A Country Service for the Climate Era
A one-year intergenerational national program for school leavers, people transitioning their careers and retirees to build community resilience through service in 4 areas: Care for Country (natural environment), Care for vulnerable people (and all people), Care for culture and creativity, and Care for civil society and being a good citizen, aligned to First Nations protocols.
As humanity hurtles towards ecosystem collapse, in an economic model and mindset driven by perpetual growth, this intervention forms part of a reset towards transition. Ideally participants are paid a minimum wage, introducing a universal basic income (UBI), adapt Work for the dole programs and apply values led practical experiential learning to help shape and influence our systems.
This is an early-stage concept, evolved from extensive cultural, climate and community experience plus exploration of systems change, in conversations with family, colleagues and friends. The urgency of making change to address converging crises has motivated this proposal.
Why?
- Accelerating Climate Crisis, species extinction and ecosystem breakdown, evidenced in Interdepartmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, with United Nations (UN) and many others calling for radical action.
- Mitigating converging crises – youth despair, mental health and well-being crisis, addiction to technology, decline in volunteering and a need for greater community cohesion at the local and special interest levels.
- Prioritising First Nations culture and protocols to develop greater understanding and benefit all Australians.
- Planning for a just transition and systems change through culture, environment, and social care, towards an equitable low carbon society – called for by many.
- Redirecting labour to reduce productivity and consumption, reduce emissions to meet Paris Agreement targets and UN Sustainability Development Goals.
- Developing ongoing and practical skills and adaptive solutions through a national program.
- Engaging citizens in reimagining a liveable future.
How?
- Through engaging First Nations led organisations, cultural organisations and relevant think tanks and NGOs to scope the concept and identity pilot places that represent different communities and constituencies (E.G Inner West Council, Sydney, City of Adelaide and Wujul Wujul, FNQ)
- Work with relevant federal government departments to identify challenges and opportunities
- Identify funding partners and champions to strengthen the case
Proposed schedule
3 x 4month program segments in Care for Country, Care for people, Care for culture and creativity; with civil society components offered across the year. At least one segment to be undertaken in the participant’s local area. At least one other segment to be undertaken away from home in a different type of setting.
What could this Country Service mean for Australia at a time of converging crises?
Led by strong values and in-person practical skills development, inspired by First Nations protocols of Care for Country, Community care, Cultural practice, while strengthening civil society with understanding systems, conflict resolution, etc. This program will:
- Develop cohesion through marrying top-down and bottom-up place-based community-led approaches in every state and territory
- Start with First Nations Elders, Rangers, Community Leaders (funded consultation) to articulate values, principles, and protocols.
- Engage young people, all levels of Government, NGO’s, academics, and businesses in co-designed collective impact processes.
- Prioritise marginalised voices and perspectives.
- Assess existing services, exploring how to utilise learnings and resources.
- Incorporate projected climate impacts and other transition modelling.
- Identify training needs, including principles of democracy, disaster preparedness, emergency response and creative adaptation.
- Develop and cost a scalable pilot model and communication strategy to engage stakeholders and potential partners.
- Identify evaluation tools, considering tangible and intangible outcomes.
Priority next steps
- Intensive research and consultation through existing place-based initiatives: identifying relevant experts, existing studies, areas of urgent environmental and social need, in dynamic response to rapidly changing conditions.
- Explore international models of National service (E.G. France,) and how these could be introduced/adapted into the Australian context and this new agenda
- Set up and host co-design symposiums that bring top down and local expertise together in a collective impact model.
- Cost in several scenario models
- Develop/adapt tools to assess needs and benefits to participants (individuals and organisations)
- Explore potential partnerships and develop diverse funding model with 3 layers of Government, potential delivery organisations, sponsorship and philanthropy
- Deliver a costed plan for this New National Service with ready-to-go pilots to test and settings to test them in (at least 3 settings).
Other potential benefits
- New and recent migrants could be encouraged to engage to learn about Australian culture, environment, and values.
- Cohorts could be specifically trained in disaster preparedness and response, ready for the increase in natural disasters.
- Values led programs disrupt and influence aggressive for-profit business models and shift attitudes to community wealth.
Additional information – June 2023
The Service for Country project seems timely as in recent weeks various world governments discuss plans for revitalising National Service. These generally propose reinstating defence focused service, not considering other social and environmental needs. Scoping A Service for Country could positively influence others facing significant challenges of Climate Crisis, economic and social instability and the need for systemic change.
Scoping in relation to place?
The scoping aims focus on 4 specific places in year one and extend this to include at least one specific place in all states and territories in year 2. The purpose is to ensure that place plays a critical role in how this project develops. This honours and identifies specific First Nations communities to consult with, to whom the notion of national is an anomaly. It aligns to place-based social change work that has significant impact across Australia and leading systems change conversations and recognises that disasters happen to local places so building place based community resilience is an urgently needed part of this plan. There are ongoing tensions between top-down national agendas and grassroots place-based initiatives. In order for this project to be scalable, it needs to be scoped in communities, to understand the shifting dynamics between these approaches and create a plan that is flexible enough to adapt to each place while remaining cohesive.
