ALCN Ripples October Newsletter

October 2021

Dear Colleagues,

It has been an eventful month!. Firstly, we offer our congratulations to the Wyndham City Council on receiving a UNESCO Learning City Award at the Fifth Conference on Learning Cities in Yeonsu (Republic of Korea) 2021. Also, Wyndham was inducted into the Asia Pacific Learning  Cities Alliance Hall of Fame earlier in the month. These recognitions are well deserved and we thank Diane, Jac and the team for the work they do for the Australian Learning Communities Network (as is evidenced by the number of stories in this newsletter).

Second, we are fortunate to have worked with some incredible students from the RMIT University International Development Programme and report on the impact they are making on the ALCN's work. Also, a student from Victoria University, working with Wyndham, reports on why learning festivals are important. Well done to these students.

Third, with COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow from 31 October until 12 November, we have highlighted a story from Gwydir Learning Region and how The Living Classroom facility in Bingara is enabling a number of demonstration projects including soil carbon capture and storage; more regenerative and diverse agriculture and reduced food miles. There are Urban-Rural partnerships and collaborations with schools and universities. 

Finally and most importantly, don't forget to register [4] to attend an event at this year's Global Learning Festival. There are over 100 events and something for everyone!!! 

Happy learning ... and please keep those stories and ideas coming and feedback on this newsletter is very welcome, and finally, like us on Facebook - search for [email protected] [5].

With my best wishes.
 
Dr Leone Wheeler
Hon. CEO
Australian Learning Communities Network
Website: https://alcn.com.au/ [6]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aus.alcn [7]
+61 (0) 456 038 236     Email: [email protected] [8]

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Wyndham Receives UNESCO Learning City Award

 

Wyndham is one of ten international cities that received a UNESCO Learning City Award at the Fifth Conference on Learning Cities in Yeonsu (Republic of Korea) 2021. 

The biennial UNESCO Learning City Awards [9] encourage, recognise and reward UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) members who have demonstrated significant progress in enhancing education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
 
UNESCO acknowledged Wyndham’s commitment to building a Learning City and helping residents improve their learning outcomes through lifelong learning. The multimedia story can be accessed here https://unesco-uil.pageflow.io/gnlc-awardee-wyndham#316487 [10]
 
Wyndham is the second city in Australia to win such an award after Melton won this award in 2015!

Congratulations to the Wyndham Libraries and Community Learning Team and Wyndham City Council and the Learning City Portfolio Committee.

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The 2021 Global Learning Festival - 8-11 November 2021
The Global Learning Festival seeks to provide unity and connection to communities all over the world
REGISTER FOR EVENTS NOW!!!! [11]

Not long to go until the Global Learning Festival (8-11 November 2021) commences. The festival is hosted by our award-winning cities - Wyndham and Melton, Australia.   

There are over 100 events on offer from around the world so make sure you send out the word to your various learning communities. For a detailed programme and to register for events go to  https://www.globallearningfestival.com/ [11]

I note some of the key events for your attention organised by our partners - Wyndham, Melton, RMIT University, Wollongong and the ALCN.

• November 8 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am AEDT - Re-thinking International Development in a Post-Covid-19 World.  [12] Students from RMIT University's International Development programme examines the complexities of rethinking international development post-Covid. What effect is the pandemic having on addressing fundamental issues such as ending poverty, ensuring human rights for the most vulnerable, securing communities from war and violence, and sustaining good governance? REGISTER HERE [13]. [12] 
   
• November 8 @ 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm AEDT - Nyadol Nyuon: Lifelong Learning for Connection, Equality and Inclusion [14]. Nyadol Nyuon is a lawyer, human rights advocate, and Chair of Harmony Alliance: Migrant and Refugee Women for Change. In this exclusive virtual event, Nyadol will speak about the relevance and importance of lifelong learning for community connection, gender equality and inclusion. This event is brought to you by Melton City Council. REGISTER HERE [15].  
   

