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Be The Change Limited
Directors’ Report 2021-22
Company Secretary:
Liz Downes
[email protected]
0415308041
207/283 Glenhuntly Road
Elsternwick VIC 3185
Australia
[email protected]
ACN: 112 556 368
ABN: 45 112 556 368
Be The Change Australia
www.bethechange.org.au
Be The Change Australia acknowledges and pays respect to Aboriginal Australia and their elders past and present
Table of Contents
page
- Executive Summary 3
- Reports
- Guardianship Council report 4
- Programs: Its Up 2 Us 5
- Programs: Inspiring Transition 7
- Finance and Administration (see separate report)
- Who’s Who – Contact Us – page 8
2 - Executive Summary
Be The Change Australia’s purpose is to educate, inspire and empower individuals,
organisations and communities on the path to a sustainable, just and fulfilling future.
We do this through harnessing the catalytic capacity of our educational programs across
Australia, and by building a connected passionate community of people who stand for this
vision.
Our aim is to connect, educate, inspire, equip and motivate people across Australia to cocreate a thriving, just and sustainable world.
Our 2021-22 Director’s Report includes contributions from our two active Chapters/affiliated
programs – It’s Up to Us and Inspiring Transition, as well as our leadership team, the
Guardianship Council.
We recommend this report to you all, with a view to new horizons and a recognition that
there is a growing appetite for activities which help environments and communities be more
sustainable, resilient and creative in these challenging times for the planet. At the 2022
Annual General Meeting we will invite discussion of ideas regarding partnerships, projects
and passions for the rest of 2022 and onwards. - Reports
Guardianship Council report
Over 2021-22, Be the Change met monthly to cover our essential transactions in three
fundamental groups: the Guardianship Council, the Finance and Admin Committee (see
BTC’s Financial report) and the Public Fund Committee. Managing the website and
administration tasks have never stopped in the background of these activities.
We have continued to support the It’s Up To Us initiative (Jaime and team in Western
Australia) and Inspiring Transition, led by Andrew Gaines. See the enclosed reports to
find out more about what these chapters and projects have been up to!
In 2021-22, Be the Change formalised a new grant-giving protocol to expand our
support of environmental and climate related activities proposed by other people and
organisations which forward our constitutional purposes. While our fundraising needs
work in order to allow for a sustainable grants program, we intend that this new direction
will inspire donations to help make our world a more liveable place in these challenging
times. Our first applicant, Climate Justice Union, has received a grant towards the
employment of a Climate Health Coordinator (see WA report for more details).
After consultation with members, Be the Change has drafted some minor changes to
the Constitution which have been approved by the Register of Environmental
Organisations which oversees tax deductible organisations in the environmental
domain. These changes, to be presented as a Special Resolution at the 2022 AGM,
reflect our increasing commitment to supporting educational activities relating to climate
justice and caring for country – two things we believe are essential for an
environmentally sustainable and socially just future.
Be the Change is no longer running in-person Symposiums or Project Drawdown
workshops. This is with respect to the shift in focus both in the Pachamama Alliance
international team, and with our work in Australia. The Jump Up curriculum for children
developed by Helena Read is available online for a donation via our website.
Since we have all the bells and whistles of a Registered Environmental Organisation,
including deductible gift recipient status, we are open to suggestions as to how we can
support additional programs that forward our constitutional purposes.
We would like to thank all who have contributed to the work of the organisation in the past
year and look forward to continuing to build together as a community.
Andrew, Liz and Katherine – Guardianship Council members 2021-22
It’s Up 2 Us report
Jaime Yallup Farrant CEO It’s Up 2 Us and Climate Justice Union Campaigner
Over several years members of Climate Justice Union have worked with a community of
health professionals, the Department of Health and Minister for Health to prioritise climate
action and environmental sustainability within the portfolio. They were instrumental in
establishing the WA Climate and Health Community of Practice, and in advocating for
inclusion of environmental sustainability and climate change in the Sustainable Health
Review.
