What's your passion?

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Permalink Reply by David Wilcox on May 25, 2010 at 8:13

Thanks Paul - I think this is a great approach, and I responded to your invitation in Linkedin like this:
My current passion is to take advantage of the hard times we face to encourage and support creative ways to achieve social change.
In the UK we now have a coalition government, a Big Society programme, a Minister for Civil Society, and a lot of policy support for social enterprise. There's plenty of valid criticism of Conservative-LibDem plans. But there's a also a chance - in a non-partisan way - to think how we do more with less.
My role is that of workshop facilitator, online community builder, and socialreporter.
A few years ago I used to blog at http://www.designingforcivilsociety.org - and I'm now going to revive that banner with a place to aggregate methods for co-designing civil society.
You can find me at http://socialreporter.com and at http://socialbysocial.net

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Permalink Reply by Paul Vittles on May 25, 2010 at 14:19

We've just had more passion tonight with 60 people attending the RSA A+NZ event in Brisbane and getting passionate about sustainability. The politics of climate change might be a big turn off for most but practical ideas for how to live sustainable lifestyles gets plenty of bums on seats. The meeting was held in Brisbane's oldest building which set the scene beautifully. Well done to Chris Hobden for organising the meeting - great to have 30 year old stars as Fellows.

As for my passion, it's helping people and organisations to understand and achieve their potential - which I do through coaching, mentoring, training, development consultancy and motivational speaking. Oh that and The Ashes. I'll be sat in The Gabba when the first ball of the 1st Test is bowled on 25 November - hopefully on the stumps this time!!!

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Permalink Reply by John Raciti on April 17, 2012 at 13:12

I am applying 3Ps initiatives; Passion, Proposal & Progress to undertake social actions that will contribute to help create the kind of Australian society we want to live and work in.

Through Social Entrepreneurial Networking within The RSA - I recognize social problems concerning Human Rights bills within the Commonwealth system, and I plan to use entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a humanistic venture to achieve social change within Australia; a social venture acknowledged by UN law of International Declaration of Human Rights not implemented or applied by the Commonwealth of Australia.

I plan to focus on creating social returns back into our local communities across the nation; to further social and environmental goals within the Australian region.

John Raciti FRSA
Ambassador of International Human Rights Commission for Australia (Allied to The United Nations)

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Permalink Reply by Graham Rawlinson on May 17, 2012 at 15:16

Is RSA Australia going strong? I met up with a couple of RSA Fellows in Melbourne when I was over there this year from the UK and they seemed not to know of anything going on?

Hope this is not true.

Graham

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Permalink Reply by Paul Vittles on May 17, 2012 at 22:41

Hi Graham. Carolyn mentioned to me that you had visited and tried to get in contact with RSA A+NZ Fellows via the Directory (I've just updated my contact details on there by the way). It seems that the Directory is still a bit thin on the ground in terms of number of Fellows prepared to add their details. Next time you plan to visit, please get in touch with me direct and I will make sure more Fellows are aware of your visit.

 

It has been a relatively quiet year for events this year as we have had a governance review including a formal review of the Constitution (the first since 2006). We have had networking events and talks however and these will increase over the course of the year. The RSA A+NZ AGM is taking place in Melbourne on 26 May and we have a talk re social enterprise. We also have three emerging projects where we can support Fellows' passions.

 

Best wishes, Paul.

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Permalink Reply by Graham Rawlinson on May 18, 2012 at 15:26

Hi Paul,

If you can Email me direct then I can add you to my list of Australian connections. Hope you manage to find out how to get all RSA Fellows onto the Directory. Which also seems a bit out of date?

graham@nextstepassociates.co.uk

See you in Melbourne some time in 2013 I hope.

Paul Vittles said:

Hi Graham. Carolyn mentioned to me that you had visited and tried to get in contact with RSA A+NZ Fellows via the Directory (I've just updated my contact details on there by the way). It seems that the Directory is still a bit thin on the ground in terms of number of Fellows prepared to add their details. Next time you plan to visit, please get in touch with me direct and I will make sure more Fellows are aware of your visit.

 

It has been a relatively quiet year for events this year as we have had a governance review including a formal review of the Constitution (the first since 2006). We have had networking events and talks however and these will increase over the course of the year. The RSA A+NZ AGM is taking place in Melbourne on 26 May and we have a talk re social enterprise. We also have three emerging projects where we can support Fellows' passions.

 

Best wishes, Paul.

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Permalink Reply by edel chadwick on May 31, 2012 at 12:19

My Passion...is how to build community, how do we rescue our lives from double whammy of TV and pseudo-socialisation online.  Having lived in London, Toowoomba and now in a little village in Ireland, it seems to me that so much of what is needed in our lives can be answered by strong community links. We have such a need for belonging that without it we are prey to lonliness, depression and simple soul destroying isolation.

Some what counter intuititvely, it appears to me that it can be easier to build a personal network in a city. There are always groups, clubs, classes of like minded people, in areas where populations are more scattered, or where people are ageing or infirm and cannot go out, it can be difficult to find like-minded individuals.

Couple that with the financial hit that has affected pretty much everyone, which makes going out to eat, drink, etc or pay membership of clubs and organisations, too expensive for so many, I am faced with the question, how do we bring real life, face to face interactions back. Not the online mediated ones, the real ones upon which so much of our happiness depends.

