Human Rights, Community Development and Advocacy: A powerful trio to address injustice

Human Rights, Community Development and Advocacy: A powerful trio to address injustice

In  this  seminar,  Enda  Cotter,  from  Anti  Discrimination  Commission,  Queensland,  discusses  the  communities he works with, the issues that drive him, and the strategies he and those communities have found effective. His talk will cover the organisational structures that enable the work, the processes of bringing people together across diverse sections of the community and engaging the conversations that matter.  He  includes  reflection  on  the  challenges  and  opportunities  of  mobilising  public  and  private  structures  to  seek  the  solutions  that  communities  can  commit  to,  legislators  can  support  and  which society can recognise as fair and just. 

Stories from Enda’s work will include how communities of the Lockyer Valley sought ways of addressing backpacker  and  migrant  worker  labour  rights,  and  how  the  Commission  used  its  particular  powers  to  support a systemic solution. 

For those of us who see the importance of keeping community development alive and strong, this is a hopeful story and one that carries messages for all of our local community and governance structures.

The  session  will  include  a  30  minute  seminar,  followed  by  30  mins  of  Q&A.  We  will  then  pause  to  celebrate the wonderful achievement of Lynda Shevellar and Peter Westoby in co-­‐editing The Routledge Handbook  of  Community  Development  Research,  which  has  19  chapters  of  inspiring  community research.  Following this will be opportunity to network around a drink at the Ship Inn, which is next door to the lecture theatre.

Enda Cotter

Enda Cotter is the Community Engagement Coordinator with the Anti-­‐Discrimination Commission Queensland. Enda originates from Ennis, County Clare in Ireland. He moved to Australia in 1999 and has worked in Family Law,  Child  Protection  and  Youth  Justice  for  both  government  and  non-­‐government  agencies.  Enda  believes  that that Community has the ability through Justice, partnerships and empowerment to find the solutions to their  issues.  Enda  is  a  self-­confessed  sports  addict,  with  a  particular  interest  in  ultra  trail  marathons,  horse  racing and football (all kinds).