Using the wisdom of indigenous cultures newly arrived communities to inspire BC in mainstream Australia. Who is teaching who?

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Complexity and the Art of Evaluation – Reporting Sheet

Leader:    Candice Feuerring

Participants:

Key Points:

•    Indigenous Sustainability Festival – St Kilda

•    WTC – could seek to tie in sustainability messages

•    Strength of faith communities – focus on volunteering

•    Linking sustainability messages into religion

•    Reconnecting the 1st generation back to their culture

•    Issues with engaging older people from CALD more likely to engage

•    Issues with translating into languages and whether 1st generation use their language to extend their ……..  ?? / older generation

•    Difference between tailoring messages v’s generic communications

•    Difference between how you approach sustainability for different groups

•    Accessing community leaders from CALD groups to inform programs and provide advice on messages = these community leaders are generally happy to be active and are already doing this

•    Remembering that CALD groups are diverse within themselves, not all of one community has same priorities

•    Visiting community groups and going to them and where they are already, meeting = connect with existing networks.  Outreach is vital!  “Don’t ask communities to come to you, go to them”.

•    Talking stick / message stick = idea of having conversation and that being passed onto others

•    Issues:  involving diverse groups

•    Need for a process of enquiry = we should be teaching each other

•    Mainstream needs to learn and embark on a process of enquiry and provide space for everyone to be teachers

•    1st generation creates community then the 2nd generation lives bi-culturally

•    2nd generation may have more choices because of their ability to live bi-culturally

•    The knowledge of the 1st generation in creating community is something that should be learn by mainstream

•    Existing networks spread the message much quicker than recreating new networks = building on existing networks / structures is undervalued

•    Ethics of asking people to do something that you will step away from = how do you go in and work with a community as a paid person and then ask others to do it voluntarily

•    How do we turn a specific non-mainstream message into mainstream and why do we need to do it?

•    Why do we focus on difference?

•    What has happened in our lives that was difficult and how we respond to it?

•    People from other cultures come with experience and adversity that brings insight and resilience

•    Vulnerability brings strength

•    Last 15 years = problem with identity / politics

     
| May 10th, 2010 | Posted in Open Space Session |

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