Category: #CreatingaBetterWorldTogether

Building the confidence to create the possibilities of tomorrow

To build the confidence to create the possibilities of tomorrow I am inspired by this quote

We aspire to make a difference, yet at the same time fear we cannot . Confidence is that magical quality that allows us to transcend the quiet self – doubts that tug at us . It shows us the emotional way forward by allowing us to believe in ourselves and trust the process .

We need a road map that can shift our perspective and free our imaginations, allowing us to suspend belief in the limits of today so we can see and create the possibilities of tomorrow.  Blue Ocean Shift (p. 6). Pan Macmillan UK. Kindle Edition. Mauborgne, Renee; Kim, W. Chan.

The last ten years have been a time of significant change for me. Firstly exiting the family dairy business after I realised I had a vision for the business my business partners didn’t share.

The exit process taught me realising my vision for the business had consumed me. It had become my identity.

So I then put everything I had into the charity I had founded and it too became my identity ( you can see a pattern forming here). Last year it became very clear to me I was suffering from founder syndrome and it was time to hand over the reins. A defining moment was the feedback from the judges of the Banksia Awards – “there doesn’t seem to be a clear plan to replicate and scale”. Scaling what we do was the last thing on my mind – all I wanted to do was to add value to what others are doing.

I had a long chat to my contact at St Vincent De Paul – one of our funding partners. He said the work your charity does must continue and Vinnes can  provide support for you to package up all your programs and find others with the capacity to replicate them and scale them. I found this idea very exciting. There is no shortage of others out there doing great work.

So far we have been very successful with Kreative Koalas and the Young Environmental Champions programs finding the perfect new home. We are are having exciting conversations about The Archibull Prize’s capacity to have an AGSTEM role as part of a major university program and the Young Farming Champions will be workshopping what the next stage looks like for their program – could it be a youth led, youth driven initiative?

St Vincent De Paul have even engaged some-one to mentor me through the process and I very grateful for that. Defining what the future looks like at my age means spending a lot of time reflecting on the mistakes of the past and asking myself , am I too old to change.

What does proving you are never to old to change look like?

To start with I am going to focus on positive language

The breakdown of my family business taught me:

💪Whatever journey you are on get the foundation right.

💪Everybody needs to part of a shared vision – it must be a co-design process

💪Surround yourself with people who:

✅share your vision

✅have skillsets that complement yours

I am reading a book recommended by my mentor. I love this extract from the preface of  “Blue Ocean Shift by Mauborgne, Renee; Kim, W. Chan”

In the poem “ O Me ! O Life ! ” Walt Whitman , the American poet and essayist , reflects on the trials and tribulations that define the human experience . “ What good amid these , O me ! O life ? ” he asks . His answer — that all of us , individually and collectively , may contribute a verse to the powerful play that is life — has never left us . Life has its challenges and tribulations , no doubt . But it is not beyond our ability to shape . By our very existence , we all are able to contribute a verse and , in doing so , influence life’s course , and maybe even its beauty , if only by an inch . What will your verse be ? What will ours ? We have never stopped asking ourselves this question . What do we want to stand for ? What narrative arc do we want to focus our efforts on in the hopes of adding a small verse to the powerful play that is life that can help our world to advance ?

We need a road map that can shift our perspective and free our imaginations , allowing us to suspend belief in the limits of today so we can see and create the possibilities of tomorrow . And for that we need to inspire confidence in ourselves and in our people because , although we all are replete with creative energy and resilience , at our core , most of us are also incredibly tender and vulnerable . Without the confidence to act , few will venture down a new path , no matter how clear the road map .

We aspire to make a difference, yet at the same time fear we cannot . Confidence is that magical quality that allows us to transcend the quiet self – doubts that tug at us . It shows us the emotional way forward by allowing us to believe in ourselves and trust the process .

