Community Capital In Practice

Community Capital provides a framework for understanding the assets and resources that exist within and flow through a place — including land, buildings, businesses, infrastructure, natural resources, finance, knowledge, relationships and institutions — and how communities can have greater influence over how these are generated, accessed, owned, governed and used. At its heart, Community Capital is about strengthening community agency and capability. It is about helping communities generate the income and funding they need, have greater ownership and control over important local assets, strengthen local leadership and collaboration, support community-led projects and enterprises, and develop practical
responses to challenges such as housing, energy, infrastructure, services and jobs. Rather than seeing communities simply as recipients of programs, funding or development decisions, Community Capital helps people recognise the role they can play in shaping their place and building the resources, relationships and capability needed to make things happen.

This half-day training will provide participants with a deeper and more practical understanding of Community Capital and how it can support stronger, more capable and community-led places.

Participants will look at their community through a Community Capital lens – exploring the assets, resources, relationships and capabilities that already exist, where gaps and opportunities may lie, and how different people and organisations can work together to strengthen their community’s ability to act.

The session will move beyond understanding the concept of Community Capital to explore the practical functions that enable communities to strengthen it.

Participants will:

•  develop a shared understanding of Community Capital and its role in strengthening communities and places
•  better understand the assets, resources and capabilities that exist within their community
•  recognise where they and others can influence how capital is generated, accessed, owned and used
•  identify opportunities to strengthen local ownership, participation and collaboration
•  understand practical approaches being used by communities across Australia
•  build greater confidence and capability to contribute to community-led action
•  identify opportunities to strengthen Community Capital in Benalla.