Manifesto

We are TOLD, Tales of Local Development, a journal of articles about local development, community participation and environmental and social justice, based at the University of Padova.

We use the knowledge of our writers’ personal experiences to offer a slow, considered perspective on solutions, projects, initiatives and groups we feel are worth sharing.
We came together as students of the Magistrale “Local Development” but welcome writers from other related degrees and fields that wish to share their tales!
Each article shows a different reality, with voices from all over the world building a network of best practices and lessons learned, showing that no single method can solve the world’s problems, but by sharing what we know, we can come together like Lilliputians taking down the giant Gulliver.
We write about things we are passionate about, and have experience of, not focusing on political polarisation and the latest hot news, but stories that can contribute to a better world for all.

We understand that the term “development” is controversial and debatable, but we define it as a blanket term for a collection of approaches to finding solutions to problems, to meeting needs and desires, to achieve justice in sensitive, compassionate, and productive ways.
We wish to bring a progressive view of development, in a global network of local experiences, to professionals and newcomers alike, understanding that knowledge, in all its forms, is the most powerful tool to build a safer and kinder world.