My experience with encouraging community empowerment and capacity building in recent times has been mainly via the internet and in Africa. As an example (there are others) I have this week been working by email to replace this page with another, to reflect new project priorities in a community decimated by war and AIDS in the Congo. If these friends of mine (via the internet only) can, in that kind of circumstance, be so wise, why should we not go first to our toughest corners to find wisdom, beginning, say, with East Nowra 2020.
No big organisations called in to advise, instead the local community, with a little help, building a process.
If I stand and win I would put 20% of first year of mayoral allowance in immediately for East Nowra 2020, encouraging business leaders who care to contribute as needed. With zero strings attached, other than support for good money management. If we succeed in East Nowra, we move the model on..... Local Government Act; Charter for Councils: 'lead community.' The answers won't all be local government funded, but we take ideas and schemes to state and feds. Get the issue straight, fix the system after. Read Gillard on Social Inclusion.
