Guardianship Council

Guardianship Council Members

Queensland

Fiona Kem Leiper

I grew up on the banks of the Swan River with my family and my grand mother who taught me about the pleasures of sharing food, open fires, sharing time with friends, music and gardening. I have very fond memories from my childhood of communities offering support and friendship to one another. I attribute much of my connection to the work of Be The Change to these early childhood experiences. I have been leading the growth of the Symposium in Brisbane since November 2008 working in partnership with Transition Initiatives, Friends of the Earth, Church groups, and the broad community. 

I have a Bachelor of Arts with a communications major. My work has been broad and varied with Acting, Directing, Marketing, Promotions, Publicity, Event Coordination, and Education making appearances at various times. I love to connect like-minded people, to be involved in community, and I am passionate about reconnecting people with this beautiful planet.

I have two sons and currently live in the city of Brisbane.

New South Wales

Jacqueline Buckingham

I first heard about the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium in October 2006 and it struck such a chord in me that I immediately signed up for the first Facilitator Training in Australia in February 2007. I experienced my first Symposium during the training, and it moved me to tears. The central message of inter-connectedness resonated deeply with me.

I was born and raised on a farm in England and that gave me a strong sense of connection to the land, the trees and the animals. Moving to Australia and discovering the powerful land here, has deepened that connection with the earth. Since moving to Australia I have also been fortunate to spend time with the indigenous elders, who still retain that deep respect for and connection to country, and have spent time in ceremony with them and creating art exhibitions with them. I am also a Transpersonal Art Therapist and Reiki Teacher, and have always wanted to make a positive difference with my life.

The experience of the Symposium was a profound one for me – it was like coming home. I finally found where I wanted to put my focus, and to discover that I can work on one area (in my case the environment) and still impact the other areas (social justice and spiritual fulfilment) was an enormous relief! I currently work for a non-profit environmental organisation.

That first training in Australia produced 6 facilitators in Sydney, and this small but dedicated group has kept the dream alive in NSW, culminating in a Symposium held in Sydney in February 2009 led by Lynne Twist, with over 200 people taking part! Out of that another 27 people trained to lead Symposiums, and now we have a strong group of more than 30 leaders in NSW and the ACT.

Joining the Guardianship Council felt like the next logical step in expressing my commitment to the Symposium initiative, and in playing my part in having it spread as widely as possible.

Salomeh Dastyari

A fellow traveller like you, I dream of a world where we can live in harmony with one another, our environment and our planet. I feel a high resonance and connection to the purpose of Be The Change and I am very excited and grateful to be part of a community that is heart bound towards a journey of inspiring and bringing about sustainable change, one day at a time.

In terms of being and doing, I can tell you about two of many major passions in my life: Inspiring authentic shift for sustainable outcomes through embodied leadership development consulting/facilitating workshops/executive coaching and Improvised movement/dancing. Both of which, share the common thread of harnessing human potential through ‘unlocking body and somatic wisdom’; leading to our highest authentic expression, compassion and flow.

I have a degree in commerce marketing, am a qualified coach and have accreditations in leadership development tools. Prior to my consulting career, I was climbing the ladder in the corporate world for a number of years in sales, business development and marketing. I currently work predominantly with senior executives in embodied leadership, conscious business, pitch consulting and high impact communication skills. If I’m not facilitating a leadership or dance workshop, coaching, consulting, meditating, working on a ‘be the change’ initiative, doing yoga, hiking, eating raw food, reading, contemplating, transitioning and transforming, having a deep and/or fun conversation with my family/ friends or dancing on the rocks at a beach/cliff somewhere, i will most likely be pursuing any of the following interests: indigenous rituals and ceremonies (in particular native american indian shamanic traditions), shamanic wisdom/dance, chakra education/dance, intuitive healing, mindfulness based psychotherapy, spiritual intelligence and authentic dialogue. I am based in Sydney and travel internationally for work and personal transformation; with an inner and outer smile, constantly on a path of growth and connection to our one consciousness.

Victoria

Dot Green

'Be The Change' is an inspiring and necessary vision for our time. The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium Initiative provides a joyful opportunity for people to see that: dire predictions notwithstanding, together we can create a sustainable future. I believe this is the greatest adventure of our time.

In 1994 I went to Bangladesh with The Hunger Project and for the next 11 years I worked as a fundraiser for The Hunger Project, travelling the world, sometimes working in New York. By 1995 I saw that how we in the consuming countries live is having a devastating impact on our environment and on the people living in the majority world.

In October 2006 I led the team that brought the Symposium Initiative to Australia. I am committed to have it thrive and grow in Australia and our region.

