Communities in Control The Conference. The Movement.
The Communities in Control Movement Local communities are the laboratories of innovation and agility. They deliver targeted social and economic outcomes, and they've laboriously and painfully accumulated a vast stock of knowledge about what works and what doesn't. If government, business, and philanthropic initiatives fail to respect that knowledge, they will fail; often, that’s precisely what happens. Too many governments respect only coordinated power or unquestioning support. Too many think that community groups can be ignored or picked off or bought off and silenced one by one. Too many philanthropic funders and well-meaning businesses splash around cash for causes they know little about and don't take the time to consult the experts. Every year for more than a decade the Communities in Control conference has offered an opportunity for community group workers, volunteers, supporters and others at the grassroots (particularly local governments) to look up from the coalface and look around them and see what could be possible. Our speakers – visionaries and statisticians, saints and entertainers, executives and academics – have filled in the outlines of a communitydriven realignment of Australia's fundamental assumptions. Our unwavering message has been that when communities are in charge of their own destinies and are able to set their own priorities, when they receive the practical support they need to design their own approaches and create their own solutions, Australia is a happier, healthier and livelier place on every scale from the nation to the street.
Why You Must Attend r Hear from and interact with Australia’s best thinkers, leaders and doers r Learn what’s next — make sure your community is prepared for what’s around the corner r Get refreshed — participants rate this the best opportunity they get all year to recharge their batteries r Get inspired — meet people who believe in the power of community, swap war stories, share solutions r Get access — this is the least expensive conference of its type around. No other conference offers you access to this calibre of speakers and professional development at such a low cost r Make a difference — this is your chance to influence the debate, to be part of the change
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