World Community Development Conference - History
Our summary
This article traces the origins and evolution of the World Community Development Conference (WCDC), a longstanding international forum where practitioners, academics, and community leaders share insights on community development practice. This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of this conference.
The article highlights key milestones in the conference’s expansion, including shifts toward greater inclusion of voices from the Global South and First Nations communities. Important themes, such as participatory methodologies, decolonising practice, and community-led development frameworks, are shown to have shaped WCDC agendas over time.
Through this historical overview, the author demonstrates WCDC’s role as a catalyst for advancing critical dialogue, practice innovations, and cross-regional collaboration in the field of community development.
The complete article is published in the Australian Journal of Community Work, edition 4, which can be accessed below.