This episode features IACD President Anna Clarke and is a helpful introduction to the international standards for community development.

The episode serves to recap what the other episodes in the series on the standards have covered; provide some rationale behind having standards; and explain how someone new to CD might approach applying the standards to their work and practice.

Head to the IACD website to purchase the book on the standards, published in 2022 on Routledge: https://www.iacdglobal.org/books

There's a discount available for IACD members!

You can follow IACD on social media at:
instagram.com/iacdglobal/
facebook.com/IACDglobal

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The episode was produced for IACD by IACD member and Wales-based CD practitioner Russell Todd: www.russelltodd.cymru

International Community Development Practice - Introducing the International Standards for CD

This episode features IACD Chair Anna Clarke and former IACD trustee Anastasia Crickley, both based in Ireland.

Head to the IACD website to purchase the book on the standards, published in 2022 on Routledge: https://www.iacdglobal.org/books

There's a discount available for IACD members!

You can follow IACD on social media at:
instagram.com/iacdglobal/
facebook.com/IACDglobal

__________________________________

The episode was produced for IACD by IACD member and Wales-based CD practitioner Russell Todd: russell@russelltodd.cymru

International Community Development Practice - Putting Ethics & Values into CD Practice

In this episode Russell is joined by Hannah Kitchen Kirby and Clare MacGillivray to discuss human rights and to provide a helpful insight into a right-based approach in practice. Between them they provide the lead pair of articles in IACD's March 2025 edition of Practice Insights which is dedicated to the theme of rights: 

https://www.iacdglobal.org/practice_insights

Hannah was until very recently working in Leith in Cables Wynd House, better known as the 'Banana Flats'. She explains how a rights-based approach was at the heart of efforts to secure investment into the housing. Edinburgh City Council recently announced Cables Wynd House and neighbouring Links View House will receive £69 million of investment, including the provision of lifts which had originally been omitted from plans but thanks to campaigning are now included (https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cableswynd-linksview).

Clare MacGillivray from the organisation Making Rights Real, provides an overview of her work with Gypsy Travellers at Double Dykes near Perth.

You can follow Clare and Hannah:

https://makingrightsreal.org.uk/
linkedin.com/company/making-rights-real
uk.linkedin.com/in/clare-macgillivray-64382a95
bsky.app/profile/makingrightsreal.bsky.social

https://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/
bsky.app/profile/bethanychristiantrust.com
facebook.com/BethanyChristianTrust1
instagram.com/bethanychristiantrust
linkedin.com/company/bethany-christian-trust

Photo credit: Hannah Kitchen Kirby. It features Cables Wynd House residents at the City Chambers in Edinburgh ahead of giving a deputation to the full council calling for new lifts. 
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Support the podcast on Patreon at: www.patreon.com/TheCDPodcast

Produced by Russell Todd
twitter.com/llannerch
twitter.com/commdevtpodcast
toot.wales/@llannerch
instagram.com/llannerch
www.russelltodd.cymru

Ep. 47 - Insights from Scotland about Making Rights Real

In this special Earth Day episode of the Big Blend Radio, we’re joined by Kris Kiser, President & CEO of the TurfMutt Foundation, to dive into the growing lifestyle trend of “backyarding” – the shift of indoor activities like dining, working, exercising, and entertaining to our outdoor spaces.

Kris shares how this powerful movement is encouraging communities across the country to invest in urban parks, public green spaces, and sustainable outdoor living areas. With over 15 years of advocacy, the TurfMutt Foundation continues to champion the health, environmental, and social benefits of getting outside and caring for our green spaces.

🎧 In this episode:
* Discover what “backyarding” means and why it matters
* Learn the Top 5 Reasons communities should invest in green spaces for well-being and resilience
* Explore how public parks and urban landscapes are becoming the new “backyards” for people everywhere

🌱 Listen now and join the movement to get outside, get active, and green your community!

🔗 Learn more: https://www.turfmutt.com/

🌎 In celebration of Earth Day, this episode is featured on Big Blend Radio's "Parks & Travel," "Nature Connection," "Quality of Life," and "Big Daily Blend" Podcast Channels. Explore Big Blend Radio's full network of podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork


Why Communities Need Green Spaces

Scale Link is a really cool CDFI that offers a secondary market for small business microloans and trading platform.  Their CEO, Jonathan Brereton, stopped by the show to have a chat...and y'all know what a fan we are of CDFI's on Main St. Banking.  

Love meeting other true believers out there!!!

Be sure to check out Scale Link at https://scalelink.org/

And many thanks to ICBA Securities for their sponsorship!

Scale Link: CDFI's and Small Business Microloans

For this episode the podcast returns to Ireland and specifically the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at Derry where Caitriona Mullan is based, and which has featured in the academic work of Dr Giada Lagana.

Caitriona is a Derry native and has specialised in cross-border collaboration and policy across Europe in her career in European Union (EU) Affairs, Regional Development, Local Government, Health & Social Care and Communities policy.