As Nelson Mandela once noted , “ It always seems impossible until it’s done”

 

 

 

 

The role of secondary school is to support young people to transition to work and thrive – why are ATARS still front of mind

 

Image source 

It is widely acknowledged

  1. the secondary school system’s role is to support young people to successfully transition to work and/or tertiary education and thrive

YET

2. the focus remains on ATARS 

So its fair to say we do not have a fit for purpose secondary school system in Australia 

I recently asked a senior career’s advisor what would success look like for teachers and students for a successful transition to work pathway

This is what they said:

  1. What does success look like for students
  • Students can identify, articulate and apply their skills, strengths and learning styles
  • Students are curious and ambitious to find out more (LMI , Career Exploration e.g. Become Education ) 
  • Students are aware of and talk more about a range of careers beyond the 15  most common occupational expectations (OECD – Dream Jobs)
  • All students have a ‘live’ career plan and goals
  • Students see the benefit in career exploration through work based learning – to confirm career interest or redirect to new career interests/pathways
  • Students are confident in undertaking and engaging with workplace opportunities
  • Students are empowered and become managers of their own career journey
  • All students have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work and skills that are valued in the workplace (Gatsby Benchmarks)
  • Every student should have had at least one experience of a workplace additional to part time jobs they may have (Gatsby Benchmarks)

2. What does success look like for school staff

  • School staff have the administrative support to coordinate work experience opportunities (SPR process is administratively heavy)
  • School staff have the leadership support to implement career exploration and industry exploration initiatives
  • Industry partnerships with local schools developed and connect with classroom learning (Make learning real, link to curriculum)

Why do you think we don’t have a fit for purpose education system when the solutions have already been identified ?

Image

Image source

Growing up the last thing on my wish list was to be a farmer

Growing up the last thing on my wish list was to be a farmer

Yet ten years after putting my hat in the ring to help design the image we want our farmers to be I was the National Landcare Primary Producer of the Year. Two years after that I was the inaugural Bob Hawke Landcare winner.  

What is the image you want your farmers to be?

In my case if it was to showcase other women I have failed

Every winner of this award in the last ten years has NOT been a woman

What could I have done differently?

When you find yourself in a patriarchal  system where you have no idea where to start.

Don’t give up.

The secret lies in asking the right questions and being part of the co-design next step team.

What questions should we be asking?

How do we promote a more equitable and representative academic landscape, AND enrich our own understanding and perspectives. 

Image source 

I recently found myself in an unpleasant situation after suggesting that we ( the agriculture sector)  find ways to ensure that agricultural academic research be more freely available so it can be more widely read and acted upon.  In my case the pushback to this idea was very fierce.

It was wonderful to chat to PhD student and Young Farming Champion  Francesca Earp today. She is a very smart young woman who is hungry for equality . Our discussion led to a lightbulb moment for me helping me identify the root cause of the big challenge we are facing with our Action4Youth Program (too much happening in too short a time ). It was also great to chat to Franny about the challenges of open access to academic research and its power structures. She drew my attention to recent blog article she had published in the LSE ( London School of Economics and Political Sciences ) Impact Blog

Some poignant points she makes resonated with me

The current state of academic publishing reinforces dominant power structures and perpetuates systemic inequalities. It is crucial that we critically examine and address these issues in order to create a more inclusive and diverse academic landscape that accurately reflects the perspectives and experiences of all communities.

As scholars, we have a responsibility to seek out and engage with diverse perspectives and experiences, regardless of our academic discipline. While it is important to work towards a more inclusive and diverse academic landscape, we cannot simply wait for these changes to be made. We must take proactive steps to challenge the status quo and actively seek out the works of non-Western academics. This not only promotes a more equitable and representative academic landscape, but also enriches our own understanding and perspectives. Francesca Earp March 8th 2023

Western voices dominate research in Asian feminist academia – Why?

How awesome is this graphic by Tammy Vora found here   

A heartbreaking reminder of how our school system is NOT fit for purpose

My post today features a school essay written by Lachlan Moss when he was in Year 11 at High School. Lachie is now one of Australia’s up and coming musical theatre stars

  I have known Lachie all his life. He was a star from the day he was born. He featured in many of my early natural resource management promos.

Jaimie Frost and Lachie Moss.  Photo Linda Faiers

Lachie essay is a  heartbreaking reminder of how our school system is NOT fit for purpose

There are 7.6 billion people living on this planet and no two share the same story. In our lives we are all able to take a different journey, see different sights and think in different ways. This level of variety and individuality is something that humanity is gifted with. It creates our society. It lets us grow, create, learn, share and inspire.

