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Australian People Together Project
The People Together Project is a community based, non-political advocacy
and research organisation emphasising community and democracy, based in
the State of Victoria.
The project had its origins in the Community Summit organised by church
and community leaders and the Victorian Council of Social Services in
November 1993.
The aim was to take stock of the revolutionary changes which were being
imposed on the State of Victoria and to discuss ways in which we could act
together to maintain the image of a just, equitable and caring society.
Many of the projects undertaken by People Together are developed based on
a strong motivation for community participation and improvement, and seek
to contribute to ensuring that that the Victorian Government acknowledges
its responsibility to provide a socially just community for all its
citizens.
People Together is not party political, but is determined to promote
discussion and debate in Victoria about the vital, often political, issues
which have a profound effect on our society.
Email: ptp@peopletogether.org
Telephone: +61 3 9347 0022 or 9349 5900
Facsimile: + 61 3 9348 1961
Objectives
The objectives of People Together are to:
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Identify the personal and social impact of government
policies on both urban and rural Victorian communities and to contribute
to the development of strategies to address these
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Encourage and assist individuals and community groups
to express publicly their concerns about the Government's social and
economic policies
-
Ensure that a greater place is given to social goals
and enabling community services in the Victorian State Government's budget
-
Provide an opportunity for members of the community so
that they may have a real say in the type of community they wish to live
in.
Activities
People Together seeks to achieve its objectives through a number of
projects and activities, including:
-
Community social audits, conducted in rural and urban
communities through-out Victoria
-
Organising public meetings and forums around issues of
concern, for example: the changes to the Auditor General, ways of
rebuilding strong communities
-
Organising public community inquiries around key
issues, for example: the impact of competitive tendering on human services
-
Developing and monitoring indicators of social justice.
People Together hopes that local communities will be
given a real say in the sort of community they wish to live in - a
community that has the correct balance between social, economic and
environmental concerns.
Funding
Since 1994, People Together has received core funding from the Lance
Reichstein Foundation.
Reichstein's support for our core functions is highly valued and enables
People Together to focus on our key role of promoting discussion and
debate in Victoria around issues of democracy and community through
advocacy, research, and social action projects.
People Together receives specific project funding from a variety of
philanthropic trusts and foundations, including:
-
Myer Foundation
-
Reichstein Foundation
-
Stegley Foundation
-
Victorian Women's Trust
It also receives support, both financial and in-kind,
from church and community based human service organisations.
Knowledgebroker Web Site
This new website connects three dedicated internet
sites which will offer one-stop access to knowledge, practical solutions
and best practices for development practitioners in the field of
education, health, environment protection, gender issues, livelihood
creation, commerce, human rights, governance and poverty alleviation.
INFO21
Created and maintained by the IT for Development Programme of the
Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) of UNDP, serves as UNDP's knowledge
broker site for IT-related issues. It offers access, through structured
hyperlinks, to a plethora of sustainable human development-related
content, curriculum, best practices as well as featured issues, such as
the Y2K problem and developing countries, e-commerce, human rights and the
Internet Governance. It is also designed to provide content materials to
telecentres, such as the newly established Technology Access Community
Centres (TACCs) in Sharkeya, Egypt.
The Sustainable
Development Networking Programme (SDNP)
is a catalytic initiative to kick-start networking in developing countries
and help people share information, knowledge and expertise relevant to
sustainable development to better their lives. Through a participatory and
multi-sectoral approach, SDNP promotes networking and Internet
connectivity, national network development, content provision and
aggregation, and capacity building.
The HORIZON
Solutions Site
provides readily accessible peer-reviewed answers to problems in
environment, health, population and development. The Solutions Site,
created and directed by HORIZON Communications, is a collaborative effort
of HORIZON with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, Harvard University, Yale University and the
International Development Research Centre of Canada.
World
Development Report 1999/2000
Development Policy: Entering the 21st Century
The World Development Report 1999/2000, entitled Development Policy:
Entering the 21st Century, examines how the field of development has
evolved, and will need to adapt to confront the challenges of the new
century. In particular, it will examine four of the key trends that will
dominate the early 21st century—globalization, localization,
urbanization, and environmental change—and present their implications
for institutions and for policy.
The Report will be published in September 1999, at which time the full
text of the Report and of the 40 notes and papers commissioned as inputs
into the Report will be available online. Meanwhile, this site provides
regularly updated news about the development of the Report. A preview into
the content of the Report is offered in the overview. Information is
offered on the consultation process followed by the team, as well as on
the advisors. Finally, a description of WDR conferences and workshops is
offered in WDR events, along with a list of all papers commissioned.
This site is in itself a means to obtain feedback from interested readers,
and provides a sign up option for those who wish to be informed about
updates to this site.
