My top posts for 2016

There are a number of ways to judge my top posts for 2016. To start with there are 10 posts that I think add a useful contribution to working with communities and families. Some of them came from my work around evidence-based practice in family services, and others relate more generally to working with communities community or strengths-based practice:

1. Seven principles for a strengths-based approach to working with groups
2. An introduction to community engagement
3. Types of community engagement – creating boxes?
4. Navigating dilemmas of community development: Practitioner reflections on working with Aboriginal communities
5. What is evidence-based practice?
6. What are evidence-based programs?
7. What is evidence-informed practice?
8. Rethinking the roles of families and clients in evidence-based practice
9. What are program logic models?
10. Program fidelity and baking a cake

Then there are the 10 posts I think give the most useful insights into the work I do and my approach:

1. 7 principles guiding my work
2. What are Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops?
3. Questions for an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshop
4. Keeping contact with students in online teaching
5. Updating a course on community engagement
6. Two girls and a tiny house (which is really about one of my daughters but that probably helps explain why it is one of my favourites)
7. Mobilising community assets and volunteers can have side effects
8. Planning and implementing evidence-based programs and practice in family services in rural and regional NSW
9. Encouraging a broad understanding of community engagement
10. Connecting Communities Conference

There are also the ten most viewed posts written during 2016, most of which relate to working with communities but there are also a couple that relate to environmental sustainability.

1. A reading list on ABCD (over 100 resources) (1,976 views)
2. A community engagement reading list (1,734 views)
3. Seven principles for a strengths-based approach to working with groups (784 views)
4. What are program logic models? (738 views)
5. Earth Hour 2016 (518 views)
6. Special days and dates for the environment – 2016 (458 views)
7. Types of community engagement – creating boxes? (420 views)
8. An introduction to community engagement (420 views)
9. Encouraging a broad understanding of community engagement (405 views)
10. Navigating dilemmas of community development: Practitioner reflections on working with Aboriginal communities (405 views)

Finally there are the ten most viewed posts in 2016, all of which date from 2015 or earlier and generally explore a concept relating to working with communities.

1. What is the Strengths Perspective? (32,303 views in 2016)
2. What is asset-based community-driven development (ABCD)? (10,607 views)
3. What is community capacity building? (6,624 views)
4. Making parents feel welcome in schools (5,126 views)
5. Types of community engagement (4,502 views)
6. 10 ways to reduce your consumption (3,740 views)
7. What are social models of health? (3,651 views)
8. 10 things I’ve learnt about strengths-based community engagement (3,242 views)
9. Ethics and community engagement (3,186 views)
10. What are vertical and horizontal community engagement? (3,007 views)

I’m not sure if there will be many changes to my blog next year. I’m definitely planning to keep it going with a similar focus. I might do somethings a bit differently, but I haven’t really thought much about next year yet!

I’d love to hear any feedback about the blog or what you would like to see next year.