2017-06-01
Luke Stickels
The Green Institute's Food for Thought program aims to let anyone with an interest in local community or progressive change bring your people together to discuss what matters to you. Share your stories, experiences and expertise. Problem-solve and collaborate on what people can do right now to create a world that is more sustainable, just, and fair.
Even in our early stages, we've had an economics lecturer resolve to include Universal Basic Income as a discussion topic for his third-year undergraduates, challenging orthodoxies about welfare and work. We connected one attendee up with a Transition Streets program in their local area. Another workshopped his “GDP Alternatives” paper before presenting it at this year's Global Greens Congress in Liverpool. One activist leader said her gathering was “physically, spiritually and psychologically nourishing.” Another attendee said: “I really appreciated the camaraderie, spending some time de-briefing a little about some of the shocks of 2016.”
“Thinking of different aspects of how I could change the things in my control to make a better world was very valuable. Having a creative space with my peers was also enlightening and helped me form action plans around my ideas.” — Food for Thought attendee, February 2017
Food for Thought gatherings take their inspiration from the ground-breaking community work of Mary Crooks at the Victorian Women's Trust. Ms Crooks has spent over twenty years using 'kitchen table conversations' to empower communities to achieve self-determination and justice in the face of Kennett-era privatisation, democracy and water usage, grassroots democracy in the ACT, and her model was an engine driving the now-famous Voice for Indi campaign that unseated former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella in the 2013 federal election. For Ms Crooks, kitchen table conversations are more inclusive of women and underprivileged minorities, and this commitment to better agency can lead to powerful social transformations.
Springboard
For us, what might start as a conversation around a Green Institute paper, Green Agenda post, or your own tailored material, can develop a strong sense of purpose that leads to further action. A chapter from “The End of Coal” might prime your group to pursue a mass renewable energy scheme with local councillors and industry partners. Scott Ludlam's urbanism essay might be a good place to drum up opposition in your street to an inappropriate local development. Our Executive Director Tim Hollo's culture essay might galvanise your creative friends to start a regular political crafternoon. Whatever the case, let Food for Thought be a vehicle for your aims, a hub that connects your people to ideas and each other.
Your gathering might increase the sense of shared endeavour among people who already know each other well, or address morale amongst people whose spirits are flagging. It might expand your networks by connecting strangers to each other, or to a crucial partner organisation that can help you achieve your goals. A focused, facilitated conversation might lead to creatively re-evaluating an old problem from a new perspective, leading to better decisions that make all our efforts more valuable. Alone, the systemic problems we face can seem too big, but we can gain so much energy and inspiration from each other.
Meaningful cultural change can take many forms: starting a local gift community, public vegie garden, or tool library; transforming part of your street to increase public utility and sense of community; or starting a book club amongst allies. Food for Thought has the scope to drum up some human power for your local grassroots project or idea. We seek nothing less than to capture people's imagination and help everyone lead by example.
How it works
Each gathering's Action Phase and concept of “following through” acknowledge that long-term change is gradual, but also starts now. We appreciate that for some, a social media post will be a bold step for someone who isn't used to taking action, and that is a great step! For others, telling your story on video for social media might seem inconsequential to you, but powerful for others to hear. For a few, biting off a bigger project might just be possible between kids, jobs and pets, if they have enough allies willing to join them (hint: enlist the family, even the animals!). Just as no one person is responsible for improving our relationships with each other or the planet, so too is no one devoid of our shared responsibility, to do what we can to make the world a better place. Even if your action is to put me in touch with someone in your network you've been thinking of while reading this article, every bit helps, so go on!
As the Green Institute's community organiser, I'm here to support anyone who wants to assemble a gathering or has an idea for a community project. We can offer strategic and tactical input, practical next steps and help problem-solve. If you have been wanting to up-skill yourself in any combination of facilitation, outreach, or persuasion skills, whether for your party work or professional development, get in touch with me right away!
It is not melodramatic to say: we can only do this together.
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Luke Stickels is a community organiser with The Green Institute. He has been a campaigner for several Greens parties in Australia and the UK, helping to re-elect Adam Bandt, Colleen Hartland, Tasmanian State MPs, and Caroline Lucas. Luke has worked with several unions and community organisations, has taught at seven Australian universities, marked over a million words, been published in several magazines and journals, and was once quoted in a Tumblr tag for “enlightened.” Contact Luke anytime on 0468 869 957, or luke.stickels@greeninstitute.org.au.