Town Team Movement is building a movement of positive ‘doers’. We’re a non-profit social enterprise working with proactive people to improve places.
A movement links together small groups focussed on improving their own local area through a shared purpose and values, which we have summarised in the Town Team Charter.
Town Team Movement enables local communities and governments to connect, organise and act to regenerate the fabric of their neighbourhoods and to create better places. We:
- Inspire, support, connect and promote local Town Teams
- Provide consultancy services for local governments, State government agencies, private enterprises and more
- Host inspiring and interactive events
- Provide placemaking education and training services
What is a social enterprise?
A social enterprise is a business that:
- Trades intentionally to tackle social problems, improve communities, provide access to employment and training, or help the environment;
- Derives most of their income from trading, not donations or grants; and
- Uses at least 50 per cent of their profits on their social mission (TTM allocates 100% of any annual surplus to fulfilling our purpose)
Any operating surplus from our activities is directed to achieving our social purpose.
Creating Positive Change in People and Places
We have all seen those places in decline. Places where people are (or already have) given up hope. We think it is possible to get things back on track, to create action. The diagram below shows how.
An Underarching Approach
As an ‘underarching’ organisation, we inspire, support, connect and promote Town Teams from underneath. We are not a peak body and do not have formal power nor control over the independent Town Teams.
Our movement is based on the Town Team Charter. It summarises the ‘Town Team Way’.
Our roles in fostering positive action
How do we fund our work?
Town Team Movement is different, and possibly unique in Australia. We largely self-fund the growth of the movement with the support of aligned partners like RAC WA. This graphic shows where the funding comes from and where it goes. It is based on our 2021/22 financial results and includes estimates of staff and contractor time per activity.
You can read the 2021/22 Annual Report on the link below.
Find out more about our story in the video below.
What guides our work?
What informs our approach? Many people and ideas have influenced our work. These are some of the most important ones.
Placemaking – working with people to create places people love and feel connected to
Asset-based community development – we focus on strengths and opportunities, not problems and deficits
Civics – contributing to civic life and the public domain is not only good for the community, it is also a practical way to build confidence, skills and connections and being fulfilled as a person
Community organising – creating change through collaboration and getting a Town Team organised
Localism – empowerment and action at the local level
Systems thinking – places and people are complex. Traditional thinking and management approaches have limited effectiveness when faced with complex situations and problems
We think that people have the ability to create positive change and take some responsibility for improving communities and the environment. Positive contributions help to build social, economic and environmental capital.