This means there are 7.6 billion stories that can be shared. 7.6 billion different pasts being walked upon. This is society. This is natural. This is what enables us to create a brighter future. So why is it with all this variety could be celebrated, we are all pushed along a path, the same path, a path where we are taught that instead of having 7.6 billion different ways to respond, there is one answer, which is either A, B, C or D.

We are constantly being told to  “Think outside the box.”

If this is so important, then why is it we spend most of, if not all, of our childhood being told to fill out only the inside of one of four boxes.

It starts in kindergarten as we color in when we are told to stay inside the line. This concept of finding the answer is the main goal of the public school system. And this used to be okay. We used to live in a world with a simple paradigm, a simple concept.

Go to school, work hard, do well, go to university, get a job and gain some level of success and security.

This simplified linear path is no longer the case and no longer believed by students. The problem that this brings with it is motivation is lost in the eyes of the student. The education system was never designed to inspire the longing for education. It was created to inspire success and now that we live in the environment where this success is harder to achieve, we have a lack of motivated learners. This has to change. A job is no longer defined by a degree, so why learn? Schools should be an environment that celebrate all types of learning and that encourage students to learn in their way.

Not only this, but a teacher should be recognized as one of the most influential roles in this environment. They have the ability to sculpt the minds of these children into our future doctors, lawyers, and presidents. They have the ability to inspire students, making them ask, “Why?” instead of forcing such questions upon them. A teacher should be able to facilitate for all learning styles, as it is these styles of learning that will increase the boundaries of how we perceive the world.

A good teacher will reach the minds of students, but a great teacher can touch a heart.

A great teacher is able to find the genius in everyone. “Everyone is a genius, but if we judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life feeling it’s stupid.” This is a quote from Albert Einstein, a genius in his own right and he is correct. We live in a world that is turning into a fishbowl and we are beginning to drown in questions that we can’t answer. This is because we are teaching the fish, the people capable of seeing the problems in a different light, to fit into our idea of what is normal.

Why? Walk down the path when there’s a river that can take these fish to greatness? Variety and different ways of thinking are our most useful tool. We have the power as a race to look at things from different perspectives. Why are we cutting off the fins of our creative thinkers and forcing them to walk along a path where they’re struggling to breathe. They are losing their maximum learning capacity and more importantly, losing their creativity.

Don’t take my word for it. There was a book released in 1992 called Break Point and Beyond, and inside this book is a test you can take that determines whether or not you are classified as a divergent thinking genius. Of the 1,600 students, children aged between three and five who were tested, 98% showed they could think in divergent or creative ways by the time they were aged eight to ten, 32% could think this way. When the same test was applied to thirteen- to fifteen-year-olds, only 10% could think this way. And when the test was used with 200,000, twenty-five-year-olds, only 2% were classified as divergent thinking geniuses.

We’ve created a system that kills creativity. Ask a sixth grader to draw a bird. They will draw a lower case m, do it in kindergarten and you’ll get 300 drawings that may look completely different, full of that sought after color and creativity.

Imagine a world where instead of being pushed through a bottleneck, we push the boundaries of human knowledge. Instead of feeling stupid, we feel we have the power to change the world through inspiration and the variety we bring. Instead of climbing up a mountain, we swim down a stream.

School is a factory, a world where we’re all forced to sit in lines, put our hands up to speak, listen to a ringing bells and get a small 20 to 40 minute breaks. We don’t learn because we want to learn. We learn because we have to. We specialize education into different sectors of faculties. We still pump out graduates in batches, which we call year groups, and we grade our students with letters and numbers.

This obsession with statistics, grades and quantifying one’s knowledge is so obscure. Where else do we do this? Do we quantify love? Do we quantify sorrow? What number of letter represents your first kiss? How about your first heartbreak? What aspect of humanity is honestly, quantifiable? Sure, he may be bad at writing an essay on World War Two, but he may be able to tell a story that conveys an understanding of the hardships and despair that could put any essay to shame. We give letters and grades of quality to things like produce to the quality of meat, not the contents of one’s mind. We lock these creative thinkers in a box, where in the worst case, creativity is constricted until they are removed from the colors of creativity and met with the shades of grey.