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Permalink Reply by John Raciti on July 8, 2012 at 2:16

It's time to come up with a social RSA action plan. A scheme far better than Department of Human Services Newstart program. A better business scheme than the current one: NEIS.

For the 575,000 Australians living on a Newstart allowance as low as $35 a day. About 60% of them have been on it for more than a year. This is not enough for these jobseekers to look for employment to get back into labour force. The Government needs to put more funding towards TAFE & not into correction services. These half a million Australians surriving on $35 a day is a breach of international human rights of entitlements for a well developed country like Australia. Many are suffering gravely & living on the streets creating a whole generation of unskilled Australians out there that could learn good craftspeople skills that could be used to manufacture in this commonwealth country. Our departments could make more of an effect & show more human compassion & human decency towards these people of need. The International community is not impressed with Australia track record of actions against international standards concerning global citizenship & human rights in the workplace & within the community.

Through Social Entrepreneurial Networking within The RSA - I recognize social problems concerning Human Rights bills within the Commonwealth system, and I plan to use entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a humanistic venture to achieve social change within Australia; a social venture acknowledged by UN law of International Declaration of Human Rights not implemented or applied by the Commonwealth of Australia. There is so much more we can do in the RSA in Australia as an NGOs affiliated with the UN entity; the UN family. Human rights is an area that fails in the Australian social landscape. I'm facing the Department of Human Services hindrance of a UN mission of importance with direct violation to Vienna convention 1961 on diplomatic immunity & on Consular Relations, 1963. I'm getting support from Amnesty International & for other NGOs commissions.

The Issue:

• One third of working age Australians (6 million people) are not in the labour force;

• Over 500,000 Australians are suffering from long-term unemployment - up 37% since the global financial crisis;

• Discouraged job seekers account for 11% of those not in the labour force and available to start work within four weeks;

• There is a national labour market underutilisation rate (a culmination of the unemployed and the underemployed) of 12.7% - a sharp increase on the publicised unemployment rate of 5.2%;

• A total of 575,000 Australians live on a Newstart allowance as low as $35 a day. About 60% of them have been on it for more than a year.

Employment related issues are pervasive; they affect the labour market, the Australian economy and the social health of our country.

These statistics were published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), current as per March 2012.

http://fairbusiness.org.au/The-Issue

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Permalink Reply by John Raciti on July 8, 2012 at 3:34

Basic Human Rights in this changing world of globalisation:

The concept of human rights plays a crucial role in today's world, in Commonwealth Australia; not just in international relations but in our core moral and legislative values that the Australia Government has been struggling with for over 10 years - due to not complying with UN Declaration of Human Rights into its local & federal laws.

My office monitor's Australia's community services and welfare sector in terms of Human Rights interests and the International voice for the needs of the Australian people affected by poverty and inequality. This is an ongoing problem in Australia that effects millions of lives & many families that have been failed by the Commonwealth services that are currently been examined by a senate inquire & an International Human Rights Commission inquire & reports to UNO.

John Raciti said:

It's time to come up with a social RSA action plan. A scheme far better than Department of Human Services Newstart program. A better business scheme than the current one: NEIS.

For the 575,000 Australians living on a Newstart allowance as low as $35 a day. About 60% of them have been on it for more than a year. This is not enough for these jobseekers to look for employment to get back into labour force. The Government needs to put more funding towards TAFE & not into correction services. These half a million Australians surriving on $35 a day is a breach of international human rights of entitlements for a well developed country like Australia. Many are suffering gravely & living on the streets creating a whole generation of unskilled Australians out there that could learn good craftspeople skills that could be used to manufacture in this commonwealth country. Our departments could make more of an effect & show more human compassion & human decency towards these people of need. The International community is not impressed with Australia track record of actions against international standards concerning global citizenship & human rights in the workplace & within the community.

Through Social Entrepreneurial Networking within The RSA - I recognize social problems concerning Human Rights bills within the Commonwealth system, and I plan to use entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a humanistic venture to achieve social change within Australia; a social venture acknowledged by UN law of International Declaration of Human Rights not implemented or applied by the Commonwealth of Australia. There is so much more we can do in the RSA in Australia as an NGOs affiliated with the UN entity; the UN family. Human rights is an area that fails in the Australian social landscape. I'm facing the Department of Human Services hindrance of a UN mission of importance with direct violation to Vienna convention 1961 on diplomatic immunity & on Consular Relations, 1963. I'm getting support from Amnesty International & for other NGOs commissions.

The Issue:

• One third of working age Australians (6 million people) are not in the labour force;

• Over 500,000 Australians are suffering from long-term unemployment - up 37% since the global financial crisis;

• Discouraged job seekers account for 11% of those not in the labour force and available to start work within four weeks;

• There is a national labour market underutilisation rate (a culmination of the unemployed and the underemployed) of 12.7% - a sharp increase on the publicised unemployment rate of 5.2%;

• A total of 575,000 Australians live on a Newstart allowance as low as $35 a day. About 60% of them have been on it for more than a year.

Employment related issues are pervasive; they affect the labour market, the Australian economy and the social health of our country.

These statistics were published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), current as per March 2012.

http://fairbusiness.org.au/The-Issue

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Permalink Reply by Peter Cook on August 9, 2012 at 17:11

I have three passions:

Science;

Business and;

Music

I have eventually brought these together in my career, over a 35 year period.  It was a slow process! :-)

Peter

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