Eugh, it’s all gloom and doom in the papers at the moment, the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) is sapping everyones confidence and optimism. So how can we keep going in a world of slashed budgets and wobbly jobs? Here are some sources of inspiration to keep you going and looking at the full part of the glass, not the empty…
ABCD – Asset Based Community Development - I heard a talk about this glass half full approach to building communties (and Barack Obama’s involvement) on Radio National this morning. You and your organisation may not have a lot in common with the South side of Chicago but the approach of identifying strengths to build on rather than all your unmet needs could work in any business, organisation or community that’s doing it tough! You can read more about ABCD in Australia on the ABCD Asia Pacific Network website. We don’t hold a copy of the seminal ABCD text Building communities from the inside out but you can chase one on inter-library-loan if you want to read more.
I’ve only heard some of this year’s Boyer Lectures (also on Radio National) – I’ll be picking up the parts I’ve missed from the podcasts. I’ve listened to Lecture 3: The future of newspapers: moving beyond dead trees (if you’re a librarian try substituting Library for Newspaper in this one and you’ll have a lot of food for thought!) and Lecture 4: Fourtune favours the smart. Try them yourself – inspiriation and challenge! You can use our Library resources to read more about Rupert Murdoch, or get inspired by past Boyer Lectures. Wikipedia has a potted history of the Boyers and some further links.
