaluation efforts within community development projects. In conjunction with this, from Friday through Saturday, participants will be engaged in a hands-on participatory process evaluation of the workshop that will culminate during the participatory monitoring and evaluation session.

Panel Discussion: Public Participation and Community Development in Knoxville, TN: Suzanne Rogers (Center for Neighborhood Development], Sherry Kelley Marshall (Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement), Gwen Winfrey (Morningside Heights Neighborhood Association), and Dale Smith (Knox County / Knoxville, TN Public Building Authority) will discuss efforts within the Knoxville, TN Empowerment Zone to promote public participation in community planning and development.

Workshop Information

Workshop Fee

$400.00 (US)

The fee covers registration, workshop publications, including Promoting Participation in Community Development, workshop proceedings, other resource materials and breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday. Additionally, all workshop participants and their organizations will be given (1) year of follow-up technical assistance from the CPC on promoting participation in community development.

Workshop Location and Hotel Accommodations

All workshop activities and meals will be held at the Hilton - Downtown. A block of rooms has been reserved at this hotel for workshop participants. You must make your own reservations by calling 1-877-644-5866 (toll free) or 865-523-2300 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST, Monday - Friday. To receive the special workshop room rates of $55 (federal rate), $60 (state rate) and $68 (non-government rate) you must make your reservation by October 30^th, 2000. Be sure to mention our workshop code "DEVE1" in order to get the discount rate.

Workshop Deadlines

Registration (including payment): October 30, 2000

Hotel Reservations: October 30, 2000

Workshop Publications and Resources

Workshop participants will receive a copy of Promoting Participation in Community Development, the workshop proceedings (including the shared model developed by all participants for promoting participation in community development), resources describing participatory tools and methods, a bibliography on participatory research planning and development, and other publications related to promoting participation in community development. Participants will receive these publications and other resources as part of their workshop fee.

Workshop Schedule

Thursday - 11/30/00

3:00 PM - 7:30 PM Registration

7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Social

Friday - 12/1/00

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Bridging Participatory Approaches in Community Development

10:15 AM - 12:15 PM Concurrent Best Practices Sharing Sessions

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM Lunch

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM The Planning Team Approach to Community Development

2:45 PM - 5:45 PM Tools Bazaar I

7:30 PM Dinner (on your own)

Saturday - 12/2/00

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Concurrent Best Practices Sharing Sessions

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Strategizing Session I: Public Participation in Community Development

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM Lunch - Panel Discussion: Public Participation and Community Development in Knoxville, TN

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Strategizing Session II: Public Participation in Community Development

2:45 PM - 5:15 PM Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation in Community Development

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Tools Bazaar II

7:30 PM Dinner (on your own)

Sunday - 12/3/00

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Overview: Our Shared Model for Promoting Public Participation in Community Development

For more information on the workshop contact: Tony Hebert ~ Coordinator ~ Participatory Research and Planning for Community Development ~ Community Partnership Center ~ University of Tennessee ~ (865) 974-4562 ~ Fax (865) 974-9035 ~ [email protected]

Workshop Presenters

Julia Burgess - Center for Community Change - Washington, DC

Ms. Burgess is the Director of Special Initiatives at the Center for Community Change. She directs the Center's work in organizing around community services and policy change, including building consumer input in the developing health care debate. Ms. Burgess holds an MSW from the University of Michigan.

Andrea Cornwall - Institute for Development Studies - Sussex, UK

Ms. Cornwall is a Fellow in Participation and Development at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, where she works with the Participation Group under the guidance of John Gaventa. She has worked on various aspects of participation in community development over the last decade, including: facilitating citizen participation in wellbeing assessments and collaborative planning in the UK, training facilitators to use participatory methodologies for a range of overseas development projects and programs, work on integrating and institutionalizing participation in primary health care, and participatory process evaluations. Ms. Cornwall has a Doctorate in Social Anthropology from the University of London.

Torri Estrada - The Urban Habitat Program - San Francisco, CA

Mr. Estrada is currently the Director of Community Action Research and also directs the Community Revitalization and Land Restoration Project (formerly the Brownfields Project) at the Urban Habitat Program (UHP). Using brownfields or land recycling as one of many community-building strategies, the Project works to build the capacity and leadership of community-based organizations to effectively direct urban revitalization efforts in the Bay Area and nationally. Mr. Estrada has a BS in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and a BA in Ecological Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley, and is a Masters degree candidate in Environmental Sociology at the University of Michigan.

Tony Hebert - Community Partnership Center - Knoxville, TN

Mr. Hebert coordinates participatory research and planning for community development, and the youth in development initiative at the Community Partnership Center - University of Tennessee. He has implemented community youth development projects in Florida, North Dakota and Tennessee. Mr. Hebert has an MA in Anthropology from the University of Florida, where he is also a Ph.D. candidate in this field.