Instead of having a set of keys to unlock their true potential, they have one key that opens the box and throws them into a world where they are taught to believe they are stupid, where they are the piece that doesn’t fit and have to change themselves to do so. If given the opportunity, schools can become an environment where all the avenues of education can be explored, when we can step off the forced path and find our own way, allowing new pathways to be followed. This is the only way we can move towards the future because here is a statistic that matters.

There are 1.9 billion children in the world and that is 27% of the world population, but they are 100% of the future.

Lachie is not alone in asking the question if our education system is fit for purpose

Why change the ATAR? The way we recognise learning contributes to the problem

How we recognise learning at the end of secondary schooling is important because it determines post school pathways to further learning and work and has a flow on effect into what we teach (curriculum) and what and how we assess young people at school.

The ATAR is the dominant representation of success in schooling. It was designed in an era where only 11% of the population attended higher education, and then most were from higher socio-economic groups.

Today, only 26% of university entrants actually use an ATAR to pursue further learning. It is not utilised in any other post school pathway.

In spite of this narrow utilisation, the ATAR has a disproportionate impact on secondary schooling curriculum and assessment.  Our school system is geared to ATAR outcomes even if these are not sufficient indicators of a young person’s potential for recruiters and employers. Source 

 

 

Teaching young people how to thrive in a green jobs future

Tim Minchin is right – its very hard to get people to change their behaviour

but then not everyone has met Josh Farr of Campus Consultancy and World renowned Changeologist Les Robinson

Les has made an artform out of making behaviour change simple and he is showing teachers involved in the Action4Agriculture Young Environmental Champions program how to support their students to become behaviour change specialists.

Josh Farr from Campus Consultancy is showing the students all the skills sets they need to use their behavior change skills to thrive in a green jobs future

 

Country shows providing a vehicle for young people to lead

Thanks to Ryan McParland and his TAG team members I am getting an inside seat of behind the scenes at our local country shows

This week it was Robertson Show where I was fascinated by the ring announcers and the variety of ways that locals could test their fitness

It was a very hot day but this didn’t seem to dampen the community spirit nor the punters with the Famous Robertson Show’s Australian Championship Potato Race the highlight

Two women and 29 men lined up to tackle the Famous Robertson Show’s Australian Championship Potato Race under the beating sun. Matty Hammond from Robertson ran a strong race snatching first place followed by Max Mauger from Robertson in second place and Nigel Scannell from Bowral in third. Source

Then there was the harness races where people replaced horses in front of the sulky

The exhibits in the pavilion where stunning

and once again the Rural Ambassador program was a huge success with Angela Hughes declared the winner. Photo source  

Congratulations Ryan you are creating a movement of young people who are role models for youth volunteering

#youthinag #creatingabetterworldtogether

Young Environmental Champions – empowering young people to be change makers

In an ideal world we would all be active citizens in our communities . 

How do we set young people up to be active and resilient citizens in their communities?

This is a challenge put to the Action4Agriculture team last year, initially by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) and also by the Office for Regional Youth.

VFFF commissioned Environmental Leadership Australia and Foundation for Young Australians to understand the issues for young people and make recommendations on how they can best be supported. See research outcomes here

The Office for Regional Youth did similar 

Both organisations have youth advisory bodies and Action4Agriculture has youth representatives on both.

Action4Agriculture has been working with young people in primary, secondary and tertiary education for close to 20 years. We also have extensive insights into this demographic.

Building on our knowledge and insights plus that of our funding partners the Empowering Young Environmental Champions (YEC) program was born.  We are very grateful to insights of Professor Felicity Blackstock and Tanya Jackson Vaughan in developing the model

The YEC are identified young people completing their Australian primary, secondary and tertiary education, who are supported to act on environmental and social issues important to them, their schools and their communities.  Through the YEC project, these young people and their communities are connected with the best minds and ideas in government, education, industry, not for profits and the research sector to sustainably translate complex challenges into concrete problems and feel empowered to solve real world issues at a local, state or national level.

This bespoke program supports young Australians to be agents of change creating a movement to embed sustainability thinking and actions in our way of life.

