Reflections on Students of Sustainability 2014
Some reflection on Students of Sustainability 2014 in Canberra...
As can often be expected in these spaces (like TC, certain actions, some national convergences, SoSs, certain houses, etc), it was fantastic to live and learn and dance and discover amongst hundreds of people all working towards making our lives, the lives of those around us, our environment and lots of other things about our world, heaps better. Everyone's experience of SoS is different, but here's some of the things I took from it this year…
Stuff that was fantastic…
+ A deeper connection to indigenous communities, culture, people, skills and knowledge. Fantastic liaising with elders, an entire idigenous stream in the program, focus on sovereignty and solidarity, good conversations with elders and older non-indig folks in general.
+ Plenaries and day themes of 'theories of change', 'movement history' and 'building bridges' and focus on critical reflection.
+ The interest in and support for EarthWorker, co-operatives and community renewable energy projects.
+ Energy and momentum for more strategic, targeted NVDA, alliance-building, intersectional organising.
+ Heaps of arts-related things: Theatre of the Oppressed, heaps of skills shared around making banners, flags, patches, screenprinting, zines, wheatpasting, life drawing, mobile sound systems, many dances shared and learned and danced and heaps of great films.
+ The food: Much more inclusive, culturally sensitive catering than at any ASEN event of the last few years.
+ Dry spaces at SoS at ANU pretty well respected! Conversations around substance use and the experience of sober folks at SoS were mostly fantastic.
+ The organising collective seems to have been well supported with a dedicated collective care team and seems to have done a fantastic job making SoS happen within the context of lack of support from ANU executive body.
+ The roving reclaim-the-streets-esque street dance party in central Canberra! Wew!
+ I felt like there were alot of "new" people who were radicalised by the experience of SoS in meaningful ways.
+ Wonderful conversations, relationships and connections cultivated between people across the country.
Stuff that wasn't so good…
+ Too many room changes, no accomodation at ANU > much stemming from ANU executive's lack of support for SoS.
+ Lack of dialogue around how safer spaces and the grievance collective related to the indigenous elders and mob at SoS.
+ Some drug and alcohol use at the tent embassy despite it being a dry space.
