We also welcome articles or suggestions for publication.

We are putting together our first newsletter in Spring 2012. After that we will be sending out one newsletter per month

A Very Happy & Peaceful Christmas

and

Every Good Wish for 2012

Bernard Joyce,

New Paradigms

Communities often respond reactively to such uncertainty, resulting in inbalance. Younger people tend to migrate to either urban centres for education or employment or as is happening presently, they are emigrating further afield. These leaves communities a smaller number of younger people and consequently more older people, who as they get older will be more dependent on services. However with fewer people of working age, there is less money coming into the local economy and this reduces the demand for services such as shops, pubs, schools and post-offices. As these services start to decline, economic activity spirals into further decline.

A political response has often been to inject money into these areas via grants or by attracting industry or small businesses, but as rural spiral into decline, they become less attractive to investment. Periods of economic prosperity have in the past given an impression that rural communities are bouncing back, but these periods have caused further imbalance. The attraction of the countryside as a better place to live in has often resulted in an “urbanisation” of rural areas, as people commute back to the towns and cities to work, shop and even attend school.

But communities around the world are adapting a more proactive approach:

A resilience approach is one where people in a community take intentional action to enhance the personal and collective capacity  of the people within that community to respond to and influence the course of social and economic change.

There are different definitions of “Resilience but in general it relates to “Social” and “Ecological” systems. Many rural areas still maintain high levels of resilience. The term community resilience is often used in relation to the scenario of “Peak Oil” but a community that is resilient is often as well equipped to deal with various scenarios, Hurricanes, Earthquakes and Economic Collapse.

New Paradigms have adapted an approach used in Canada that involves the whole community community coming together to increase their collective resilience.

This approach uses research to assess the level of resilience that already exists within a community to create a community potrait, This potrait then informs decisions that the community can take to increase resilience.

The research looks at some of the key functions of a local economy:

• Human Resources
• Equity
• Infrastructure
• Credit
• Research, Planning & Advocacy

If you want to find out more about what is resilience, New Paradigms are available to come to your community to give a two hour presentation on the benefits of adapting a resilience approach.

For More Information, please visit the Following

Stockholm Resilience Centre

Download Community Resilience Manual here

• What is Resilience
• What is Resilience
• Thouights on Resilience
• THoughts on Resilience
• What is Resilience

Video from Stockholm Resilience Centre

From Stockholm Resilience Centre

From CAT, Wales

Content goes here

Organisations that haven’t planned will lack Direction. A lack of direction may afford a false sense of flexibility but in actual fact it is the organisations that have taken the trouble to plan who have the greater flexibility.

Strategic Planning for Community Organisations and Voluntary Groups need not be a daunting task. A simple plan outlining the following is better than having no plan. A Good Plan should include the following

• Vision
• Mission
• Aims & Objectives
• Strategies
• Values
• Policies & Procedures
• Monitoring & Evaluation

New Paradigms – Training & Consulting can assist you in the Strategic Planning Process.  We offer training courses and workshops to meet the specific needs of your organisation or we are available to work alongside you as you undertake the important task of Strategic Planning.

So what is Governance? There are many definitions but quite simply it is “The Process of Making and Carrying Out Decisions”. Sounds simple but why do we so often get it wrong?

Good Governance should and does make the task of running an organisation of any size much simpler. It introduces accountability and transparency to its processes. It can help to shift and divide out the burden of running an organisation.

Good Governance Training for an organisation can be an extremely useful tool in building firm foundations. But most often after an organisation has been going for a number of years and starts to lose momentum, then it might be a good idea to undertake Governance Training.

New Paradigms offer Courses in Governance to organisations. Courses range from short introductions to full day workshops. But as with all New Paradigms Training, we can meet with you to discuss the option that best suits your needs.

The rural countryside provides everything we need to survive: Food, Fresh Air, Drinking Water and space. It is a resource that both urban and rural dwellers take for granted. New Paradigms advocate a “resilience” approach to how we look at these valuable resources.

Help is at hand though and it sometimes is easier to find and more useful than you think. Advice doesn’t always have to come in the form of expensive consultants coming in from the outside.

Sometimes the people with the skills we need are in our own community just waiting to be asked. We do all like to be asked!

A useful start it so carry out a skills resource audit, what skills are already within our community? Perhaps there’s an accountant who would be more than happy to help out with a funding application or a solicitor who might throw an eye over you articles of association to make sure than they are in order. Chances are that you will find people with specific skills in managing community organisations and qualifications in rural or community development.

There are people within our communities who are already nett recipients of your community organisation’s services, perhaps an elderly parent getting day care of children using the community centre, who will only be too delighted to volunteer their time. Check out the local volunteer organsations.

If people are reluctant, it might be from that real fear of being roped into something out of which there is no escape. We’ve all possibly been there. So specific, be clear out What you what this person to do, (or more importantly what you don’t expect them to do!”, when you want them to do it, how long it will take. Acknowledge their contribution.

Sometimes however we need some specialist advice. This need not be a daunting task nor need break the bank.

At New Paradigms – Training & Consulting, we don’t consider ourselves “experts”, we have all been involved at grassroots level with small and big organisations as volunteers so we know the score.  We believe that the expertise in running community organisations lies with it’s members. We can  facilitate your organisation in making the most out of what you have, to develop a real vision for your organisation and to mobilise your members towards greater goals.

Why not give us a call today to discuss your organisation’s or community’s needs.