Papers & Presentations
Communitybuilders, NSW
Linda Magee, Strategic Projects Division, Premier's Department NSW
Communitybuilders.nsw (www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au) is a new Internet resource to support communities in NSW. Many NSW communities have taken steps to make their communities flourish and prosper. The communitybuilders.nsw website tells their stories and encourages others to contribute their case studies to build an archive of grass roots projects.
Community building is a new approach to community development which focuses on collaboration and capacity building to find local solutions to local issues. The website is managed by the NSW Premier's Department, in consultation with community groups. It went live earlier this year and includes a toolkit of techniques for community building, articles on community issues, case studies, related links and a discussion forum and noticeboard. It has both an urban and regional focus.
The site offers opportunities for people to find out what is happening in communities across NSW, to discuss and share issues and information and to apply this information in a practical way.
Biography
Linda is Project Manager of the communitybuilders site in the NSW Premier's Department. This involves developing and building the site by liaising with community groups, seeking out and publishing community building case studies, articles and related links. Prior to that Linda was Web Editor at the State Library of NSW. Other career steps included some time in public relations, working as a marketing and promotions consultant with NSW public libraries, and many years at the coalface as an information professional in research and customer service.