Photo post by @JamieDedes.

Source: Iceland: sounds like my kind of country!

Cultural Planning CAN WA Sept – Oct 09 Assessment Task 2: Theory​

Question
1. Give a description of 3 different community consultation techniques and an appropriate situation which each might be employed

a. A community consultation technique is “World Cafe, or Cafe to Go!” Flexible, safe, hospitable, and relatively informal, this forum can be used for community members, including individuals who do not know each other, or who are from minority groups, or who may feel marginalised, to come together, to be informed, to contribute their opinions, and listen to others opinions, about one or more specific matters. World Cafe might be an appropriate way for an independent cultural worker identify if consensus can be reached, by the community members, for example, to identify whether community interest in public art projects exists.
b. Another community consultation technique is “Open Space Technology”, which is more of a short workshop when there are a diverse group of individuals who are participating because they care. It is good to create an atmosphere of equality, to inform the participants about complex matters, provide an environment where listening, discussion and swift feedback can occur. This might be appropriate when dealing with a controversial matter, such as to ask the community to contribute ideas about how to modify an important heritage-listed, community-owned, and community-use, property.
c. A third format is “21st. C. Town Meeting”, which seems especially suitable to developing awareness, and generating informed, in-community-discussion involving a common, large group of community members, working in smaller groups, in ‘on the day’ electronic information-processing, discussion and review, and voting-processes. This type of meeting might an initial step to gather relevant information with which to build a more detailed community cultural plan.

1. What are some steps you could take to ensure equity and inclusiveness in the consultation and participation process

Some steps to ensure equity and inclusiveness in the consultation and participation process of community consultation are:
• Give a lot of consideration to the process/es of recruitment of participants, be open to ideas and creative in this process, to pleasantly surprise, and encourage individual participation
• consultation processes to take place in hospitable, neutral environment
• welcome all participants with equal warmth and attention
• on the day make the process involved transparent i.e., gently request participation and cooperation and explain why information needed – some examples
o a decision is in the hands of the public
o advice on/provision of a number of solutions
o obtaining feedback, suggestions for alternatives
o to ensure the public’s view is heared/understood
• ensure all participants are equally informed, briefed and prepared both prior to and on the day on all matters, including timing/s
• clearly verbalise in non-threatening manner the aims and outcomes hoped for
• offer and explain how to request assistance during the day
• explain positive rationale of consultation etiquette and rationale/s
• make sure participants know extra copies of all information is available for them
• build into the process ways some elections to change seating and/or re-group
• encourage continuing contribution for whole period
• request all parties wear name tags
• ask each member to give a short 3-minute overview of themselves and their interest in the matter
• allow reasonable period for breaks, including the quirky:
o exercise
o refreshment and
o informal exchange
o stimulate impulsive artistry (ie, Sian)
o laughter
• build community confidence in the process and cut down cynicism by:
o providing a healthy level of feedback – the same level at the same time, to all participants
o keep all participants – informed of on-going process and any outcomes, even when the process takes a lot of time, even years
o acknowledge to general community groups and individuals who offered and contributed to the process –
o be transparent again and again
3. What requirements of Council may affect community consultation and cultural planning
Council may affect community consultation and cultural planning in the following ways:
• Insurance/risk analysis requirements
• Budget requirements
• Venue use
• May be subject to council vote
• Timing requirements
• Requirement to meet deadlines
• Council may be unable to provide all relevant, comprehensive and up-to-date information in a timely manner because of: (eg)
o Confidentiality constraints
o governance constraints
o planning restrictions

