Stevie Girr of Development Trusts NI (DTNI), a member-led network of over 80 community organisations, tells us about the DTNI’s upcoming annual conference at the Duncairn Centre for Arts & Culture in Belfast on Wednesday 19 September.

Re-branded as the Community Expo 2018, this year’s conference theme is Community Ownership: A Movement for Social Change; a concept that drives much of the work of DTNI. For those not au fait with asset-based community development this promises to be a fascinating look at how communities can realise their social visions and create real sustainability through the ownership of physical assets i.e. formerly public sector-owned land or buildings.

The conference will, however, expand upon this concept so that the term applies to not just physical spaces but to ownership of process and of systems. The DTNI argument goes that communities could “own” services by challenging the way they are delivered, and/or enter partnership delivery arrangements with local authorities. Most importantly, they can take control of decision-making that affects their communities directly. In this way, citizens can truly own the communities in which they live.

There are two other interlocking, concurrent themes that form the spine of the conference: delegates will hear about how the introduction of Community Rights legislation in NI would provide for the right to participative democracy and the right to challenge, as described above, but also the right to bid and to buy, thus providing the legislative underpinning for the future of asset-based community development.

The theme of community wealth building will also be explored throughout the day. Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) CEO, Neil McInroy, will help launch the Creating Resilient Local Economies in NI document, a project on which DTNI has been collaborating with CLES over the last few months. The manifesto is intended to be a tool that can be used by community anchor organisations to help keep wealth local – to purchase goods and services produced locally and to lobby local authorities to reconsider their procurement policies.

As well as hearing from four compelling keynotes the Expo will take a more detailed look at the built heritage and arts sectors, with help from co-curators Architectural Heritage Fund, Theatre NI, Community Arts Partnership and DTNI members Open House Festival.

Keynotes

Lesley Riddoch is an award-winning journalist, commentator and broadcaster who writes regularly for the Scotsman, the Sunday Post and Guardian amongst others, and runs her own independent radio and podcast company, Feisty Ltd. She has recently piloted a documentary series entitled ‘NATION’ which profiles the small but successful northern European nations neighbouring Scotland. Lesley will reflect on land reform and community ownership across rural Scotland and consider the lessons therein for social activists in NI.

Neil McInroy is the CEO of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, a Manchester-based think-and-do tank. A leading commentator on economic development he has been involved in public sector policy and delivery for over 25 years. Neil will present on the NI Charter for Local Economies, a joint initiative between CLES and DTNI which provides a framework for the actions needed to create resilient local economies.

Sarah Longlands is Director of IPPR North, the north of England branch of the IPPR progressive think tank. She is an expert in regional and local economic development, place and planning, participative democracy and civil society. Sarah will present on the work of IPPR North and its critique of social and economic policy across the north of England as well as emerging trends in civil action that are driving change across the UK.

Matthew McKeague is CEO at the Architectural Heritage Fund, an organisation that promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK. His areas of expertise are regeneration, social enterprise and social impact measurement and his innovative ideas for historic churches led him to become involved in many high-profile regeneration projects. Matthew will address the theme of built heritage and the inclusion of local communities as owners of heritage to support sustainable development.

For more information, contact Stevie McGirr at [email protected] or visit www.dtni.org.uk