Week 2: What is the story that needs changing?
Welcome to our second week. This week we will be exploring the dominant narratives that surround us, and why they need changing. This week (as with every week) you will have access to ALL of the videos but in your groups you will focus on the content related to your stream CLIMATE or EQUITY. I encourage you to engage with as much as you can, because really both of these issue are linked and brought about by the "better than story" or the "story of separation" as it is also called.
All
Nicole Smede and Claire Marshall:
The story in our heads
(30 mins)
The poems that Nicole read were:
Banggang cundu (Old Tree) by Joel Deaves
Mother by Kirli Saunders
Baladjarang by Ado Webster
and can be in Guwayu - for all time. A collection of First Nations Poems. Commissioned by Red Room Poetry. Edited by Jeanine Leane. Magabala books. 2020.
Nicole Smede is a multi-disciplinary artist of Worimi and European descent, living and creating on Dharawal Country. Proud of her heritage, she works through language to reconnect to ancestry and culture. A classically trained Mezzo Soprano, she ran away from classical music early on to pursue wider artistic interests. Now, Nicole uses voice, song, sound and poetry to explore ideas around landscape, connectedness, and ancestry. She has performed at Parliament House and the National Multicultural Festival, and her voice has been heard globally on award-winning film scores. Nicole has received commissions from PWC and Amex for meditations, songs and poetry, created soundscapes and music for podcasts and plays and is regularly commissioned through Red Room Poetry.
Action:
Reflect on how the dynamics of capitalism impact the stories around us. Reflect on just how easily we:
Colonise | Commodify | Centralise | Conform | Compete and aim for Continual Growth. Where can you see these dynamics at play in storytelling?
Equity
Katrina Irawati Graham and Sam Watson:
Colonialism, Capitalism and Storytelling
(30 mins)
Climate
Cate has provided her group with lots of content this week. First up please watch one of the below three videos to gain a context of the realities of climate change right now.
Action:
While you are watching think about how this information feels in your body.
Cate McQuillen and Reece Proudfoot:
Regenerating Australia (35 mins)
Sam is an emerging filmmaker and political activist residing in Magandjin (Brisbane). Sam has been involved in organising protests and events for a wide range of issues, but in particular for Aboriginal rights, refugee freedom, and climate justice. Sam is part of production house Article One specialising in community-connected participatory filmmaking. Sam and their colleagues champion First Nations crew and filmmakers to document and tell their own stories.
Current creative projects: Deebing Creek Summit, Beyond Invasion (documentary)
Action:
Find a fact or element of colonisation and trace its links to capitalism. Sam used the example of slavery having a massive capitalist profiteering agenda. If you can find a localised fact - eg about your street, or the country you are on, and map those links - all the better!
Reece works at the intersection of impact, innovation, program delivery and systems change - made possible by strong partnerships across community, business, government, and the non-profit sector - often between the unlikeliest of allies. He delivers systems-level programs with positive social, environmental and economic outcomes and is a regular contributor on the Future of Impact, regenerative innovation, innovative partnerships, and joint ventures - though mentorship, podcasts, panels, thought leadership and round tables.
In 2017 Reece launched the WWF network’s first innovation lab: “Panda Labs” – which has now been scaled into 10 countries around the world. Successful Panda Labs ventures and initiatives include OpenSC.org, Impactio.global, Wildlife Credits, Innovate to Regenerate and The Greenhouse Sessions. Most recently he led WWF’s post-bushfire resilience and innovation Program “Innovate to Regenerate”, with a mission to help transition Australia’s economy to a regenerative economy and future-proof Australian communities and natural environment, involving a $2 million innovation challenge and solutions fund, impact investing strategy, nationwide narrative and storytelling initiative, capacity and capability building and partnership engagement. A first of its kind for Australia.
Action:
How can you engage telling stories about 'regeneration'?
If you want a simple definition of regeneration think about - actions that help people and nature to mutually thrive. By framing something as regeneration we are recognising that 1. we need to go beyond sustainability and 2. we ARE nature.