Until late 2021 this work was unfunded and relied on the core capacity of a small CJU staff
team and volunteers. In late 2021, in partnership, BTC provided a grant of $25,250 towards
the employment of a Climate & Health Organiser. CJU raised the rest of the approximately
$45,000 worth of funds by other means. Together this covered the cost of an initial 1 year of
employment for a 0.4 FTE role.
Madu Venkantesan was employed in this position in February 2022.
This position has enabled CJU to deepen existing relationships and establish new
relationships, collaborate with and support various organisations, and work to ensure the
climate and health movement is connected and engaging across silos in their shared
advocacy work.
This work has included the establishment of a CJU Health Network, a member’s network for
people working across the intersection of health and climate, and has facilitated the Climate
and Health Community of Practice in holding public events and providing networking and
collaboration opportunities. CJU has also, in partnership with Climate and Health Alliance
established a National Mental Health and Climate Change Network which meets quarterly to
support effective collaboration and highlight intersectionality and social justice within this
space.
CJU have created an Extreme Heat Guide, a resource which collates important information
about the health impacts posed by extreme heat, and actions individuals can take to care for
themselves and each other during periods of extreme heat.
This position has also enabled CJU to engage in numerous policy processes including
crafting a submission to the WA Community Disaster Resilience Strategy. This process
included engaging with a variety of CJU members, including those who lived through recent
extreme weather events, such as Yamatji woman Yungaji who lived through Cyclone Seroja.
Based on the input and stories from CJU members, along with analysis of the strengths and
weaknesses of the discussion paper, we provided a submission with 6 recommendations.
Finally the CHO position has enabled CJU to respond in a timely way to various
opportunities including collaborating with the National Resilience and Recovery Agency (now
merged with Emergency Management Australia to become the National Emergency
Management, Resilience and Recovery Agency (NEMRRA)). Through this we have
prioritised the input of people with lived experience in policy development and brokered
relationships to ensure the perspectives and worldviews of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are included in these National processes.
Inspiring Transition report 2021
Andrew Gaines – Guardianship Council Member and Inspiring Transition Initiative Founder
Our vision remains magnificent!
It is to catalyse a new kind of social change movement devoted to bringing forth an ecologically sustainable, socially just, spiritually fulfilling human presence on this planet. In other words, to inspire thoughtful mainstream commitment to doing everything required to pull out of our ecological nosedive, and transition to a life-affirming culture. We act on this by inspiring people to be citizen-educators, and providing innovative communication tools.
The reality is that we are just a speck.
Last year I ran a regular drop-in discussion group on Catalysing mass commitment to transformational change. A number of the regular participants were extremely knowledgeable, and they enjoyed the discussions. However, when I suggested that our discussions were not accomplishing anything, and that we should turn our attention to reaching out to catalyse a new kind of mass communication initiative – one based on helping ordinary people and decision-makers think more realistically about the larger issues of our time – many of them dropped out.
However, things are picking up. I was interviewed by a South African researcher who was exploring the views of members of the Climate Coaching Alliance. He liked what I said so much that he volunteered to work with me and others. He started by introducing me to the CEO of a US consulting firm, and this has led to other connections.
We are also starting a League of Evolutionary Catalysts. This is for people who are committed to catalysing a movement to shift mainstream consciousness, and who embrace the ‘new paradigm’ of enabling people to function better both mentally and emotionally. If this interests you, I can be contacted directly at [email protected].
I take the bottom line to be this: Greta Thunberg will have reason to hope when she sees that mainstream society is committed to turning things around.
- Finance and Administration
See separate Financial Report. - Who’s Who – Contact Us
Contact us via the form on our website at: http://www.bethechange.org.au/contact/
ACN: 112 556 368
ABN: 45 112 556 368
VIC Fundraiser Registration Permit: FR0015212
WA Fundraiser Registration Permit: CC21261
