Five good ideas about the power of local solutions for stronger communities

In this session, originally recorded on September 18, 2018, we look at the power of local solutions for stronger communities with Karen Pitre.

For the full transcript, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-about-the-power-of-local-solutions-for-stronger-communities/.

The most successful solutions for building stronger communities have local support and are driven by local champions. Nonprofits, school boards, libraries, municipalities, community health centres, and many others understand that. They see the value in the local, and they’re not afraid of the challenges in developing local solutions with multiple partners. In her presentation, Karen Pitre offers five good ideas on how we can support local champions and break down the silos that get in the way of local initiatives.

Five Good Ideas

1. Bigger is not always better

2. Don’t give up – where there is will there is a way

3. Money is not the only answer; little things can make a big difference

4. You may have to give something up to make it work

5. It is important to listen, but it is also important to hear

Resources

1 Interested in building local capacity for informed community planning in Ontario? Join the resource network CommuntyHubsOntario to connect and engage with people in communities across Ontario.

2. Community hubs in Ontario: A strategic framework and action plan: This report summarizes what the Premier’s Community Hubs Framework Advisory Group heard when they met with community members, stakeholders, and other government ministries to learn how the government can deliver public services through local, community hubs.

3. Community Hubs and Partnerships, Queensland, Australia. Find out how Queensland has gone about transforming communities through cross-sector partnerships.

4. What is a community court? This report looks at how courts can play a role in solving complex neighbourhood problems and building stronger communities. An interesting example of the power of local solutions from the United States.

5. Greg Berman and Julian Adler: Start Here: A Roadmap to Reducing Mass Incarceration. This book offers a bold agenda for criminal justice reform in the United States based on equal parts pragmatism and idealism, from the visionary director of the Center for Court Innovation, a leader of the reform movement.

About Karen Pitre

Karen is the President of the Lonsdale Group, a strategic planning and project management firm that focuses on community infrastructure projects. Karen was the Special Advisor to the Premier on Community Hubs from 2015-2018. She has extensive experience in stakeholder consultation, strategic planning, and project management. Karen has also worked with all three levels of government, including as part of her work with the Toronto Olympic Bid in 2008 and with Waterfront Toronto.