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The Global Perspectives Summit

After an insightful, lengthy and enjoyable three days, the Global Perspectives Summit has come to a successful end. With an impressive caliber of speakers as well as delegates, this year’s Global Perspectives Summit has initiated the overall themes of growth, collaboration and changemaking within all those involved. 

Commencing the proceedings on the opening night, a keynote presentation from Peter McPhee welcomed the delegates to the Global Perspective Summit and provided them with an initial base for what was to follow throughout the summit. As a Professional Fellow of the University, Peter McPhee continues to teach and supervise students as well as promote and develop the engagement of activity within the community though The Peter McPhee Student Awards.

The second day was loaded with inspirational keynote speaker presentations, workshops and seminars, promoting our delegates to take action and make a difference amongst the community. The likes of Nick Mackay from High Resolves described the act of surfing as a metaphor for social change. Carl Scrace provided useful information about social entrepreneurship and problems within the current system and ways they can be avoided. Doug Gimsey presented The Framing Effect to delegates, highlighting the simple notion of “Change your words, change your world”.  An array of other speakers were also present throughout the Summit, particularly within Q & A panels, seminars and workshops, allowing delegates an intimate environment in which they were able to ask important questions to aid their own future endeavours.

The final day of the Summit incorporated excursions to The Foundation for Young Australian’s (FYA), The Hub and Kinfolk. FYA is a national, independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to young people. They provided our delegates with an understanding of their initiatives and innovative programs, which foster the success, creativity and community involvement of young Australian’s. A truly inspirational place, where we hope our delegates become involved in the future. The Hub, Melbourne, is a professional member of the community, which exists to drive innovation through collaboration. With over 650 individuals involved, the hub builds hundreds of connections on a collaborative platform, a very beneficial starting point for our delegates to make a start on their social changemaking pathway.

The closing night of the seminar saw the keynote presentation of Matthew Albert, the co-founder of the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning (SAIL) Program. Matthew Albert captivated the entire room of delegates and took them on a journey through his detailed stories of how SAIL became the successful non-profit secular organisation that it is today. Accompanied with canopies and beverages, the final night allowed delegates, speakers, and representatives of Non-Government organisations a change to mingle with one another and share their experiences of the past three days.

From the overall positive feedback provided by the delegates as well as the speakers, the Global Perspectives Summit was a great success. As well as an opportunity for delegates to gain an insight into the ways in which social change can be achieved, the benefits and problems associated with such a task, the Global Perspectives Summit also gave delegates the ability to make useful contacts. Set to run in 2013 with the accompaniment of The University of Melbourne’s LIVE Unit, The Global Perspectives Summit is an insightful and beneficial experience for all involved. Keep an eye out for The Global Perspectives Summit in 2013 and send in an application to be part of something great.

  Hande Cerkez.

Global Perspectives Summit 2012, Executive Committee.

Communications Coordinator.

www.gps.unimelb.edu.au 

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The Global Perspectives Summit on SYN FM

Did you hear our interview on SYN FM this morning? Here's the podcast, take a listen!

p://syn.org.au/program/get-cereal/episode/audio/2012/09/28/interview-global-prerspectives-summit/9172

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To build a more sustainable, equitable and democratic world, we need an empowered, connected and durable movement of citizens.

http://valuesandframes.org/

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Doug Gimsey - The Framing Effect - Change your words, change your world.

