Who we are
Where we started
Since the early 2000s, many practitioners, community members, and academics have held a shared concern about the growing threats to participatory community development practice. What began as a quiet reflection and private discussions gradually became a collective resolve to act.
From private concern to collective action
The journey began when five senior practitioners came together, recognising that participatory community development was under serious threat. They agreed to take action to strengthen and sustain the practice. These five people were: Bea Rogan, Maria Tennant, Carmel Daveson AM, Anthony Kelly and Dr Peter Westoby.
They invited a group of colleagues to a Colloquium, chaired by Anthony Kelly, to test whether this concern was more widely shared.
Step 1
Naming the concern
The wider group at the 2022 Colloquium confirmed that it was.
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establish a Task Group to develop Terms of Reference for a Steering Committee
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charge the Steering Committee with forming an Institute grounded in participatory community development principles.
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When the Terms of Reference were developed and presented back to the Colloquium, they were adopted.
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Additional members joined the Task Group, and Carmel Daveson AM was nominated as Convenor.
The Steering Committee was formally tasked with enacting a participatory process to establish the Institute
Step 2
Building the Structure
The Steering Committee created a structure designed to enable broad participation and shared ownership. A number of Special Interest Groups were established, each with its own Terms of Reference and convenor reporting to the Steering Committee:
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Participation and Communication (Convenor: Maggie Shambrook)
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Strategic Engagement (Convenor: Helen Betts)
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Research (Convenors: Tina Lathouris PhD and Peter Westoby PhD)
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The Power of Dialogue (Convenors: Pam Bourke and Anthony Kelly)
In addition, short-term task groups were formed to undertake key pieces of work, including developing the Institute’s vision, mission, objects, and constitution.
Step 3
Growing a national movement
Engagement expanded across Australia, with many people connecting through the website (Webmaster: Rachael Donovan), a “Circle of Friends” emerged from the original Colloquium, growing steadily.
By the time the Institute was established, more than 320 people were connected to this emerging movement.
Step 4
Forming the Institute
In October 2025, the Australian Participatory Community Development Institute was formally constituted as a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee.
That same month, the Institute was officially launched at community development conferences in Port Douglas, Queensland, and Footscray, Melbourne.