Giada is a Leverhulme Postdoctoral Fellow & Lecturer in Politics at Cardiff University. Giada's 2021 book 'The European Union and the Northern Ireland Peace Process' on Palgrave outlines the European Union’s approach to conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. It is available here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-59117-5

Giada and Catriona discuss the importance of not only the EU in the peace process in Northern Ireland but the role of communities and community leaders, in particular women, in ensuring that that policy framework is complemented by community dialogue and collaboration.

You can follow Catriona at:

x.com/catrionamullan
linkedin.com/in/caitriona-mullan-4a46234

You can follow Giada at:
linkedin.com/in/giada-lagana-035474159
https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/laganag

The Irish Association of Contemporary European Studies website is: https://www.iaces.ie/

Follow the podcast on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/cdpodcast.bsky.social

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Produced by Russell Todd (russell@russelltodd.cymru)

My book Community Development, Social Action and Social Planning: A Practical Guide (co-written with Alan Twelvetrees) is available to order from Policy Press: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/community-development-social-action-and-social-planning-6e


Ep.49 - Cross-border community collaboration in Ireland

For episode 50 Russell heads to Cardiff's Grangetown district in the south of the city to chat with two of the founders of Grange Pavilion's Youth Forum (GPYF) - Nirushan Sudarsan and Shoruk Nekeb.

They tell the story of GPYF's origins as a project within the wider Community Gateway project in Grangetown, a long-term community-university civic mission project. They also give a flavour of some of its activities and how GPYF acts as a crucible for discussions about global citizenship, resistance and organising for young people.

We also hear from other members of GPYF: Eleeza, Mahima and Amira.

You can find out more Grange Pavilion Youth Forum:

instagram.com/gpyouthforum/
https://grangepavilion.wales/youth-forum-page/

To learn more about the Community Gateway project: 

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/community/our-local-community-projects/community-gateway

________________________________

Follow the podcast on Bluesky at: bsky.app/profile/cdpodcast.bsky.social

Support the podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheCDPodcast

Produced by Russell Todd (email: russell@russelltodd.cymru)

My book Community Development, Social Action and Social Planning: A Practical Guide (co-written with Alan Twelvetrees) is available to order from Policy Press: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/community-development-social-action-and-social-planning-6e

Ep.50 - "Being the change you want you to see": Youth-led action with the Grange Youth Forum

What lies behind the impact and longevity of a community development organisation? How can we share our experience and learning?

This podcast is the first in a series linked to an evolving online history of Cardiff’s ACE (Action in Caerau and Ely).

The conversation between John Hallet and Dave Horton, the two founders in Cardiff of ACE, makes no exaggerated boasts about its many achievements. Instead it picks out some of the features which have contributed to its breadth of work and its sustainability, in one of the UK’s largest economically challenged housing estates. These include: building partnerships with public bodies, sound management and constant forward planning, recognising local strengths, a crucial focus on the potential, aspirations and needs of local people, and the delicate balance combining all this with a sustainable business.
 
Visit the ACE website at www.TheACEstory.org to see the ACE History project as it develops and links to future podcasts. If you’d like to learn more about the project or join the team putting it together please email us at acehistory@aceplace.org.

ACE Story podcast - ep.1 - Our Special Place

Tom Tresser (www.tresser.com) was interviewed on WVON by Atiba Buchanan and Ladonna Ray on September 24, 2025. They talked TIFs and Tom revealed the headlines for Chicago's TIF activity for 2024 - numbers never known before! The TIF Illumination Project is at www.tifreports.com. Contact us at info@tifreports.com. (33 min)

Tom's Publications

WVON 9-24-25

Tom TResser (www.tresser.com) was interviewed by Mike Stephen for "Outside the Loop" Radio on September 27, 2025. We talked TIFs and the headlines for all of Chicago's TIFs for 2024 were revealed. No one has this info! See the TOF Illumination Project at www.tifreports.com. info@tifreports.com.

WGN 9-27-25

Community development is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline concerned with the organisation, education and empowerment of people within their communities and the International Association for Community Development (IACD) is the only global multi-disciplinary network for those who work in this field.

We are accredited with the U.N. and have members across the world. If you are a development agency manager, funder, fieldwork practitioner, academic, student or volunteer community activist and would like to connect with other community developers around the world, this is the network for you. Please take a look around our new website. And if you are not already a member, you can join us below

Tom Tresser is a civic educator and public defender. He has been doing grassroots democracy since 1973. Find out more at www.tresser.com.

Select Big Blend Radio interviews that are featured in the digital, interactive Big Blend Radio & TV Magazine and Parks & Travel Magazine. Hosted by Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, mother-daughter travel team and publishers.

The Paul W. Barret, Jr. School of Banking is a non-profit independent school created by and governed by a Board of Regents, whose members are executives from banks and other firms involved with the financial services industry.The mission of the School is to provide an adult learning experience for the career-oriented individual in commercial banking or a related financial services industry business.

A podcast about Community Development practice:
| Promoting its value
| Sharing its learning
| Connecting its practitioners

New tracks tagged #Community Development