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The Hub Melbourne

Hub Melbourne is a professional member community that exists to drive innovation through collaboration. Over 650 individuals from all sectors and over 40 disciplines have become ‘Hubbers’ since launching in March 2011. Everyday, hundreds of connections are built on our collaboration platform and over 100 members come to our coworking space just opposite Southern Cross Station to work, connect and be inspired! The community's value increases as the diversity and number of our members grows; Hub Melbourne is also a part of a global network of 5,000+ members in over 30 Hubs spanning 6 continents.

http://hubmelbourne.com/

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Kinfolk cafe, Melbourne.

kinfolk emerged by way of a collective of multi-skilled individuals, putting their hearts, hands and heads together. Initially, the kinfolk project was envisaged to be able to provide support for two of YGAP’s (Y-Generation Against Poverty) international project partners. Philip Di Bella got the ball-rolling through a commitment of premium unlimited Di Bella coffee and from here, many more jumped on board! The site for the cafe was chosen at the unused shopfront of the Bourke St Donkey Wheel House, and then we decided to include two Australia based projects into our beneficiaries.  

Volunteer carpenters, electricians, plumbers, plasterers, designers, artists and more joined together to fit-out the cafe with donated and found materials.

kinfolk officially opened in May 2010 and since then has taken on a wondrous personality of its own. Volunteers have continued to strengthen in number and the diversity, skill and creativity each team member brings to the table is immeasurable.

Furthermore, it is the cafe’s dedicated array of suppliers and stockists who make our unwavering quality and consistency possible.

http://www.kinfolk.org.au/about/

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Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies (CERES), Brunswick

CERES is an award winning, not-for-profit, sustainability centre located on 4.5 hectares on the Merri Creek in East Brunswick, Melbourne. It is also a thriving community, an urban farm, Australia’s largest deliverer of environmental education, an event and conference venue and a place rich with social and cultural diversity. CERES is recognised as an international leader in community and environmental practice. Built on a decommissioned rubbish tip that was once a bluestone quarry, today CERES is a vibrant eco-oasis. 350,000 people visit CERES each year. Many more engage with us through our Sustainable Schools program which takes sustainable education into schools across the state. CERES’ green technology displays, buildings, education and training programs and social enterprises (CERES’ Organic Market, Café, Permaculture Nursery and Fair Food organics delivery) demonstrate food security, sustainable agriculture, energy efficiencies, renewables and water conservation in action.

http://www.ceres.org.au/about/About.html

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Direct democracy, consensus = empathetic civilisation

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Surfing as a Metaphor for social change

After listening to Nick Mackay explore the waves of social change. Here's a surfer riding a wave and possibly taking the path of social change.

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Doing Something Good.

A collaborative social enterprise growing impactful and resilient networks for social good.

Doing Something Good.

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A community of people with tools, skills & know-how, turning big ideas into reality. 

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Slow Poke Espresso. Melbourne's Fully Sustainable Cafe.

Picture this: a cozy café that’s so inviting you’ll want to linger over your morning cuppa well into afternoon tea. Now imagine this space is completely and utterly sustainable. Enter Slow Poke Espresso.

Everything at this recently opened café in Fitzroy — a popular suburb of Melbourne — is organic, sustainable, recycled, and reused – and we mean everything. Timber offcuts made of local furniture creates a puzzle-like 12 metre-long wooden wall that runs the length of the café. The tabletops are made from recycled floorboards, the signage is charged by a solar panel sitting atop a recycled wooden toolbox, and most of the building materials – from tiles to lamp shades – were locally sourced at neighborhood flea markets. Even the business cards are made from handcut recycled cardboard packaging. Of course, the food too, is local, organic, biodynamic, and free range. Word on the street is that it’s delicious too.

Between the gorgeous eats and welcoming space, Slow Poke Espresso will surely tempt you to slow down.

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The future is ours. The future is ours to create. To create a better future for us all. Stay hungry, stay foolish. 

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Are you a change maker?

We know that being able to make a difference in the world is really important. To be able to take control of the issues that affect us can give us confidence in our ability to make things better, and help us build social connections with other people who feel the same.

Reachout.com has come up with an innovative mobile website ChangeMaker, that takes the information, resources and tools you need to make a difference, and puts them in right in your pocket.

Making big change happen can seem hard - but when you break it down, every big change is made up of a bunch of small actions. ChangeMaker makes it easier than ever to find small ways to make big change.