Sydney Speaks: Mobilising Communities for Social Change

City of Sydney Talk Panel, August 2011

 "Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those already doing it." - Anna Rose

There's nothing more engaging than getting a dynamic group of people together, putting them on a stage in a beautiful venue (say the City Recital Hall for example) and encouraging them to wax lyrical on personal empowerment, community and major social issues. The City of Sydney Talk earlier this week, 'Mobilising communities and citizens: dynamic action in a world of social change' ticked all the aforementioned boxes and then added a beautiful lyrical performance by Mr Percival to boot. If you've ever had any reservations that social activism can lead to real and meaningful change then you haven't met Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Access Now; Anna Rose, Co-founder and Chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC); Darryl Nichols, Executive Director of Garage Sale Trail; Simon Sheikh, National Director of Get Up!; Amanda Tattersall, Coalition Director of Sydney Alliance; or John Dee, Founder and Managing Director of Do Something.

Not surprisingly, social media was one of the major reoccurring themes in the panel's discussions of community advocacy and change. Brett Solomon spoke of the use of new technology in the third world to bring about prosperity and dignity through vibrant, democratic digital activism and stressed the importance of advocating for uncensored internet as a basic human right. He noted the challenges arising in the face of this information liberation and stressed that the tensions between technology, the law and human rights which have recently been on display (eg. Egypt, London) cannot be solved by shutting down the system (as proposed by David Cameron) but rather by addressing the issues which have caused the uprising in the first place.

"What best counters bad speech is not its silencing, but more good speech" - Brett Solomon   

There seemed to be a general consensus among the speakers that while social media is altering the way we advocate for social change, it is still merely a tool, enabling the people and issues which have in many cases pre-existed it to connect, communicate and collaborate in meaningful ways. Anna Rose noted that the internet is undoubtedly an important element in supporting change from the bottom up but stressed the importance of advocacy groups integrating both online and offline involvement to creatively engage the 'whole individual' and thereby create a stronger and more committed foundation in the push for change. She attributed the success of the AYCC and similar advocacy groups to the employment of a ladder of engagement in which members become, and more importantly stay involved, as a result of three key factors:

1. They can see the group is having a concrete impact.
2. They are socially engaged.
3. There is continued learning, personal growth and development.

One of the most popular tweets from the night was the quote by Anna Rose: "We must do the impossible to avoid the unimaginable". For me the most inspiring thing about these words was that she (and every other person on stage) was a personification of them. As founder of the AYCC Anna's work has contributed to having a concrete impact on climate change policy; Brett Solomon founded the International Youth Parliament through Oxfam to tackle poverty, conflict and globalisation and is currently a campaigner for digital freedom; and Darryl Nichols has contributed to the reuse and recycling of 72,585 items (or 55,000kg of potential landfill) through the Garage Sale Trail. And that's only skimming the surface, I could easily create a detailed blog post on each and every one of the panel members and their  achievements and contributions to society but instead I'm going to give you the link to the video recording from the night so you can find your own inspiration among the brilliance: City Talks 2011.

City Talks are free events presented by the City of Sydney and Sydney Morning Herald. Visit What's On Sydney and subscribe to their email list to find out more about upcoming events.

Can you afford to "Live Below the Line"?

"Poverty is the worst form of violence" - Mahatma Gandi
 
For those as fortunate as myself, Sundays are a glorious time of the week. Today was especially so; I stayed in bed late, ate all my favourite foods (ok, not ALL, I have a lot), strolled in the sunshine, talked and laughed with the people I love, sipped margaritas at sunset by the beach and to top it all off I was gifted a gorgeous bunch of flowers from one of my most favourite people (thank you!!). However between the sleeping, strolling, tequila and talking I must confess I was having a severe battle of the conscience. And here's why...

I heard about this campaign yesterday and went online this morning to see what it was all about. As soon as I watched this video I immediately wanted to jump up and shout "Hell yes! I'm in Hugh! Sign me up! Send me the t-shirt! I'm your girl". For a good five minutes I thought, without question I can make the small sacrifice and eat for $2 a day ($1.50 was the American equivalent) for five days to help raise awareness for world poverty. My social conscience was already mentally putting up the banners and streamers for anti-poverty party week and then the bubble burst, I came out of my "do-gooder" induced hyperactivity for a moment and stopped to think.

