This paper seeks to develop a case for (re)thinking education and sustainability with specific reference to rural Australia. It proposes a critical view of rural-regional sustainability, taking into account notions of bioregionality and ecosocial change. Two key points are made. One is the assertion that rural education as such is better…

The Whole of Community Engagement (WCE) initiative commenced in July 2014, led by the Office of Pro Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University (CDU). WCE aimed to build the aspiration, expectation and capacity of six remote and very remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory to participate and achieve in…

Resilience, of individuals, is a well-established concept in the psychology/mental health literatures, but has been little explored in relation to communities. Related theory in the community development and social impact assessment literature provides insight into qualities and assets of communities that enable them to develop effectively or to…

Attracting and retaining effective education leaders and teaching staff for regional, rural and remote schools in Australia is a major sustainability and quality issue facing every State and Territory. It is also a major concern in pre-service teacher education, particularly for those universities which have a commitment to rural and regional…

Over the last decade, rural leadership policies and programmes have attracted substantial support from all tiers of government. These policies are promulgated as a support mechanism for enhancing the internal capacity of rural communities to adjust to changes in the social and political-economic landscape. Leadership training programmes have been…

Rural communities such as Stanthorpe on Queensland's Southern Downs, in Australia, are familiar with turbulent environmental, social, technological and economic change and the adversity that frequently accompanies such changes. The capacity of individuals and communities to bounce back from adversity is referred to as resilience. Participation in…

Building the research capacity of the vocational education and training (VET) sector is a key concern for the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). To assist with this objective, NCVER supports an academic scholarship program, whereby VET practitioners are sponsored to undertake university study at honours', master's or…

This document was produced by the author(s) based on their research for the report, "The Role of Community Development Employment Projects in Rural and Remote Communities," (ED495158) and is an added resource for further information. The contents of this support docment include: (1) Regional Council--Roma; (2) Regional Council--Tennant…

State and federal governments in Australia have developed a range of policy instruments for rural areas in Australia that are infused with a new sense of "community," employing leading concepts like social capital, social enterprise, community development, partnerships and community building. This has encouraged local people and…

The Torrens Valley Youth Programme in rural Australia is an example of a partnership between a community center and a nongovernmental organization to provide youth services. The program overcame such barriers as differing organizational values and culture, different approaches (top-down, hands-on), insufficient funding, and opposition from the…

Consists of an interview with a dentist who serves a large rural area in South Australia. In addition to providing dental services, he has created an experimental food garden that he uses to demonstrate horticulture. He encourages the creation of family food gardens to provide the area a more nutritious diet. (CH)

In a report of seminar proceedings, papers are presented on the formation, aims, structure, and organizational relationships of community youth clubs in rural areas of Victoria, Australia; and on the origins, structure, staffing, and overall characteristics and problems of Australian rural youth clubs. An interim group report also defines the…

Case studies of five successful rural Australian school-community partnerships in vocational education illustrated stages of the leadership process (trigger, initiation, development, reflection, sustainability) and different roles needed at each stage. School and community sources of leadership and benefits of shared leadership were identified.…

The Alberton Project was a three-year community capacity building project that ran from 1999 until 2002. It aimed to revitalise the local community surrounding the small Victorian town of Yarram. Evaluation of the project involved participant observation, monitoring of media reports, surveys and interviews. Outcomes are reported with reference to…

The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme provides funds to help Indigenous communities in rural and remote Australia provide employment, skills development, and various essential and desirable municipal services. However, there is room to improve the range and quality of employment and community development activities available.…