1. What type of resources (including information available and personnel involved) would you need to conduct a small community meeting
   Resources required would probably be broken into stages, depending upon approval/s gained to proceed: Examples of the types of resources needed to conduct a small community meeting would be:
   • Stage 1:
   o Information about
   ▪ level of funding available
   ▪ timing issues
   ▪ desired outcomes
   ▪ welcome to country opportunities
   ▪ clear pathways to – All necessary permissions from relevant authority/ies
   o 2/3 staff, several volunteers
   o Ability to hire welcoming, safe, appropriate venue
   o Tools to comply with all insurance/risk/h&S requirements
   o Authority to proceed
   o Intial petty cash funds
   • Stage 2:
   o Decision/approvals to proceed
   o Time to build participant list and
   ▪ Access to any community demographics
   ▪ Time to analyse community composition
   ▪ Access to any other relevant community Information
   ▪ Access to information about the subject of the meeting
   ▪ Time to research and be informed about the subject
   ▪ Senior staff Sign-off on rationale of invitation list and authority to proceed
   • Stage 3:
   o Time, staff, funding and office space, access to equipment to:
   Develop and build action plan, including
   ▪ venue, use of venue, map/s, location of parking,
   special access, ramps, kitchen, toilets, h&s, etc
   ▪ Aim/s and outcome/s of event
   ▪ Timing
   • Event
   • Lead-up
   • De-brief
   • reporting
   ▪ Welcome to country format and party/ies
   ▪ Form of meeting:
   • Time/date/period/length
   • Seating
   • Any photographs, media
   • Consideration of any cultural requirements/formalities
   • Allocation of roles and activities
   • Data/information to be presented
   • Questions/answers and
   • collation/collection and retrieval
   • invitation to any visitors
   • reporting – how, who, where, when
   ▪ Time for discussion/decisions – relevant experts &/or presenters
   • Invitations to presenters/experts
   • To & fro: confirm timing/content/q&a,/processes, cost, travel
   ▪ Time and staff to analyse and prepare budget, costings and action chart:
   • Staffing
   • Cost of venue hire
   • insurance
   • Send letters of agreement/offer to presenters/experts – agree cost
   • Information packages
   • Postage
   • Stationery
   • Any equipment hire
   • Office costs, fax, phone, internet
   • Invitations/posters/advertising
   • Catering, cleaning
   • Cost of presenters, experts
   • Preservation of information and images
   • Other costs
   ▪ Set up, cleaning and final pack-up arrangements
   ▪ Information packages compilation format
   ▪ Review of all formats of
   • presentation of all to authorities for sign-off
   • venue, timing, risk, etc
   • Preserving information – etc
   • Budget finalisation and sign-off
   • Double-check of insurance, risk, h&s, etc
   • Stage 4:
   o Time, staff, funding and office space, access to equipment to implement plan:
   ▪ Creation of all approved information packages
   ▪ Timing of posting of information and confirmations, etc
   ▪ Any press releases/media kits, etc and send out
   ▪ compile confirmation of attendance/ send out replies and information packages
   ▪ run check re attendance confirmed of experts/presenters/visitors. Coordinate all
   ▪ run and coordinate
   • leadup
   • prepare venue
   • day/event
   • Post event
   • Stage 5:
   o Time, staff, funding and office space, access to equipment to:
   ▪ send out to participants
   ▪ send out to expert/presenters
   ▪ visitors
   • “thank you’s”
   • outcomes
   • next stage
   • what to expect
   • Stage 6:
   o Time, staff, funding and office space, access to equipment to:
   ▪ de-brief – level of success, what can be done better
   ▪ press release/s
   ▪ creation of textbook/manual “for next event”
   ▪ preservation of records and images

2. What methods could you employ to record the proceedings of a community meeting

If budget would allow, it would be advantageous to record the proceedings of a community meeting by a combination of several methods. In creating a plan for the proposed community meeting, it would good to make decisions at the outset, especially about the type of information sought and the optimum type/s of format/s, so that the method would allow the convenors to achieve that information available outcome, at the end of the process. This would then dictate, to some extent or another, the type/s of recording employed, eg:
– For a small (or small budget) community meeting:
1. At outset of meeting to advise participants of the type/s of recording taking place and request their assistance with the recording processes
2. Ask each individual to also take writing materials to each group, to jot down personal notes of each session they attend and advise at end of each session, each person to provide 6 key points they personally got out of that session, or felt most important in session, each point in a 1-line format
3. In addition, each table/group of participants/groups to nominate 2 record-keepers, each to record half the session.
4. Materials per group or table. Butchers paper seems to work well, with a large bulldog clip to keep sheets together. Plus a set of good quality coloured Textas.
– For larger, or bigger budget meeting, perhaps record-keeping could incorporate
5. audio- Recording of all presentations
6. audio- Recording of all Q&A sessions
7. Each table/group could be provided with individual, second-hand PC for record-keepers to use to record the group’s perceptions, as this would considerably reduce the requirement for transcription by staff

1. How would you communicate the outcomes of a community consultation back to the stakeholders
   Ways to communicate the outcomes would be a combination of:
   a. An invitation to stakeholders to attend a traditional Australian “morning tea” between the hours of 10am. – 12.30, to thank participants for their participation and to verbally present the outcome/s to them, with a short q&a thereafter.
   b. Provide a short summary, Included in a letter of thanks, composed and sent to stakeholders after the finalisation of internal reporting and consideration
   c. An offer to stakeholders to acquire a detailed, comprehensive copy of the outcomes – for a cost to them – of the cost of photocopying, binding and postage

As there would probably be budget considerations to take into account, and this may put some constraints on the form the communication of outcomes were conveyed back to stakeholders. This reporting should be considered and budgeted for at the outset. I would advise stakeholders/participants of the format at the commencement of proceedings.

