advocacy positions to decision makers . Achieving this creates value specific to the type of members sought as the ideas are socialised . This can include hosting useful discussions on social media , updating members about conversations with decision makers or running events that inform and invite discussion of key topics .
Taken together , a collaborative governance process and an effective membership drive builds towards an annual general meeting at the end of year one that will elect a high quality Board and enthuse members about achieving a set of agreed objectives in the following year . This is the beginning of the ‘ citizen army ’ needed to drive change . These foundations can then be extended through the work of the association to develop a range of advocates for its objectives among elected members and decision makers as the work progresses .
DC Process 4 : Attracting Investment and Policy Commitments The processes involved in establishing the state of play , validating a proposed approach , socialising the recommendations and building the citizen army creates an opportunity space that enables economic development professionals to secure common good outcomes sought by the community or industry they are working with . The clarity of purpose behind the community ’ s collective mandate is attractive because it reduces risk and defines policy , infrastructure , service and business development opportunities that are likely to attract patronage and electoral support .
This final step is taking the social capital now acknowledged by the community into an effective organization and using it to bring in the two main forces that deliver economic opportunities : investment and policy change .
APPLYING THE DRIVING CHANGE PROCESS TO PERTH HILLS Perth Hills Future – an incorporated community association and peak body that existed informally for a number or years – was formalised in response to a finding of RDA Perth ’ s report Perth Hills Strategic Visioning that there was strong demand from improved and sustained community engagement across Perth Hills communities . This body seeks to develop grassroots business and community alignment around key strategic priorities for the Perth Hills to facilitate investment and supporting policy development .
1 . Establishing the State of Play - Validating a Proposed Approach The Perth Hills are separated into a series of local governments following former logging railway corridors and major eastwest roads . There is limited north-south connectivity and strategy addressing the Perth Hills , as a whole . Land development pressure and a lack of clarity about the preferred economic development direction across the Perth Hills has resulted in a contentious community debate . This set of circumstances drove a number of stakeholders to request RDA Perth to become involved .
Perth Hills Strategic Visioning established a starting point for more effective stakeholder collaboration across the Perth Hills . The report focussed on the Perth Hills section of the local governments of Swan ( Gidgegannup ), Mundaring , Kalamunda , Armadale ( Roleystone ) and Serpentine-Jarrahdale ( Jarrahdale ), as a starting point for a broader conversation with stakeholders and elected members about a more integrated future that harnesses the natural splendour of the local geography and lifestyle economy . Conversations with businesses and other stakeholders included an offer to create value by beginning the process of promoting the Perth Hills through filming videos of selected businesses and destinations for release on the RDA Perth YouTube channel . The process also included a survey disseminated electronically due to Covid-19 restrictions and an elected member ’ s forum including state and local government members to workshop and further develop survey findings . The report identified a series of placemaking , ecological and lifestyle economy challenges and opportunities along with infrastructure , strategic planning and community engagement improvements sought by a broad crosssection of stakeholders . This baseline data forms the basis for a series of conversations across the Perth Hills to develop economic development outcomes .
2 : Socialising the Proposed Approach – Adopting a Shared Vision Perth Hills Future was launched along with
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