It Takes a Village to Raise a Child. But Somebody Still Has to Build the Village.
We’re told it takes a village to raise a child. It’s one of those phrases everyone loves. Politicians use it. Community leaders use it. Parents use it. We repeat it so often that it has become accepted wisdom, the sort of thing nobody would dare disagree with. The trouble is that we’ve become so busy…
Too Close to the Work: When Independence Becomes Convenient
Proximity can create bias, but distance can create ignorance. Good governance does not choose one automatically. It identifies, tests and balances both. I have noticed something curious about expertise. When an organisation needs somebody to build a program, manage a complicated partnership, solve operational problems and remember why a decision was made three years ago…
When Process Becomes More Important Than Purpose
I have lost count of the number of times I have heard someone say: “We followed the process.” Usually, they deliver it with the quiet confidence of someone placing the final card in a royal flush. Process followed. Boxes ticked. Decision made. Matter closed. Everyone can go home. Now, I like process. Anyone who has…
The Myth Of The Non-Emotional Decision: Why “It’s Just Business” Is Usually A Fairy Tale
One of my favourite phrases in the community sector is: “It’s not personal. It’s a business decision.” Every time I hear it, I become suspicious. Not because the decision is necessarily wrong. But because human beings have an extraordinary talent for convincing themselves they’ve reached a completely rational conclusion while standing waist-deep in history, relationships,…
Waterloo: When Did Solidarity Stop Listening?
Waterloo: When Did Solidarity Stop Listening? A protest can be righteous, noisy and well-intentioned — and still fail the people it claims to serve What happens when a protest movement becomes more invested in the fight than the people it claims to represent? Waterloo may be confronting that question right now. I write this as…
Chicago’s Settlement Houses Are Still Fighting the Hardest Battles in Community Work
Chicago’s settlement houses are not museum pieces. They are frontline institutions carrying impossible loads in a political and economic climate that keeps asking community organisations to do more with less, hold more complexity, and justify their existence repeatedly. After a week inside these centres, that much was unmistakable. Across visits to Gads Hill Centre, Erie…
Community Trust Isn’t Built Behind a Clipboard: Why Defensive Bureaucracy Is Killing Engagement in NSW
Here’s something many people running community engagement for NSW public agencies already know but rarely say out loud: too often, the system protects itself, and the community pays the price. Walk into many consultations run by officials and other public-sector agencies, and the pattern is familiar. Lanyards. Laminated boards. A feedback form with four pre-approved…
Leadership Transitions: Build the Future—Don’t Rewrite the Past
In the age of relentless self-promotion, leadership isn’t about staring into the mirror—it’s about serving the mission. In the world of community organisations and NGOs, leadership transitions are inevitable. They are pitched as moments of reflection, renewal, and sparkling reinvention. But let’s be honest: they are also the ultimate stress test of an organisation’s actual…
The Great Enemy of Unity: How Moral Certainty is Tearing Us Apart
In the age of moral certainty, everyone’s a saint—until they’re not. Welcome to the golden era of the five-second takedown, where the joy of swift judgement and the thrill of digital finger-pointing are just a “quote-retweet” away. With hashtags as armour and a black belt in righteous indignation, the gavel slams before the conversation even…
The Future of Social Cohesion: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned
Over the course of this series, we’ve laid bare what makes social cohesion the lifeblood of any thriving society. It’s not a background nice-to-have—it’s the glue that keeps our communities together in crisis and the fuel that drives us toward a fairer, bolder future. We’ve seen neighbours turn strangers into friends, community heroes create opportunity…
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