Today my guest is Amanda Howard, who is an Associate Professor at The University of Sydney’s School of Education and Social Work. Amanda’s teaching and research relates to social work: that is, the social connections and dynamics found when groups of people – communities - come together and do things. We chat about the importance of social work in understanding how human systems and structures work as well as the ideas around inclusion, exclusion and how power with a group is distributed. Amanda outlines a key aspect of her research: assets-based community development, specifically in response to floods, bush fires and other Australian natural disasters. These ideas find a deeper significance when used to make tangible changes in the world, for example in the revision and development of policies and procedures that impact communities. Links: http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/about/staff/profiles/amanda.howard.php https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/152144614?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1578002177806&versionId=165840960 https://www.routledge.com/Rural-Regional-and-Remote-Social-Work-Practice-Research-from-Australia/Howard-Katrak-Blakemore-Pallas/p/book/9781472454416 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_action_research