1. How would you deal with someone involved in a consultation process who complains about other issues not directly related to the consultation in hand
   If a participant complained about other issues not directly related, I would:
   • listen carefully to what they are complaining about to ascertain whether there is any overlap.
   • If there is no overlap, take some careful notes and check with them to make sure I have correctly recorded what they are complaining about
   • Explain politely to them I do not think their complaints form part of the current procedure, and why.
   • try to find and provide the correct contact for them to report their complaint to

2. What do we mean by ’cultural mapping’ and what is its purpose

3. Hawkes says: “Sustainable development and the flourishing of culture are interdependent” (p. 12, handout). Cultural mapping is a positive process that can assist culture to flourish, as it is primarily undertaken to help community have a positive view of cultural diversity within their own environment, the environment that they occupy. An aspiration of community mapping is to encourage an optimistic view of the wider community, by community members and groups. Community cultural mapping is underpinned by a community’s cultural resources, both everyday and unique. Cultural mapping is also the way those resources are correctly identified and properly recorded.
   There may be many, diverse reasons for carrying cultural mapping. A selection is:
   • To identify, preserve and make available local knowledge and history, including historic and recent oral knowledge
   • To combat lethargy and inertia in smaller, or less strong elements in the community, by recognising they are important and positively acknowledging their value, and thus empowering them
   • To identify ,record and make available the facets of a community, including those not generally identified or acknowledged
   • To encourage community esteem, harmony and well-being by providing the community with knowledge about the different groups and parts of their community
   • to encourage younger generations to take an interest in their community and surroundings – by building a community map which defines their community, including in ways accessible to them.
   • To provide community with an essential tool that allows them to begin to identify ways they may choose to enhance and develop their own community and its well-being, such as
   o Improve the environment the community occupies
   o Understand the community possesses unique assets. These assets could be such as diverse language skills. These assets may lead to:
   ▪ Opportunities for the knowledge to be spread through the community
   ▪ Development of high-quality tourism opportunities
   ▪ Increase in high-quality, unexpected, and possibly higher-return employment opportunities
   o Provide needed community resources such as museums or other cultural venues
   o Making the history of the community live, and be accessible to the community
   ​
4. What are some specific creative methods you could employ to engage community members in cultural mapping.
   Cultural mapping can be structured to utilise all and any type of community project, artistic or otherwise. There are infinite ways to collect cultural mapping data

– Some examples of the types of event cultural mapping could be aligned to:
o the building of a local school garden, wall, path or mural
o the development of a large visual artform (mural, quilt, banner/s) to celebrate the local town anniversary
o collection and recording of the community oral history, of all types
o event or celebration at local library, i.e. book readings of local authors, children’s activities centred around local knowledge or history
o KAB busy bee to clean and beautify the local communal environment
o National Science Week events
o Charitable events, i.e., collection of local funds, ie for orphans, famine, refugees
o Church celebrations of many types, ie St. Luke’s Day, which is a day of hospitality for all
o Indigenous events, i.e., NAIDOC, reconciliation events
o Events run by local ethnic organisations, i.e. an Italian, or Hellenic Club,
o Events run by local social organisations, i.e. the Race Club
o Language events, i.e., the cafes run by Alliance François
o Eco-events, i.e., the 350 event at Government House this weekend
o Gay events, women’s events, men’s events, children’s events
o Local Annual Agricultural Show
Information from all of the above could be fruitfully used in cultural mapping

1. What is the purpose of a cultural plan

The main purpose of a cultural plan as defined by the City of Gosnells in their Cultural Plan 2007 – 2010 is: “a strategic process which highlights the values of a community in a way which informs City’s thinking policies and programmes”. Personally it seems there are, or could be, many other purposes of a cultural plan, depending upon who commissions the plan and how the outcomes sought might be.

1. What council policies or planning documents could you utilise in developing a cultural plan

The council policies or documents that might be employed could include:
o The WA Local Government Cultural Planning Programme
o Council strategic plan
o Council planning bylaws
o community demographics the local council may have available
o Historic and heritage records held by council
o Any/all statistics held by council on previous or existing cultural events: festivals, exhibitions, other annual events
o Details of parks and other community resources, buildings, swimming pools etc
o Details and/or records of local art galleries, libraries, museums
o List of all existing cultural or artistic initiatives currently operating or planned
o Lists of community organisations, such as ethnic clubs, churches, charitable organisations
o Contact details for any of the above

1. How could you communicate the plan to all stakeholders
   Communicating the plan to all stakeholders prior to the process commencing would be possible by;
   providing information in the form of flyers, posters containing a full outline and with detailed contact information. These could be sent out to the following groups, with a press release requesting assistance to distribute the opportunity to the public.

o all local organisations of all types, ie churches, indigenous groups, social groups, ethnic groups
o The offices of local federal, state, regional and local government
o The local telecentre
o The local hospital
o The local police station
o The local mines department office
o Local businesses
o Local charitable organisations
o Local radio stations
o Local television stations
o SBS TV and radio (with a request to provide the information in other languages)
o
In addition, an electronic blog or notice board, or website could be set up, details of which could appear on the handouts and posters.

Susanne Harford​​Page 1 of 9