Community Wealth Building Archives

Dr Gary Lewis – An Australian co-operatives historian who re-wrote this prayer a couple of years ago.

Save us from academics that pour over the entrails of co-operatives, then consign them to the footnotes.
Save us from managers who think cooperatives are like their egos – bigger is better. (Many CEO’s educated in Australia with MBA’s don’t know or see the overseas value or vision for coops)
Save us from Politicians who periodically promote cooperatives but, when elected, put them back into the too hard basket.
Save us from governments who cut cooperation to suit their ideological pursuits.
Save us from the headless dogma that has narrowly confined cooperation for economic enterprise. (Larger coops don’t see the coop movement structures needed to start and grow and support others)
Save us from investors who believe money is always more important than democracy (schools and banks don’t understand coops)

Egar Parnell in the UK – originally wrote the prayer in the early … Read more

What is Community Wealth Building?

My interpretation of the big picture:

• Re-making our local economy, creating a strong, resilient community with trust-based relationships, local connections, individual community champions, reserves of human capital and volunteer effort.

• Working with “anchor institutions” with the aim of maximising local economic, environmental and social benefits from their spending on goods, works and services.

• “Clawing back” wealth with local import replacement and recycling of local income thereby stemming the leakage of revenue from the Hawkesbury.

Why care about Building Community Wealth?

• This is about the dignity and sense of worth of our local community; of their relevance; of their well-being and their productive and useful place in the economy.

• Creating a fairer and more sustainable economy that retains and builds wealth that adds social value from within.

• This is a practical agenda to address real, local economic stresses.

• This is a “bottom-up” approach

Why now?

• Our regions have … Read more

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PRAYER – GOD SAVE CO-OPERATIVES