Growth
December 2020
We end this year with a project focused on having the humility to look inwards, recognize our setbacks, learn from them and change them. What are the thoughts, opinions and everyday behaviours we have that are not self-serving and how does that impact the world we live in?
To say the least, many things have happened to us this year and have forced our minds and bodies into new ways of being that we have not experienced before. We have been constantly reacting to significant events around us and no doubt have felt confusion, frustration and exhaustion from the constant influx of change and new information. Whilst all of this can be overwhelming in our dynamic environments, the one thing we can control is our state of mind and how we choose to behave.
This project explores some key themes highlighted this year as a result of the global pandemic. Our storytellers unpack the layers in topics such as mental health, power and privilege and climate change. In the unpacking of these complex topics, we also explore common attitudes and actions that can be challenged to promote a more conscientious self and in turn, promote a more connected and ethically responsible community.
More and more, we would like to encourage readers to look at the things that we didn’t do so well and find a way to change them. We know this is not only possible but necessary so that mistakes are not repeated and our only way forward is up.
Wishing you all a happy new year and a brighter 2021 ahead.
Xxx
Featured Stories
The Climate Crisis is a Human Crisis
The Trouble of Seeing Climate Change Through One Lens
The Philippines is the second most climate vulnerable country in the world and now as we see more youth activists speak out about the climate crisis, we turn to Mitzi Tan from Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP) to understand what the real life impacts climate change has on people and their communities.
The global climate crisis discourse is dominated by the language of science and the Global North’s perspectives and solutions. Leading YACAP, Mitzi drives home the importance of understanding the climate crisis as experienced differently by different people…
How to ‘Do Good’
A Perspective on the Ethics of Charity
Charities play an important role in providing much needed services and aid to vulnerable communities. With the recent mass media critique on our positions of power and privilege, every sector has been assessed under the public microscope - and the charity sector whilst altruistic in nature, should also be prepared to review its own role in reinforcing power structures.
Lakshmi Iyer takes us through her journey and role in international development and her more recent work at a UK charity. The UK charity focuses on higher education for Myanmar providing opportunities for young people to access higher education. After the 1988 uprising, universities were shut down for 30 years by the government….
Holistic Therapy, Holistic Worlds
Practising Compassion for Ourselves and The World Around Us
After having children, Greg Donaldson shifted his acting career to becoming a Transpersonal Therapist. His work practices a holistic approach to therapy that focuses on the mind, the wellness of the spirit, its connection to ourselves and our purpose.
It could not have been more timely to speak to Greg, especially after a turbulent 2020, a year like none other we have experienced before. Whilst mental health is gaining more recognition and publicity, there are further steps we need to take to normalise the support and treatment of mental health in our everyday lives…
Archived Stories
The Role of Indigenous History in Australia
Motivations of a Young Refugee Couple