• November 8 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm AEDT - WYNtalk Reconciliation respecting and valuing Aboriginal history, learning and teaching. [16]

  Keynote speaker, Shelley Ware, teacher, media presenter, and columnist will share her perspective on Aboriginal issues; leadership development in aboriginal communities and ways in which Aboriginal history, culture, learning and teaching can be embedded into our broader education systems; females in sport, AFLM and AFLW; and her own personal journey. REGISTER HERE [16].
   

• November 9 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm AEDT  Universities as Partners in Learning Cities and Learning Communities [17]  In this live online event, join representatives from local councils and universities from Australia, United Kingdom and Africa for a round-table conversation that will explore the role of universities as a partner in learning cities and learning communities in advancing sustainable development. You will here from RMIT University, Wollongong City Council, Wolverhampton Learning Region and a colleague fro Université d’Abomey Calavi, Benin.
  
  Lara, myself, Robbie and our student Vi are facilitating this event and we would really appreciate your support and participation!  REGISTER HERE. [17]
• November 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm AEDT  Reimagining the Future of Work and Developing Resilience in Learning Cities:  [18]
  

  Professor Michael Osborne, Director of Pascal International Observatory introduces you to 12 pre-recorded interviews on the themes of:

  • Entrepreneurial Learning
  • Reimagining the Future of Work in Learning Cities
  • Reimagining the Future of Not-Working in Learning Cities
  • Responding to Unexpected External Events: Developing Resilience in Learning Cities.

The excitement for me is that Julie McKay, CEO of Enable Australia - Hume Learning Community, is featured as one of the interviewees. You can also watch the interviews at any time during the festival. REGISTER HERE [18].
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The Living Classroom
Gwydir Learning Region making a difference .....

written by Max Eastcott, CEO Gwydir Shire Council

The Living Classroom (TLC) in Bingara has been in existence for just over ten years. It is an area of 150 hectares (370 acres) located on the southern and western boundary of Bingara township. It was formerly part of the Bingara Town Common.

The lands and soils at TLC were quite diverse and degraded when the project commenced. The objective was to create a Primary Industries Trade Training Centre and showcase ways and means to regenerate the soils to be healthier and more resilient to drought and pests, and more flexible in productive land use. Furthermore, TLC aimed to become a place for visitors, be it for education, tourism, or conferencing.

A primary objective was to capture and hold water on the site for as long as possible. A grant from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority provided the means to enhance the contour banks and swales of the site and 5 kilometres of new banks were constructed along with 14 ponds, dams, and lakes.

The previously intermittent stream through the site had a series of leaky weirs placed within it in the section between the two main dams. The Main Dam was enlarged to a capacity of 12 Megalitres (12 Olympic Swimming Pools) and the lower dam, which became known as the Great Lake, of 6 Megalitres, was designed to have extensive edges, to be deeper than normal (5 metres) and to have an island in the middle.

Much of the early design work at TLC was done by John Mongard Landscape Architects. John was greatly impressed by the project and engaged final year students from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he was a tutor, to come to Bingara, stay a week in the Bunkhouse at TLC, and create examples of Landscape Design as part of their major works.

Many of the QUT student’s designs were so impressive that Gwydir Shire Council determined to seek further grant funds to construct the landscape designs. As a result, ‘The Aussie Farm Dam Makeover’, ‘Nourish’-The Bush Tucker Garden, and ‘Paradise Found’ – The Mediterranean Garden, were all added to the landscape at TLC, with their layouts, plantings and signage all reflecting the students’ designs.

All wastewater from TLC buildings are channelled through this septic reed bed system. The reeds today are luxuriant and widespread.

Over the past ten years, more projects and creations have been designed, planned, and undertaken. The Plant Nursery, the Livestock Barn and Yards, and the Koala Food Tree plantings have all been completed, and several other major and minor projects are either in the pipeline or at planning stage.

