Saturday Presentation and Workshop:  The 5 Stages Of Community Life and Community Do’s and Dont’s. Do you ever wonder why some communities move forward on issues, while others don’t? Or why some initiatives work in one community but not in another?  It’s because all communities are not the same.  The Harwood Institute’s experience has revealed that all communities fall into one of five stages, or rhythms, of community life with each stage having its own capacities.  The key is knowing which stage a community is at at any given time.  Knowing the stage of the community you’re working in allows you to create strategies, programs and actions that fit the capacity of that community.

Blaine Patterson is the Department of Family and Community Services Participation & Inclusion’s Northern Regional Coordinator, supporting and promoting community engagement and strengthening from the Central Coast to the Queensland border, and the north-eastern inland including the New England Tablelands.  Blaine has worked in local and state level government in Canada and Australia, in portfolios of community services, economic development, planning and environment, dispute resolution and collaborative governance.