#ABCD – Soulgen

🌿 Beyond Empowerment: How ABCD Activates Youth & Community Potential

Dec 7, 2025

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by

Across councils, youth services, libraries, neighbourhood centres and community organisations, one aspiration is repeated again and again: “We want meaningful youth participation. We want community engagement, we want empowerment. We want youth-led practice.” But in the rush to “empower” young people, our sector often relies on approaches that are important yet incomplete: Rights-Based, Participation-Based, and…

🌿 From Data to Dialogue to Concert: How Lithgow’s Young People Reimagined Their Town

Nov 30, 2025

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by

dsoulgen

in Uncategorised

When we talk about regional youth development, it’s easy to get stuck on the familiar list of challenges – boredom, long distances, substance use, limited activities, employment scarcity, family pressures, and service gaps. It’s a story many regional towns know by heart. But what if the real opportunity lies not in what’s wrong, but in…

🌿 Here We Are: When Relationships Became the Practice

Nov 12, 2025

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by

dsoulgen

in Uncategorised

A reflection from a session I ran recently at the Youth Work Conference – when relational practice came to life in the most unexpected way. When the Threads Came Together Last week, I had one of those moments where what I’ve been sensing, championing and practising for years finally came to life – threads coming…

🌿 Appreciative Inquiry: Asking What’s Strong to Inspire What’s Possible

Nov 11, 2025

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by

dsoulgen

in Frameworks for Change

In youth and community development work, the questions we ask shape the worlds we create. Developed at Case Western Reserve University, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) offers a strength-based alternative to traditional problem-solving approaches.Instead of asking “What’s wrong, and how do we fix it?” AI begins with “What’s working, what gives life, and what could be?” It’s…

🌿 Place-Based Relational Praxis

Nov 8, 2025

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by

dsoulgen

in Frameworks for Change

In my previous article, Rethinking How We Work: Why Complex Times Call for Place-Based, Asset-Driven Collaboration, I explored the frameworks that help us work better together across systems and communities. This time, I want to slow down.Before we design another strategy, form another partnership, or launch another initiative, let’s talk about the conditions that allow…

🌿 Starting from the Inside Out

Oct 26, 2025

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by

dsoulgen

in Frameworks for Change

Often, people refer to me as one of the go-to people for ABCD (and youth practice) in NSW, which is both humbling and affirming. Of course, I stand on the shoulders of giants – too many to name here – but over time I’ve brought my own style and flavour to it. What I offer…

Tag: #ABCD

🌿 Beyond Empowerment: How ABCD Activates Youth & Community Potential

🌿 From Data to Dialogue to Concert: How Lithgow’s Young People Reimagined Their Town

🌿 Here We Are: When Relationships Became the Practice

🌿 Appreciative Inquiry: Asking What’s Strong to Inspire What’s Possible

🌿 Place-Based Relational Praxis

🌿 Starting from the Inside Out