INDTC 2.0 - coming soon

In his last years before retirement from CHT, John Gale worked hard to establish and grow the 'International Network of Democratic Therapeutic Communities' (INDTC). It was based on a simple website and various LinkedIn groups, and flourished under his leadership: last year, it had over a thousand members in dozens of countries. Not all the members were actively engaged in TCs, but they were interested in the field - and they could join without any cost, wherever in the world they lived. Several areas set up their own local groups, which included conferences and other events.

All was going well ...until John retired in the middle of 2016. The financial effects of public sector austerity were forcing CHT to be more prudent, and the network had been built on input from the CHT office and its multicultural and international staff group. This support was no longer possible, and the central coordination of the network looked as if it went to sleep.

However, many of the members recognised the value of the network and started to ask for its resurrection - albeit without the charismatic control of its founder and resources from his organisation. There was a request from TC people across Italy, and an offer to share the practical administration of the network.

Hence this meeting, hosted by Growing Better Lives at Iver Environment Centre.
The outcome was agreement to set up a small steering group of enthusiasts to take it forward:

• Raffaele Barone
• Peter Cockersell
• Rex Haigh
• Laura Liverotti
• Luca Mingarelli
• Angelita Volpe
• Zsolt Zalka

With a task to look into the following:

• Does INDTC need a formal structure with bank account - charity, co-op, company etc?
• Where will the first conference and officer elections take place?
• How should we develop the website?
• Should we have types of membership and fees?
• What are INDTC's aims? Does it include 'applied' TC and allied areas?
• How should we relate to other like-minded organisations?
• How should local groups relate to 'the centre'?

Watch this space to see how things progress:
www.indtc.org