Growing and Learning in Rural Communities (Revised Edition)

Helen's work on collaborative engagement is particularly powerful as it tells the on the ground histories of local communities, and the practical changes that can be created.(Professor Robyn Eversole, 2022).Growing and learning in rural communities (Sheil 2024) is a professional development manual for facilitators of community engagement. The demand for place based facilitators able to invite dialogue and raise awareness of creative ways of working in partnership with decision makers...
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Helen's work on collaborative engagement is particularly powerful as it tells the on the ground histories of local communities, and the practical changes that can be created.(Professor Robyn Eversole, 2022).Growing and learning in rural communities (Sheil 2024) is a professional development manual for facilitators of community engagement. The demand for place based facilitators able to invite dialogue and raise awareness of creative ways of working in partnership with decision makers is growing. The Model of Collaborative Engagement for Transformation introduces theory and practices of nine strategies drawn from community development, adult education and regional development. Each contributes skills and knowledge that contribute to transforming relationships within and between communities and responsible agencies. Stories of change feature in the text. The challenge for facilitators is to initiate processes that enable the impact of current policies and practices to be visible (Ife 2019). To remain hopeful and strategic while acknowledging anger, distress and pain in our communities. It is a discipline requiring clear foundations, ethical practice and an ability to continually assess and affirm involvement. The work is about change. Creating change and responding to change, about making connections to reintegrate knowledge that has become siloed and dysfunctional. It is reframing the value of community knowledge, of involving those who have been marginalized, or reclaiming damaged landscapes and habitat. It is clear that more of the same will not lead to vibrant and resilient communities: urban or rural. Globally people are initiating responsive political systems capable of prioritising environmental and social wellbeing. The outcomes will not be known in advance, but new partnerships will emerge that could never have been envisaged. It will be a continuous journey of learning. Accredited by a major university the approach proved transferable across sectors with particular relevance for preparation, management and recovery from disasters. Workers from all sectors successfully facilitated planning and action from within communities.