The program is open to young people in Stage 3 to Stage 5 in primary and secondary schools and TAFE/Uni students  in the following regions in 2023.

You can see how it works here 

What’s involved here 

Support for teachers and students here 

Hierarchy of Intended Outcomes here

What I have learnt is success relies on bringing the right people to the table. I so wish everyone, everywhere had the mindset of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and fostered the communities of practice model  

We believe change can only happen when people work together, which is why partnerships with the broader community and organisations nationally are a cornerstone of BSL. Source

 

 

 

Action4Youth – a vision to create a workforce attraction, support and thrive model that can be scaled and replicated by any industry

Action4Youth is a vision to create a workforce attract, support and thrive model that can be scaled and replicated by any industry

It is the result of 20 years of applied research by many people investigating and trialing frameworks that understand the wants, needs and pain points of the people it aims to serve.

The model has three phases – EXPLORE_CONNECT_SUPPORT

It began with identifying who are the right people to bring to the table to support the vision.

It acknowledges you need place based models with resources for local solutions

The Brotherhood of St Lawrence  Foundational Capability Pathway identified the key components that form the skeleton:

  1. Young people need a breadth of skills
  2. Co-design and co-delivery – the people who directly benefit have ownership
  3. Partnerships and relationships – work with the willing

Research by the Brotherhood of St Laurence has also identified two focus areas post COVID

  1. Building employer capability
  2. Mental Health and Well Being of Young People

What does the current ACTION4YOUTH step by step plan look like

Step One. Bring the Right people to the Table 

Step Two. Follow identified best practice

Step Three. Identify and focus on the Top Three Modes of Influence

Step Four. Co-design a model that is participant ( teachers/career advisors, students, employers) centric

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Step Five. Identify and Engage Vocational Exploration Psychology Organisation to support educators and give them confidence they can support students to identify their values and explore careers

Step 6. EXPLORE . Offer taster opportunities . Awareness becomes Attraction

Step 6. CONNECT students with role models and mentors and employers

Step 7. Provide SUPPORT for students and employers to build their capability

Step 8. Engage Headspace  to support students with mental health, physical health, & managing work and study.

Step 9. Identify great work being done by others we could partner with and leverage

We have pressed the launch button and just when everything was going wonderfully the government in their wisdom moved NAPLAN from May to March 😊The things that you just cant account for in a project risk assessment 😊

Watch this space as we share with you our journey

#Action4Youth

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does real leadership look like

Role models inspire, they motivate and they provide a benchmark you can aspire to achieve.

I have spent the last twenty years searching the agriculture sector for people who define REAL leadership for me.

Cathy McGowan AO is my benchmark and I was equally inspired when I saw 29 year old Ryan McParland in action. 

The leadership journey begins with knowing how to lead yourself, then to lead teams and finally to lead systems. I believe Ryan has the capacity to not only lead systems but to drive meaningful change within Australian agriculture. He has the skills to create a movement and also the skills to gather around him the role models, mentors, champions and funding partners that he needs to be successful,” Source  

At Action4Agriculture we have been supporting young people to go on the leadership journey. Our CULTIVATE program supports them to learn to lead themselves. Our Young Environmental Champions program supports them to lead others. Our Young Farming Champions Leadership Team Innovation Hub supports them to practice forms of leadership.

The world is crying out for more youth led organisations and more youth led projects. Our research has shown us a lot more consideration could be being given to how much a young person’s life can change between the ages of 12 to 30.

They transition from education to work, they fall in love, they make decisions about careers or children and whether they can have both.

This year our youth led leadership team trialed holacracy. The  person who put their hand up to be convenor suddenly found herself with a not to be missed opportunity to study in London and her PhD studies relocating her to Laos for 12 months. Life is full on when you are young

In talking to Ryan, one of my key interests in asking our wonderful journalist Mandy McKeesick to interview him and his “fan” club was the pivotal role his employer BlueScope is playing in nurturing his leadership journey.  If BlueScope see the wisdom in providing Ryan with flexibility, champions and funding through their Community Foundation partnership with WIN4 then surely they too are setting a workplace culture benchmark all organisations can aspire to have.

Watch this space – Ryan has started a conversation in our team and with other people and organisations who want to support young people to be part of the youth leadership  co-design process