May 2023
Quote
“Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.”
Useful Fact
SOON is a futures think tank focused on human insights.
They distil social sciences and triangulate their findings with emerging attitudes, ethnographic foresight, and cultural signals; bringing tomorrow to life today.
By tracking trends, developments, and disruptions — from micro to mega — they understand people, products, and the planet in their context.
Their information is actionable and always grounded in ethical strategies that comes to life as a visual database of signals, insights and foresights.
Interesting Website
In The Wisdom of Trauma, we travel alongside physician, bestselling author and Order of Canada recipient Dr. Gabor Maté to explore why our western society is facing such epidemics.
This is a journey with a man who has dedicated his life to understanding the connection between illness, addiction, trauma and society.
Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds.
Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-informed society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy-makers and legal personnel are not concerned with fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, suppressing symptoms and judging, but seek instead to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring in the wounded human soul.
Campaign
National Justice Project are an independent and courageous, and fearless advocates based in Sydney, NSW with a track record of securing justice and accountability for people and communities who have experienced discrimination.
Through the power of strategic legal action, education and advocacy they use their skills to build a fairer justice system and more equitable society.
They work to ensure everyone has the right to equality under the law. They work collaboratively with their community partners and clients to identify systemic injustice and to run test cases that break down the barriers to justice.
Their long-term goal is to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination.
Key Event
Pregnancy Help Australia connects you with a judgement-free community that will listen and give you a safe space to work through your feelings in your own time.
They are available to answer all of your questions and link you to the right local support, information and encouragement necessary to make it through this challenging time.
Whatever stage of your pregnancy or new-born parenting journey Pregnancy Australia are there to help. Connect with them today.
All their service are confidential and free of charge.
Who are
FearLess is a charity that works with people living with the consequences of post-traumatic stress (often referred to as PTSD).
They also help family members in any way affected by it.
Their community members come from all walks of life including those living with PTSD and their families or people who want to do their bit to make the lives of people living with post-traumatic stress more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Their work complements the activities of other community-based organisations and government agencies that provide services to people with post-traumatic stress.
They have a growing national presence throughout both Australia and New Zealand, with the aim of having local representation in areas where there is a concentration of people who live with post-traumatic stress.
Their vision is to mitigate the devastating impacts of PTSD on our community by 2025.
Out & About
Watch this beautiful video created by Wollongong City Council. Dharawal Country - People, Places and Stories.
See more on their YouTube channel.
Resource
Do you know the real stories of people who inject or use drugs? The fear and stigma around drug use often means that people who use drugs struggle to be accepted and to access the health care and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like for them? Who they are? What life is like? One of the greatest pathways to understanding is listening.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi follow the personal and untold stories of people who inject drugs on The Daily Dose podcast. They give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Most of what we hear around drug use, and particularly people who inject drugs comes from the media, and it’s deeply etched with stereotypes and impacts on people’s lives and their access to employment, family and personal relationships. The podcast doesn’t promote drug use it promotes compassion and understanding.
Mandy and George think it’s important to tell real stories that don’t rely on stereotypes and prejudice.
This is brave stuff from these 9 storytellers because sharing these kinds of stories comes with risks. In some instances friends family and colleagues don’t know about their drug use. They could lose their job, be marginalised in their community, ostracised at school pick up and be judged.
Diary Dates
Join us as we host our line up of On The Couch guest speakers for 2023 including Maggie Smith (not the actress) on Transgender health, Ruiqi Fan on cross cultural sexual health knowledge, the importance of a national sexual and reproductive health school curriculum & more!
There are also free modules like Doin it Right, Nitty Gritty & Because You Care that you can sign up for and complete for free in your own time.
