Using data to amplify community stories with Andrew Brown

'Systems thinking' is a huge field with lots of mindsets, approaches, and tools. System dynamics, just one small part of that big umbrella, uses both qualitative and quantitative data and methods to work in solidarity with communities for systems change. This session will use system dynamics approaches to community development to raise some ideas about different forms of 'data' in community development through a critical lens, considering questions like what counts as data, who is perceived as owning data, and what data is used for. The talk will focus on practical examples and applications, considering how 'data' can be used for advocacy and creating space for critical community development work.

A bit about Andrew Brown

Andrew is a queer man originally from the United States, now living in Footscray with his partner and working at Deakin University as a lecturer in social work. He feels very fortunate to live and spend time on Wurundjeri, Wadawurrung, and many other lands, acknowledging that land was never ceded. Andrew's work focuses on applying community development and systems thinking to health and social problems with an explicit social justice focus. He works with communities to build systems thinking capacity by co-creating maps and models representing problems of interest they want to act on. He has worked on several projects across Victoria, Australia and internationally on a diverse range of topics, including food systems, family violence prevention, and mental health promotion.  One thread of Andrew's work that will be focused on in this presentation is how 'data' can be leveraged and shaped as an advocacy tool within health and social systems.