I work as a fundraising consultant with Radical Philanthropy.

Lee Coller

For 3 years I have been a part of the Awakening the Dreamer team and in the meantime have had two beautiful children! I live in country Victoria with my husband and children, in a small town called Alexandra two hours NE of Melbourne. I love the peace, nature and community of where I live and awakened to feel the Universe’s call to make a difference when I attended the ATD Facilitator Training. I felt like I had come home and awakened a deep knowing - joining the Be the Change Guardianship Council feels like my way to serve the planet and inspire others to find their purpose in the world.

I have a degree in Economics, with honours in Human Resources. I worked for the ANZ Bank for over 10 years in a variety of HR and project management roles, with the last few years trained as a cultural transformation facilitator. I have since started my own consulting and facilitation business but currently taking time out as a full time mum.

Georges McKail

Be-The-Change has resonated with me at this moment in time and, as such … I welcome the opportunity to contribute strategically by dipping into my eclectic knowledge, skills and life-experience.

My most current interests include process-facilitation, permaculture, and graphic design. I have hands on experience facilitating Organisational Change see www.mckails.com.au and www.linkedin.com/pub/georges-mckail/3/209/311. For my graphic design and artistic skills, see:

www.fishpond.com.au/c/Books/a/Georges+McKail

Darcie Jordan

Since experiencing a transformational journey during my facilitator training in September 2010, at the age of 15, I have grown both in consciousness, spirit and heart. 

Now as a Year 11 Student, studying at Mill Park Secondary Collage, my passion and commitment has grown in awakening fellow students and potential young leaders, through the work of the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium and Generation Waking Up. 

As the voice of a generation for all generations my work continues in "igniting a generation of young people in bringing forth a thriving, just and sustainable world" through offering the Wake Up as a resource to schools across Australia and the world. My work as a change agent has seen me travel across Victoria with a deep connectedness with our fellow beings and the world.

I enjoy participating and facilitating numerous environmental and sustainability groups including the Environmental Network for Victorian Youths ("Green with Envy"), Mill Park Secondary College's annual Earth Action Conference and the Whittlesea Council Environmental Youth Forum. I have been involved in the Environment Group at my Collage since Year 8 and am currently the Collage's Environment Captain. Representing the College at a number of key environment conferences including the International Kids Teaching Kids Conferences, The 2010 Premier's Woman's Summit and a number of Facilitator Trainings have allowed me to enhance my leadership and team work skills.

I intend to bring forth and represent Generation Waking Up, meet new friends and continue developing my leadership skills on the Be the Change Guardianship Council.

John C H Perry

Company Director, Start Up mentor & Keynote Speaker.

I identify change makers and assist them to wrap their idea in a profitable enterprise. I bring them a perspective gained from co-founding and exiting out of 3 tech based start ups, attracting team members and raising $9 million in start up capital alone.

I have exported products and services to several destinations in USA, UK and Asia. As a speaker I have addressed audiences from 30 to 300 on 4 continents. And my biggest achievement is the way I have responded to the ups and downs and failures on this journey.

My work has showed me that people can build enterprises that bring the future forward ... can choose to stand at the heart of regenerative global change by solving our energy, water, agricultural, fishery and economic problems … and profit.

Today there is a connection between the interests of consumers, business growth, new jobs, economic revival and a regenerated planet. This presents far greater potential to profit from improving the way we live than at any time since the days of the industrial revolution.

All that tells me that with a big vision and a team, great things can be done. That is the very reason why the work of Be The Change has inspired me from the time I heard Tahnee speak the possibility of a world that works for everyone, invited me to do the Symposium and that I did the training and joined a ‘tribe’.

This year the Symposium education and The 4 Years Go campaign have bold and exciting visions and I am excited to be a part of the team, the movement, to continue to translate those visions into reality.

I believe that there has never been a better time for Be The Change to play its part to facilitate the union between business, humanity and the planet.

Western Australia

Amrit Kendrick

I was born in the US and have lived in India, 7 states in the US, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil and Spain. I love travelling to see other natural environments and connect with people from other cultures.

Since 1975 I have worked in the environment sector—on bush crews, as a firefighter, interpretive guide, environmental educator, coastal planning officer, TAFE lecturer in conservation and land management, coastal planning officer, facilitator and trainer developing events about natural resources, most recently as a consultant through my business, Sustain Nature Communication.

I have been married 28 years to Gary, a marine plant ecologist and we have two sons, Rodrigo age 23 and Diego age 18. For fun I love to play music on my oboe and make quilts. When I did the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium in 2010
it was discovering an extension of herself—a way to express the passionate concern I have for the world.