4th PASCAL Observatory International Conference - Building Stronger Communities

Melbourne, Australia

Event Information

The fourth international conference hosted by the PASCAL Observatory aims to examine the roles played by place management, social capital and learning regions in building stronger communities, through the themes of New Learnings, Better Governance and Future Directions. The Conference will consider issues concerned with governance and implications for learning and social capital. It will look at how researchers and practitioners can partner to learn, evaluate, extend and deepen good practice.

Building Stronger Communities: Learnings, Governance, Directions

July 13 and 14, 2006, Melbourne, Australia

Call for Papers | Registration | Program

PASCAL BOOK LAUNCH — Sponsored by City of Melbourne
Thursday 13 July 2006: The Supper Room, Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC

Conference registration includes an invitation to the launch of proceedings from PASCAL's 3rd international conference in October 2005 convened in Scotland : Making Knowledge Work: Building Sustainable Partnerships through Place Management, Social Capital and Lifelong Learning. This conference examined the policy and practice implications of research in different models of place management, the role of social capital and learning regions, and future research directions in these areas.

PASCAL CONFERENCE
Friday 14 July 2006: Story Hall, RMIT University, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC

The fourth international conference hosted by the PASCAL Observatory aims to examine the roles played by place management, social capital and learning regions in building stronger communities, through the themes of New Learnings, Better Governance and Future Directions.

The Conference will consider issues concerned with governance and implications for learning and social capital. It will look at how researchers and practitioners can partner to learn, evaluate, extend and deepen good practice.

The Conference line up draws on PASCAL's global network, and includes national and international speakers:

Plenary session — Contemporary Social and Economic Priorities and Practices: How they are Changing — An International Perspective, led by Professor Barry McGaw AO, University of Melbourne.

Plenary Thematic Discussion — led by Professor David Adams, Executive Director, Strategic Policy & Research Division, Department for Victorian Communities.

The Conference format includes two sessions of concurrent papers.

Researchers from a range of disciplines, practitioners and policy makers are invited to contribute to this discussion to further the understandings and development of Stronger Communities. We invite you to consider your experience and learnings in the context of the conference themes and the resources located on the PASCAL website at http://www.obs-pascal.com/

Abstracts due by May 22, 2006.

Cost is AUD$100 and includes copy of book of proceedings from PASCAL's 3rd international conference.

POLICY FORUM - Department of Victorian Communities with PASCAL
Thursday 13 July 2006 - REGISTRATION CLOSED*

* Please note the PASCAL Policy Forum is now fully subscribed. It was an invite only event on day one of the PASCAL event and is available only to participants who received an invitation, responded and have confirmation from the Department for Victorian Communities.

This Policy Forum will showcase successes, challenges and learnings generated by different models and initiatives to strengthen communities. The Forum's themes — New Learnings, Better Governance, Future Directions — will be explored through a series of three concurrent Roundtables.

The Roundtable format opens a creative space to connect policy and practice, government and communities, ideas and action. These moderated Roundtables will present two case studies comparing and contrasting international and national (Victorian) perspectives. Moderators will form a panel to report their Roundtable's findings in a plenary discussion.

Two initiatives with Victorian links will be profiled to consider how networks contribute to developing, testing and promoting partnerships and new ways of working, especially by connecting different groups and ideas:

? PASCAL International Observatory — an international alliance providing an on-line strategic information service on developments in place management, social capital and learning regions, led in Australia by RMIT University.

? The Agora — a space for government, business, community sectors to share expertise, experience and knowledge in responding to complex contemporary challenges for community, led by Melbourne City Mission.