Let’s Strengthen Community and not just Serve It
Jun 28, 2019 12:30 PM
Peter Kenyon
Let’s Strengthen Community and not just Serve It

Community life isn’t what it used to be! Evidence shows that compared with the mid-1980s, Australians today have four fewer close friends: people they could talk with frankly, without having to watch their words. 18% of people say they have no one to turn to in times of difficulty. Only one in three people know their immediate neighbour’s name, with a corresponding figure for how many people trust their neighbours. Over 40% of people in nursing homes never get a visitor…simply, levels of neighbour connection, trust and mental health are at all time low, with the experiences of loneliness and depression at all-time highs. Maybe, the way governments and service agencies ’do community’ needs challenging? Maybe less ‘to’ and ‘for’ community, and more ‘with’ and ‘by/of’ the community. Less ‘servicing’ community, more ‘strengthening’ community’. Less ’wrapping services’ around people, and more ‘wrapping community’. Less viewing and calling people ’clients’, ‘customers’, ‘patients’ and ‘consumers’…more engaging them as ‘co-owners’, ‘co-producers’, ‘co-designers’ and in fact ‘citizens’. 

A community enthusiast and social entrepreneur, Peter has worked with 2000+ communities across Australia and in 59 countries seeking to facilitate fresh and creative ways that stimulate community and local economic renewal. Motivated by the desire to create caring, healthy, inclusive and enterprising communities, Peter, through his organisation, the Bank of I.D.E.A.S (Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies), helps communities spark their own ideas and invest themselves in building sustainable futures. A significant part of the organisation's income is returned to innovative community initiatives. In the last year, he has worked with 70 communities from Marble Bar to Gnowangerup, Launceston to Cairns, and convened and facilitated community building conferences in Australia, India, Canada and New Zealand.   A keen author, Peter has written 16 books on community and economic development, youth policy and enterprise. Peter’s passion and purpose sees him traverse the globe continuously in his relentless desire to enable communities to discover their strengths and transform themselves. In 2011, he was a recipient of a Centenary Medal for his work with rural communities, and in 2017, was the WA Senior Western Australia in acknowledgement of his community entrepreneurialism. 

 PERTH ROTARY Lunch Meeting @ the Hilton 28 th June 2019

When: On Friday 28th June 2019

Location: Parmelia Hilton Hotel 14 Mill Street, Perth, WA

Time: 12:30 for 12:45 start - 2:00pm

Two course meal, with cash bar

Cost: $45.00 per person

Bookings essential to: info@rotaryperth.org.au by COB Tuesday 25th June 2019