Workshops for Community Flourishing

Keeping Motivated for the Long Haul 

Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 10am - 1pm AEST (check your local time) 

Burnout and staff turnover are real challenges in community and social services - because, let’s face it, this work is tough. Needs keep growing while resources shrink. But there are ways to stay grounded and motivated.

In this workshop, we’ll use the Flourishing Framework® to help you reconnect with your purpose, align it with your values, and discover how to live more holistically - even on the hard days.

We will:
  • Explore the six elements of the Flourishing Framework®
  • Dive into purpose and contribution 
  • Understand intrinsic motivation and how to cultivate it
  • Create your own personal mission statement 

Flourishing Framework® - Parts A & B

Wednesday, 11 June and 18 June 2025, 1:30pm - 4:30pm AEST (check your local time)

These two workshops are designed to give you  fuller picture of the Flourishing Framework® and how to apply it in your life, work, and community.

In community work, what we focus on shapes what we measure, and for too long the focus has been on individual deficits. The Flourishing Framework® offers a new approach: recognising our interconnectedness, the power of community, and the potential within every person.

Across these two interactive sessions, you will explore the philosophy, practice, and application of Flourishing, which will see you build a personal vision of Flourishing and learning how it can drive real and lasting change in communities.

We will cover:
  • The philosophy behind Flourishing 
  • The six elements of the Flourishing Framework® 
  • Personal application
  • How practitioners and workers can apply it 
  • Building Flourishing teams 
  • Using Flourishing to create shared vision and projects 

Researching Your Community

Wednesday 6 August 2025, 1.30pm - 4:30pm AEST (check your local time)

Most approaches to community research focus on needs and deficits, often leaving community members disempowered and organisations expected to deliver on research outcomes. But effective research can be done differently, simply by involving community members as researchers and working with their strengths and aspirations.

This introductory workshop will equip you with the tools to engage communities in meaningful, participatory ways - positioning them as both knowledge-holders and key beneficiaries of the process.

In this session, we will explore different research approaches that are inclusive, strength-based, and capable of creating real, tangible and lasting change. You will learn how to shift the research dynamic from extractive to empowering, and how to activate community potential through genuine participation.

We will cover:
  • Three practical community research tools
  • How to include the community as co-researchers
  • Using aspirations to address current needs
  • Reducing dependency by encouraging active involvement

The Community Work Landscape

Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 1:30pm - 4:30pm AEST (check your local time)

Community-facing workers are feeling overwhelmed: juggling rising expectations, shrinking budgets, burnout, disengaged communities, and decisions made from within disconnected silos. This workshop offers a chance to pause and reflect on how we got here, and to begin shaping a more connected, sustainable path forward.

Together, we’ll explore the broader socio-political forces that have shaped our sector - from post-WWII policies to present-day practice - and how these have influenced the systems we work within. By understanding this context, we can make more intentional, community-centered choices.

We will also co-create a road map for change. Using insights from the current landscape and our Flourishing Framework®, we’ll explore how to shift practices, advocate for change, and build approaches that honour both individuals and their communities.

We will cover:
  • A brief history of social service policy 
  • An overview of social attitudes towards those in need 
  • Our unique Flourishing Framework® and how to use it to change your practice 
  • A road map you can use straightaway to make a difference in the lives of the people you work with 

Overcoming Sticky Issues

Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 1:30pm - 4:30pm AEST (check your local time)

Whether at work or in the community, some challenges seem stuck, such as homelessness, poverty, or disengagement. That’s because these issues are part of complex systems. They don’t occur in isolation and can only be addressed holistically. Simple cause-and-effect thinking might offer a temporary fix, but it won’t lead to lasting solutions.

This workshop introduces a practical tool - Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) to help you understand and respond to some of the most challenging problems we face.

CAS are all around us, from transport networks to food systems, to how we use the internet. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to identify the systems you're part of and map them to gain clarity and drive change. Once mapped, you’ll create a causation chain, revealing where to intervene and how to design more effective, interconnected solutions. The best part? Even small, well-placed actions can ripple out and create meaningful change across the whole system. 

Together we will : 
  • Map a CAS 
  • Create a causation chain  
  • Explore the seven characteristics of a CAS 
  • Learn how to use the CAS tool in your context 

Working Together to Create Flourishing Communities

Friday, 24 October 2025, 10am - 1pm AEST (check your local time)

Everyone has a unique contribution to make in the creation of flourishing communities. This often leads to a beautiful chaotic diversity of ideas and energy. In order for this chaos to be transformed into something that will generate true change, we need to understand and embrace the necessary roles and functions that different groups play.

This workshop will see us explore the roles for our organisations, policy makers, and the community itself, and how these roles can coexist to create vibrant spaces and places we can be proud of.

Through global examples, we will demonstrate how the rich tapestry that makes up community can work towards the common good. You’ll also learn how to influence institutions and organisations to put community first, ensuring everyone has a stake in the process.

We will Cover:
  • Roles for institutions  
  • Roles for organisations 
  • Roles for community members 
  • A pathway for shared community transformation 

Building on the Strengths of Your Community - Parts A & B

Tuesday, 11 November and 18 November 2025, 10am - 1pm AEST (check your local time)

Whether we experience it in the workplace, local community, or online, many are facing an epidemic of loneliness, disconnection and disengagement. Facilitating people to come together around their strengths and interests is one way to overcome these issues. These two workshops, run together, focus on Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) to help unearth people’s strengths and potential contributions, building real connections to their sense of purpose and intrinsic motivation. 
While many speak the language of ABCD, few fully unlock its true power to spark lasting change.
 
Together we will explore the importance of listening to your community and using what you learn to facilitate real community led change. With the community in the driver’s seat, we can begin to reimagine the supporting role our organisations can play as individuals and communities follow their aspirations and work together to achieve great things. 

We will cover 
  • The principles behind ABCD 
  • How to truly listen to your community 
  • Five steps to revitalise your community or workplace 
  • How to effectively collaborate together with others 
  • A process for applying ABCD