Communities, government and professionals are all seeking more effective tools to assist positive change in rural communities.
The Centre for Rural Communities has produced two publications that distill 15 years of community work into a process for working effectively and positively to enable communities to achieve their own goals and dreams.
Growing and Learning in Rural Communities – a development manual for professionals working in rural communities. The revised edition has recently been published July 2024
This is a professional development manual for rural and regional workers in every field from landcare to economic development. It is a step by step process for workers wishing to assist change within communities and is designed to facilitate study circles.
Too frequently only a single section of a community is engaged and consequently, projects do not have widespread local support. This manual contains the simple but critical skills of collaborative learning and local ownership respecting local knowledge. Stories of locally initiated ventures in community banking, newspapers, festivals, social events and environmental projects feature.
Purchase print or e-book from
The second publication from 2015, is Building Community Futures Through Co-operation – a study circle kit / work book
The kit assists groups to
- Establish a study circle to focus on the the future of the local community.
- Learn the skills that enable a disparate group to work co-operatively
- Focus on achievable outcomes
- Become leaders in determining futures of the community