SEE-Change Centres

Roundtable - Saturday 17 June 2006

Overview

A group of 34 Canberrans met at a roundtable at the Nature and Society Forum (NSF) on 17 June to discuss the need for, and shape of, a Life Centre movement in the Australian Capital Territory. The movement's name was changed to SEE-Change Centres a month later - to find out why, see our FAQ.

The group included interested local politicians, administrators, business people, physical, biological, environmental and social scientists, medical practitioners, schoolteachers and members of NSF. Their names are appended to this document.

The proposition that a new public institutional movement is needed in Australia to promote learning and action within the community on sustainability, health and well-being had been raised in a recent book by Canberra biologist Stephen Boyden. It had been elaborated by two other NSF members, Bob Douglas and Keith Thomas. A proposal for development of a number of trial SEE-Change Centres in the ACT had been sent to roundtable participants, who then circulated their preliminary reactions to this idea in a set of “dot-point” summaries prior to the meeting.

The day was spent in dialogue and small group discussion aimed at assessing whether, and how, SEE-Change Centres could most appropriately serve our society, and how they might be tested and evaluated.

The group reached consensus on the following statement, which has been prepared after careful consideration of the transcripts of the discussion. A full transcript of the discussion is available.

The challenge

Our present human world is ecologically unsustainable. Our planet is already overstretched by the demands which humankind is making upon it. Human-induced changes such as the enhanced greenhouse effect, thinning of the ozone layer, pollution of the planet with synthetic pollutants, land degradation in its various forms and massive loss of biodiversity are threatening the future of our life support systems and our personal health.

Underlying these challenges is our society’s commitment to an economy which demands ever-increasing growth in consumption, increased competition and more demanding working conditions. “Material progress” is diminishing, rather than enhancing, the quality of our lives and our health.

The future well-being of Australians will depend on big changes in our national culture. Which of our cherished beliefs and values do we need to reassess? What actions can we take – as individuals, groups, communities and regions – to recover a sustainable trajectory?

A cultural response

Many Australians appreciate the urgent need for change and would like to reset the national compass in the direction of sustainability, equity and a richer quality-of-life. But often we also feel trapped by a system over which we have little or no control. We would like to explore alternatives to the current dominant culture and examine, with our friends and neighbours, ways of making Australia a healthier, safer and more sustainable home for our children.

The transition to an ecologically sustainable society will require action by individual citizens, communities and businesses. It will also be dependent on firm and enlightened action on the part of government. However, appropriate governmental intervention will not come about until there is strong support for such action from an informed and concerned electorate that understands the absolute necessity for, and desirability of, this radical societal transformation.

Need for lifelong learning, open debate and appropriate action

There is therefore an urgent need for an arrangement that will engage Australians in an exploration of what we know about our predicament and what we can do about it. At present Australian society lacks appropriate structures for this.

However, there is no lack of scientific information about the nature of the challenge and there is a multiplicity of government agencies organizations, groups and individuals committed to a sustainable and equitable future.

What is missing is an institutional framework that:

systematically makes this information available, in understandable form, to concerned and interested members of the public, thus bridging the gap between the scientific world and the rest of the community, and

provides a framework that encourages Australians to engage with each other in lifelong learning, dialogue and action about these vital matters.

The SEE-Change Centre concept

The idea of developing a trial series of SEE-Change Centres in Canberra received firm support from the group which endorsed the purpose and functions of the Centres as being:

To provide easily accessible information about the nature and origins of life on Earth, the state of the environment, the health and well-being of human populations around the world and the current state of the science of sustainability and of human health and well-being.
To provide opportunities for informed discussion and debate about the future of Australian and world society and the various institutions and policies which shape environmental and human health and well-being.
To work with a coordinating body/ group for dissemination of valid and well-authenticated scientific, health and social information that can aid and document the shift towards a bio-sensitive and healthy local and global society.
To explore the opportunities for – and barriers to – change in sustainable directions that face Canberrans today.
To provide pleasing settings for creative learning, personal and collective involvement , physical activity, and communication, using where appropriate, music, art, displays, performances, exhibitions, cross-generational dialogue and community social functions.
To assist Canberrans to move towards a lifestyle that, while it may be less consumerist, will be more healthy, more enjoyable and more resilient to the shocks which inevitably lie ahead.

