Peter Kenyon Travels from Perth, WA

Peter Kenyon is a social entrepreneur and community enthusiast. Over the last decade he has worked with over 1000 communities throughout Australia and overseas seeking to facilitate fresh and creative ways that stimulate community and economic renewal. He is motivated by the desire to create healthy, caring, inclusive, sustainable and enterprising communities.

Peter has had a background as a youth worker, teacher, youth education officer and tertiary lecturer. His employment experiences have also included Director of Employment in Western Australia, Manager of the Community Employment Development Unit in New Zealand and Coordinator of the Natal Kwazulu Job Creation and Enterprise Strategy in South Africa.

Peter became convinced that one cannot develop communities from the top down or from the outside in. It required communities to build from the inside out, and for their residents to invest themselves, ideas, assets and resources in the process. Subsequently, he created the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. (Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies) in 1991, to promote such a paradigm shift and assist with the necessary facilitation, ideas and skills.

Peter's consulting work has resulted in assignments in 48 countries and all states of Australia. During 2004 - 2006, Peter spent time in six Middle East countries assisting with the development of national youth policies and strategies. Peter has authored 16 publications within the fields of community and economic development, youth policy development and youth enterprise including the following diverse set of titles; Creating Better Educational and Employment Opportunities for Rural Young People, Youth Enterprise Matters: Involving Young People in their Economic Futures, and Survival and Revival in Rural Australia.

During 2008, his professional positions illustrated Peter’s diverse interests in community, youth and economic development. They included such things as Chairperson of the International Council on National Youth Policy, Master Consultant/Trainer for the Business Retention and Expansion Program in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Project Manager for the formulation and implementation of national youth strategies in Somalia. He has also presented his keynote at conferences in Australia, USA, Canada, Africa and New Zealand.