The proposed four sites in Year 1:
- Sydney is the largest metropolitan city in Australia (5.3mil) and one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Australia. Almost 50% of our residents were born overseas, and 34.8% of people speak a language other than English at home.
- Adelaide is a small city (1.3mil) and the driest city in the driest state of Australia. It has a history of cultural and social innovation.
- Mallacoota and the Gippsland region, Victoria heavily impacted by 2019 fires and Climate impacts with rapid transition as the area from traditional energy and resource-based industries.
- Alice Springs is a remote town in the centre of Australia of 26,000 residents and almost 20% 5,200 are Indigenous. It has recently experienced significant social unrest.
The remaining sites for year 2 will be identified as the scoping process develops to ensure there is diversity across the process and includes a wide range of variables in terms of population size and make up, geographic location, Climate vulnerabilities, social strengths and challenges, etc.
Identifying partners
The place-based approach offers opportunity to identify local partners as well as state/territory and national service organisations. The list provided is by no means exhaustive. Consultation at a local level will help identify potential partners.
Framing
The scope will be framed through the following lenses:
- Economic incentives
- Social incentives
- Environmental incentives
Each will be explored within the current systems context, with scenario planning to future proof the concept.
Identifying participants
Plan A – The aim is to scope this project as a Government funded endeavour and part of an economic transition plan. This requires strong interdepartmental partnership at a national level and 3 tiers of government engagement to honour the place-based aspects of the scope. In developing conversations with Minister Burke’s office, there is acknowledgement that while this proposal sits outside of existing policies and processes, that Government needs to explore projects like this to be able to deliver systems change. Govt is burdened with an economic model led by productivity and growth that is driving wealth disparity and Climate Crisis. New economic frameworks such as circular economy, modern Monetary theory and donut economics are starting to impact economic framing. This project seeks to address several social and environmental issues that the current economic framework is failing. There are existing economic arguments for National Service. The focus of this project would be economic transition to a net zero, carbon neutral future.
Plan B – To scope this project for volunteers only. There are significant drawbacks in this model as it requires participants to have means to support themselves at a time of growing wealth disparity. However practically this may need to start as a voluntary pilot.
How will people be recruited?
Given Australia’s historical rejection of conscription, this project is not suggesting enforced participation. However, part of the scoping process and community
From Creative Practice to Climate Justice Action
A week-long event to mindfully build connections between embodied creative practices, systemic climate challenges and volatile contexts. Created for artists, cultural workers, academics, environmental activists, community members, funders, climate scientists and policy makers interested in exploring the role of low carbon live arts practices in responding to the Climate and Ecological Emergency, through transformation and transition, with social justice at the heart.
This program was presented in partnership with University of Greenwich in London in July 2024
WHY?
As you may know the planet and climate are in accelerating crises with natural disasters, social instability and warming temperatures that are endangering many species, including humans.
The Climate Crisis is a cultural crisis as we grapple with unsustainable lifestyles, systems and aspirations. Arts and culture have a big role to play in leading change.
Nature is culture and we need to have an ecosystems approach to our relationships within it, ever conscious of limited resources and not creating waste.
The live performing arts sector in particular has vital low carbon skills, practices and processes that are live and help connect people to the world around us, build imagination and empathy beyond the current destructive paradigm towards transition, regenerative practices and a livable future.
WHO?
From Creative Practice to Climate Justice Action is for artists, cultural workers, academics, environmental activists, community members, funders, climate scientists and policy makers interested in exploring the role of the live arts in responding to the Climate and Ecological Emergency, through transformation and transition, with social justice at the heart.
Led by Independent producer Pippa Bailey, an Australian artist and cultural worker, a leader who experiments in adaptation, disaster preparedness and rehearsing different futures. She is joined by First Nations artist and plant specialist Henrietta Baird, a proud Kuku Yalanji woman from Far North Queensland and Gabrielle Moleta, whose UK company leads Transformation work. This work involves the actor in detailed, specific observation of animals and birds. They are joined and supported by Professor Jorge Lopes Ramos, co-founder and Executive Director of ZU-UK and Professor of Interactive Theatre and Performance at the University of Greenwich.
It is important to note that independent artists and cultural workers are vital to adaptation and transition at this time of great social upheaval because they are agile risk takers, able to see across systems and move more quickly than most organisations and institutions. Hosting this event is an act of radical creative opportunity.
Featuring an extraordinary collection of expert practitioners, Over a week we will mindfully build connection between embodied practices, systemic challenges and volatile contexts.