Paul Jahnige - Community Resources Inc. - Baltimore, MD

Since 1993, Mr. Jahnige has been developing Community Resources, a regional urban environmental non-profit, that works in partnership to develop urban environmental programs in Mid-Atlantic cities. As Executive Director of Community Resources, he oversaw all of its initiatives in urban environmental education and training, community greening, participatory planning, and monitoring and evaluation. Mr. Jahnige currently works as a consultant on community-based forestry and community development initiatives. He has an MS from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Rebecca Lane - National Network for Youth - Washington, DC

Ms. Lane is a Program Director for the National Network for Youth. Working on the Best Practices Team, she provides leadership in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of all community youth development (CYD) initiatives for the National Network for Youth. Ms. Lane has an MS in Communications/Public Relations from the University of Louisiana.

Sherry Kelley Marshall - Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement - Knoxville, TN

Ms. Marshall is Executive Director of the Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement (PNI). As Executive Director of PNI, she serves as a resource to the board and volunteers involved in planning, implementing and evaluating the Knoxville, TN Empowerment Zone Prospectus. Prior to her work in Knoxville, TN, Ms. Marshall held a variety of positions over her 14 year tenure with the National NeighborhoodWorks founding organization, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NR). She has a BA in Psychology and Education from Earlham College.

Drew O'Conner - National Civic League - Denver, CO

Mr. O'Conner is Assistant Director of the National Civic League’s Community Services Program and the National Civic League specialist in healthy communities. He serves on the Coordinating Council of the U.S. Coalition for Healthier Communities and Cites, a national coalition that promotes quality of life improvement through grassroots citizen involvement in community problem-solving. Mr. O'Conner has an MPH from Tulane University.

Suzanne Rogers - Center for Neighborhood Development - Knoxville, TN

Ms. Rogers is the Executive Director of the Center for Neighborhood Development (CND), a non-profit organization that works with local residents to build the capacity of community-based organizations in neighborhoods throughout the greater Knoxville, TN area. CND's Transforming Neighborhoods Together (TNT) program won the 1996 National Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was featured at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul, Turkey. Ms. Rogers has a BS in Business Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Virginia Seitz - Community Partnership Center - Knoxville, TN

Ms. Seitz is the Executive Director of the Community Partnership Center - University of Tennessee and a Research Associate Professor of Planning with over 20 years experience in international and community development. She has implemented participatory community development projects and field trainings in participatory methods for research and planning in Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Guatemala, Romania, and the United States. Ms. Seitz has a Ph.D. in Urban Environmental Design and Planning from Virginia Tech University.

Dale Smith - Knox County / Knoxville Public Building Authority - Knoxville, TN

Mr. Smith is Chief Executive Officer of the Public Building Authority (PBA) for the County of Knox and the City of Knoxville, TN. The PBA manages the development and construction of all public facilities, including schools, for the area. The PBA is currently in the midst of a downtown redevelopment effort and Mr. Smith has been instrumental in pushing for greater public participation in this decision-making process. Previously, Mr. Smith was director of Florida operations for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

Gwen Winfrey - Morningside Heights Homeowners Association - Knoxville, TN

Ms. Winfrey is Director of the Morningside Heights Homeowners Association and an award winning neighborhood activist in Knoxville, TN. The Morningside Heights Homeowners Association has received a Neighborhood of the Year Award from Neighborhoods USA for their Morningside Stars Youth Program, and has been active in CND's TNT program. Ms. Winfrey is a community leader within the Knoxville, TN Empowerment Zone and serves on the governing body for this project.

Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN is located in eastern Tennessee approximately 2 and 1/2 hours east of Nashville, 3 and 1/2 hours north of Atlanta and 45 minutes west of The Great Smoky Mountains - the most visited National Park in the United States. Knoxville is a scenic city located on the Tennessee River with a vibrant night life, a diversity of fine restaurants, an active community of local musicians and artists and a rich assortment of cultural activities. Knoxville is a safe pedestrian city with reliable public transportation providing access to locations throughout downtown and the surrounding area. The Highlander Research and Education Center is just 20 miles northeast of Knoxville and grounds the area in a rich activist history, while the University of Tennessee, located a short walk from downtown, provides the backbone for an invigorating intellectual and cultural climate.

Workshop Registration Form

Please complete this form and return it with your check or money order by October 30^th, 2000. The space for this workshop is limited and you're registration will not be processed until we receive this form and your payment. When we receive your registration form and check or money order, we will send you a workshop packet and confirmation. Participants for this workshop will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.

Name: __________________ _________________

(Last) (First)

Title: _________________________________________

Organization: _________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

_________________________________________

City: _________________________________________

State/Country: _________________________________________

Email: _________________________________________

Web page address: _________________________________________

Telephone: (_____)__________

Fax: (_____)__________

Mail this form and your check to:

Community Partnership Center

C/O PPCD Workshop 2000

410 Aconda Court

Knoxville, TN 37996-0645

Make check or money order payable to:

Community Partnership Center - University of Tennessee

All payments must be in US dollars on a US bank or international money order.

Online Registration:

Online registration information and forms will be available within the next several months. Please check the Community Partnership Center web page for these materials beginning in August of 2000.

Web page address: www.ra.utk.edu/cpc