These centres would be accessible and visible to people in their local neighbourhoods. They would be staffed by volunteers and would facilitate cross-generational exploration of a wide range of issues that impact on daily Australian life. And they would provide enjoyable opportunities for social interchange and enrich people’s lives.

SEE-Change Centres could be developed in a local or disused school building, shopping centres, sporting or cultural clubs, churches, mosques, temples, hotels or community centres.

Development of a series of trial Centres was widely endorsed by the roundtable, which noted that assistance with the process could be facilitated by already committed trainees in community development from the Australian Catholic University and possibly others from other ACT universities.

The roundtable recognized the need for coordination of the trial of SEE-Change Centres. It was proposed that NSF acts as facilitator and coordinator of this trial in the coming months.

SEE-Change Centres will flourish only if they meet genuine needs of the people in the communities in which they are located and if there is active support from business, government, academic and existing community bodies. SEE-Change Centres could become new and uniquely Australian institutions that are 'owned' by the local community.

A Sustainability Network

Notwithstanding that the SEE-Change Centre concept as described above is a new one, there are many activities, groups, agencies and individuals in ACT that are already actively involved in attempts to engage Canberrans in the challenges identified above, and that share many of the objectives of SEE-Change Centres.

The establishment of SEE-Change Centres provides an opportunity to create a new mechanism that will encourage dynamic links between these groups (including, of course, the centres themselves). It is therefore proposed that an on-line Sustainability Network be set up as a vehicle for exchange of information among these groups about each other’s activities and ideas.

It is proposed that Nature and Society Forum and (later) the Australian National Sustainability Precinct play a facilitatory role in developing and maintaining this Network.

The anticipated outcome

It is envisaged that SEE-Change Centres and the Sustainability Network will be a springboard for the development of a nationwide “Living Well (Social Change/ New Directions/ ???/) Movement”, leading to a meaningful shift in our society towards sustainability, resilience, good health, caring, vibrancy and equity.

Canberra has the potential to become a national and international showcase in moving from being one of the most unsustainable communities in the world to one of the healthiest and most sustainable. The challenge of becoming sustainable is not only essential for human well-being and the survival of our civilisation. It constitutes an exciting adventure which will enrich all our lives and reward our descendants.

Commencing the journey

The journey has already begun. Canberra has many experienced and skilled people who have begun to chart the path to a sustainable future. The SEE-Change Centres and Sustainability Network will bring together, in a dynamic partnership, the diverse elements that will help us all to make the transformation.

Roundtable participants expressed a willingness to act as a reference group to support the development of SEE-Change Centres and the SEE-Change Movement. Work on the development of trial SEE-Change Centres is commencing immediately.

A logical question is: Where will the resources to do this come from? The answer is 'from within Canberra'. We are a resource rich community and we have within our borders all that we need to make it happen if we want it to happen. Roundtable participants took the view that we cannot afford not to make it happen.

The group agreed to convene again after a steering group has examined the detailed recommendations and worked out a way forward.

Participants in the Roundtable

Stephen Boyden, Barbara Chevalier, Jane Dixon, Bob Douglas, Rory Eames, Barney Foran, Deb Foskey, Bryan Furnass, Tom Gavranic, Jenny Goldie, Nicola Grigg, Catherine Gross, Maureen Hartung, Lin Hatfield Dodds, Mary Ivec, Walter Jehne, Donella Johnston, Stefan Kaufman, Alice Kingsland, Ian Lucas, Gosta Lynga, Brendan Mackey, Anna Molan, Anne Napier, Cameron Neil, Mary Porter, Geoff Pryor, Bill Stefaniak, Helen Strauch, Keith Thomas, Vanessa Wheelan, Lyn Woodbury, Elise Woodman.

Participants contributed to the discussion as private individuals although many of them hold senior positions of influence in a range of organizations in Canberra.

SEE-Change Centres FAQ (Being developed in response to questions and comments sent to our office)

SEE-Change home page

Updated 8 May 2008. For more information about SEE-Change Centres, e-mail our office