In this YouTube video, Gaston discusses how the young people in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, keep their finger on the pulse of what is happening in their community. If you want numbers, they won't have them. But they do have a sense of the progress that the community is making and they are able to take action when they see a problem. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n-OmxxWdnk…

Matt Campbell and i have been developing the learning network across the state of Victoria, Australia.  the learning network bring people together for ongoing, strategic conversations to learn, share knoweldge and build networks of relationships that support the ability to deal with natural events before, during and after the event e.g. bush fire. 

there have been many learnings as we have gone about this namely - community capacity to respond to the issues around them, care,…

CARE EMPHASIS team works on issue of cross-border migration and HIV.  For last few years the team in  Mumbai has been working in destination for Nepali and Bangla speaking migrant community. The work includes providing information on HIV, outreach, infotainment etc. However engaging the community in HIV response was a challenge. 

Here is what happened…

Scenario in April 2013

CARE invited us (India competence) in April 2013 to introduce community life competence to…

Some years ago, I worked for the National AIDS Council (NAC) on a project funded by the World Bank. It was a well-funded project and we set up youth centres in 129 districts. We gave money to Youth Associations for training and sensitisation. We had more than enough money, we had set-up an excellent programme and we had a group of very knowledgeable people who were dedicated to behaviour change in young people. 

And I was one of…

When I worked for the World Bank I managed the gift of small grants to Community Service Organisations  (CSOs). When I was doing this work, people did not see me as someone who had something to share; rather they see me as someone who can bring them sponsorship. In short, people saw me as a source of money. 

The expectation of the public that I am interacting with depends on my identity. And if the first thing that I do when I…

Some years ago, I worked for the National AIDS Council (NAC) on a project funded by the World Bank. It was a well-funded project and we set up youth centres in 139 districts. We gave money to Youth Associations for training and sensitisation. We had more than enough money, we had set-up an excellent programme and we had a group of very knowledgeable people who were dedicated to behaviour change…

I recently wrote a blog about measuring the response of a community to inclusion at Hua Rin Temple in Thailand. I have been asked if I had more detail about the measures that the community took in order to encourage inclusion. Here they are. The conversation took place in 2006.

The Health Centre in Thung Satok sub-district, San Pa Tong district, Chiang Mai province…

Because Climate change affects many aspects of community lives - their crops, water, buildings, health .....if then this is true and resonates with our experience, then why not explore the leads and propose CLCP/SALT????

Sustainable management & Utilization of Natural Resources - is one entry point; The Fish, Forest, Wet Lands, .....

Can an Appreciative Inquiry conference slated for Jan. 8-10, 2014 in Nepal help spark peace in the conflict-ridden country? Co-organizer RC Lamichhane has high hopes it can, given his past experiences with large-group AI summits. Pictured above, speakers of the 2009 World Appreciative Inquiry Conference, which took place in Nepal. http://www.axiomnews.ca/node/3894

This story was told to me by the Abbot of Hua Rin Temple, Phra Athikarn Tahanawat, in 2006. I used this experience recently so that we could understand more clearly the power of measuring progress in a consistent and persistent way. I thought that perhaps it might be useful for others.

The people of Sanpatong District in northern Thailand worked long and hard to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS were accepted by the community. In such a situation, it is easy to become…