Rural and Remote Resilience: Making the Priorities Possible
24 - 28 September 2012
Whyalla and Upper Spencer Gulf,  AUSTRALIA
 
Building on an initial gathering in Townsville, Australia, and on four previous conferences held in Vancouver Island, Canada; Inverness, Scotland; Abingdon, USA and Udaipur, India, the 2012 IRN World Forum in the Upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia, will bring together practitioners, policy makers and scholars with an interest in regional, rural and remote communities across the world. IRN gatherings emphasise the sharing of practical experience and the value of local knowledge in addressing local challenges. This is especially important in the areas of community and economic development, health, education, culture and environment.
 
The theme of IRN 2012 is Rural and Remote Resilience:  Making the Priorities Possible. A key aim of IRN 2012 is to attract presentations which join together community groups and practitioners with researchers / academics and or policy makers / industry.  IRN 2012 will pay particular attention to the policy and governance challenges related to the differences between regional, rural and remote communities.
 
The University of South Australia Campus and the Middleback Theatre will serve as venues for the forum. The Whyalla campus of the University of South Australia represents the major centre of tertiary education in rural South Australia. It is situated on a 22 hectare site in the heart of the education and cultural precinct at Whyalla. The campus is an integral part of the northern and western regions of the state, and is expanding its research, consultancy and business services through collaborative ventures with industry and community organisations across the region. It has a strong research presence with several innovative and unique projects related to regional, rural and remote issues, with researchers working on local, national and international projects.
 
In keeping with the IRN conference format, the middle day of the 5 day gathering will be given over to field trips which will highlight the ‘Regional, Rural and Remote’ nature of this unique region. The field trips will focus on how RRR challenges and opportunities are met in the Australian context. Planned tours include the option of a visit to either Coober Pedy or Andamooka. These opal mining centres are situated in harsh climatic environments and residents live underground in 'dugouts', where the temperature remains constant all year round. Some delegates may prefer to experience a cruise to the very tip of Spencer Gulf - a unique landscape where the water ends and the desert begins. Agriculture, pastoralism, aquaculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, art, craft and culture all feature in this region and conference field trips will endeavour to showcase this diversity.
 
“Rural and Remote Resilience” will feature speakers of international renown, peer learning opportunities and cutting-edge presentations & workshops. With a strong focus on participation, there are options for academic scholarship, storytelling and themed workshops. The event will also include a forum for PhD students with a half day colloquium and panel session planned.
 
Please see attached call for abstracts for futher information & submission guidelines.