The Live Below the Line challenge begins tomorrow, so first of all I'm a little behind the eight ball for registration and fundraising. But secondly and slightly more significantly, I have two huge uni assessments due this Friday, I have a 40 hour work week and just to keep it interesting I've been battling some form of cold/flu/virus for the past couple of weeks, which I just can't seem to shake. So I sat myself down and I said, "Rachel, given all of the above factors, do you really think this week is a good time to potentially deprive yourself of nutrition and energy for a boat which has practically set sail?". I found the answer to be depressingly ironic, "I can't afford to live BELOW the poverty line", at least not this week anyway. This was the sensible choice and at that moment I thought about how ridiculously privileged I was to be able to make it. There are 1.4 billion people on the planet who do not have that privilege. Those people live on the equivalent of $2 a day and for them that is not just for food, that is for EVERYTHING.

So in between all the glory that was my Sunday as mentioned above, I kept experiencing those occasional moments of inner turmoil that only come from a battle of the conscience: "Will I? Won't I? Of course you can! You can't afford to! Make a sacrifice!", and back and forth it went. Finally this evening I sat down and decided I needed to make peace with myself and this is what I came up with...

Firstly I would like to convey my support to all those beautiful, amazing, generous people who have taken the pledge, raised money and will for the next five days sacrifice one of my favourite comforts: food. Secondly I would like to express my overwhelming gratitude for the all the comforts and luxuries I was privileged to today (and every day), that I often take for granted. I am so extremely fortunate to live in a country and in a manner which affords me the choice to say, "No, I will not live below the poverty line". Thirdly in a gesture of support I have sponsored five people, one for each day of the challenge in which I will not be taking part. And lastly, as a symbolic gesture and to quiet my conscience I've decided to give up some of my favourite comforts this week: coffee, sugar and wine. It's not much but sometimes making a little sacrifice helps us to stop, contemplate and appreciate the things for which we are so fortunate that we often take for granted.

For anybody interested in finding out more about global poverty, joining the challenge or supporting those taking part please visit http://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/.

The REFUSE Pledge: making a change

In a thirsty search for plastic facts during my water bottle epiphany (see previous post), Google transported me to the doorstep of global alliance called the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC), a group of individuals, organisations and businesses who are committed to saving our planet from death by plastic.  Through collaborative efforts the PPC is attempting to get the world talking about and taking action against plastic pollution. One of their initiatives to fuel the anti-plastic pollution revolution is the The REFUSE Pledge, which I signed today. This is a pledge to follow the "4 Rs" of sustainable living:

1. REFUSE: say no to disposable plastics. 
2. REDUCE: Reduce your plastic footprint: buy in bulk, choose products with the least packaging, look for products and packaging made from renewable resources, and avoid plastic packaging and containers. Choose products that have the least amount of disposable parts.
3. REUSE: Reuse preferably nontoxic (glass, stainless steel) containers and goods to make less waste.
4. RECYCLE: Recycle what you can’t refuse, reduce or reuse. Recycling is a last option because it uses energy, and there may not be a market for the re-fabricated materials.

If you want to find out more about plastic pollution, anti-plastic initiatives, plastic or (hopefully) sign the The REFUSE Pledge please visit their website: http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/.

If not, at least take the time to watch this clip...

Online Activism: can we REALLY make a difference?

 "The medium is the message." - Marshall McLuhan

You're going to have to forgive my Cultural Studies background! It's not enough for me to simply jump online, express my thoughts on the social conscience (as promised) and log out as I have a plethora of noisy theorists whom, during the course of my studies, have lodged themselves within the quiet recesses of my brain and cannot be silenced! As a result, each time I begin typing one of these entries a theorist pops up and begins his/her musings and I can't help but to start unpacking the cultural processes of communication and the roles they play in the production of meaning. However, I do think this is relevant (even to those who aren't Media/Cultural studies nerds such as myself) so bear with me!

It seems only fitting that in this online exposition of my social conscience I also consider the medium which provides the platform for my expression (it's a "Cultural Studies thing"). Where (or what) would my message be without this blog and the network of social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, email etc) that enable me to share it? Marshall McLuhan was a communication theorist (among other things) and was well known for coining the idiom quoted above in which he is basically asserting that the medium and the message cannot be separated. According to his assumption my musings on the social conscience (message) and this blog (medium) are inextricably linked, therefore the way in which you are receiving this blog post (via email, twitter link, facebook post etc) will ultimately influence the way you interpret the message.

Still with me? So taking this into account, the issue I really want to explore is how social media platforms and networks are influencing and enabling online activism on a global scale. What is the potential power of social media as a medium to communicate messages of activism in meaningful ways which bring about REAL positive change? I could unleash a torrent of theory upon you now but instead I think I'll pass over to Gina Bianchini (CEO and co founder of Ning) in her interview for the BBC Series, The Virtual Revolution, discussing the potential of social technology to change humanity...