Oxley Hall 5 October 2019

V4i remains committed to encouraging active participation in our democracy. We ‘Do Politics Differently’ in Indi and the number of people interested in joining this very positive movement continues to grow.  The V4i grass roots, community driven model is a respectful, values-based approach to politics and a welcome alternative to the negative adversarial style of politics we commonly see.   So many citizens are rejecting this ‘old power’ and the ‘Indi Connects’ workshop held on the 5 October at the Oxley Shire Hall was a demonstration of ‘new power’ democracy in action.

Indi Connects was a purposeful event, attended by over 120 people who spent time connecting with others to actively plan ways to take responsibility for the type of communities we live in. Participants were openly proud to be involved and many felt that   Indi is well on its way to becoming the most politically engaged electorate in Australia.

V4i were very fortunate to have Peter Kenyon travel all the way from Kalamunda in WA to be guest MC for this workshop.  Peter describes himself as a ‘social capitalist and community enthusiast’. He is a founder and current director of an organisation called the Bank of Ideas – https://bankofideas.com.au/

Peter uses stories from his extensive work around the world where he has assisted communities to identify and build on strengths and assets to create change and renewal.  He has followed the story of V4i and said that in his opinion the movement is one of the most exciting and positive examples of participatory democracy that he knows of.

Watch Peter’s talk here

https://youtu.be/4qMFWyChs2M

Three Indi based community groups were then showcased.  Representatives from these groups each told stories about how their communities had activated/mobilised to solve issues and/or create change.

Norma Pearce, volunteer coordinator of the of Tolmie TOAST program (Tolmie Offers A Seat to Town), spoke about how the inspirational Tolmie community got organised and set up a local car-pooling system to assist residents to get to their nearest town centre, Mansfield.  This action was designed to overcome social isolation and a lack of public transport and in their area. 

Watch Norma’s talk here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJlK5lTLyF8

Lauriston Muirhead of WATCH (Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health) spoke to us about their group’s initiatives to raise awareness of our climate crisis.

Watch Lauriston’s talk here

https://youtu.be/ReUPtST6buc

Sally Gamble from Tomorrow Today, Benalla’s own philanthropic foundation, spoke about the PEEP program (Parents Early Education Partnership) PEEP targets Early Childhood and parents as part of the overall Education Benalla initiative Tomorrow Today Foundation works collaboratively across the whole community to improve educational outcomes for Benalla’s young people.

Watch Sally’s talk here

https://youtu.be/zOyxjpazdTE

Federal member for Indi, Helen Haines was the next guest speaker and she outlined the role of her office in supporting community led action. Helen introduced her staff to the community and spoke about the best ways to effectively engage with your local MP’s and some of the mechanisms for change that are available.

Results from Helen’s community consultation throughout the 2019 election campaign, where constituents identified the top ten issues of highest priority, were then used to form the basis of facilitated group discussions to develop action plans.

Watch Helen’s talk here

https://youtu.be/1LeOWDut5YY

Participants left the day feeling inspired and motivated and with a clearer idea of how they could connect with others to help address these issues and build on what has already been achieved in Indi.

By the end of the day existing connections were built on and strengthened and new ones were developed – people were excited by what is possible through collaboration.

V4i would like to thank all who participated for their ongoing commitment to our local communities and for their willingness to ‘roll their sleeves up’ and respond to individual and collective calls to action and we encourage everyone in Indi to get involved.