There are several matters of global consequence that can be exampled at TLC. Climate Change and a warming climate, Soil Carbon capture and storage, more regenerative and diverse agriculture, and Localism, with a reduced amount of ‘food miles’ and a fresher and more nutritious food system, are all of global significance, but can be addressed locally and viewed on-site at TLC.

A growing interest in these matters leads towards increasing visitation and a broadening of educational opportunities. TLC aims to provide examples that showcase the latest in science and in economic trends. Gwydir Shire residents are invited to engage with TLC and its projects be it through schools and education, recreation, and nutrition. Many school groups have visited TLC.


TLC continues to grow and thrive. Recent warnings regarding our planet’s changing climate make it so important that we examine the processes and forces that are causing these changes and seek a gentler, more natural, and more sustainable agriculture. TLC can and will continue to showcase agricultural options and new ways to produce our food. TLC is a dynamic and a healthy facility and it is here, within our Gwydir Shire.
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The ALCN and Wyndham City Council have had the opportunity to work now with three marvellous students as part of RMIT University's International Development internship programme and they are making a difference!!

Our first student, Hellen Kibowen, from Kenya, worked in Semester Two 2020 on researching and evaluating as part of the first Global Learning Festival.  In fact, this first Global Learning Festival, co-led by Wyndham City Council and Melton City Council, has been identified as one of the key impact projects that RMIT University has linked to their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) for 2020. 

Read more about the RMIT University Impact Report here [19] (See SDG 4 Quality Education)
Also, for further information read the report Jac Gomez-Torres wrote for PASCAL here. [20]

Our second student, Ava Ter, who has previously worked as a journalist in Malaysia, worked with us for Semester One, 2021 on the ALCN Webinar, with Peter Kearns speaking about Australian Learning Cities - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, and the LearnWest Festival. Jac Torres-Gomez, Diane Tabbagh and I were recently invited to hear her presentation on the work with Wyndham City Council and the ALCN. We were very impressed by Ava's interpretation of the concept of Empathy Partnerships, and have included a separate section in this newsletter about this. We are encouraging Ava to continue to work with Jac to explore this idea further.

Read more about her presentation here.

Currently, we are working with Vi Bui who has already done an impressive job working on Most Significant Change (MSC) stories for the Wyndham Learning Festival (WLF). Vi's own story about working on the WLF was the one that was featured in the WLF Report and demonstrates the power of connection. I have included this newsletter here. 

Vi is currently assisting with the research and evaluation of the Global Learning Festival, helping with the running of some events, writing more MSC, assisting with the evaluation and working on a presentation for the ALCN Executive!
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Empathy Partnerships

1. Importance of lifelong learning, learning cities and sustainable development
2. The importance of a shared project for organisations
3. Concept of Empathy Partnerships – built on trusted relationships and mutual negotiations.

Melton City Council

Led by Adam Josifovski, Co-ordinator, Activation and Learning team, particularly Silvia Velez, Alison La Rose, are working with Wyndham City Council to co-host this year's second Global Learning Festival.  After attending the GLF Working Group, I have been very impressed by the enthusiasm and talent of the Melton team. Wyndham and Melton work so well collaboratively. Melton is leading the website design and working with Wyndham on evaluation and organising events as well!

Wollongong City Council 

Lara Pugh, Project Leader Learning City,  presented at the ALIA LibTech21 Connections [23] (a National Library and Information Technicians Online Symposium ) on 28 October. Her presentation is entitled Lifelong Learning, Learning Cities and Libraries. Lara will give us a full report in our November newsletter. We look forward to hearing her thoughts about this important topic.

Wyndham Learning Festival

The sixth Wyndham Learning Festival (WLF) is Wyndham’s largest annual learning event, focusing on promoting learning across the lifespan. This year's festival held from 1-5 September was a smaller, curated program ensuring that all community members had the opportunity to find a learning event of interest. With the theme of ‘Re-emerge, Connect & Thrive’, the 2021 WLF provided a celebration for the community living through a challenging time and offered hope for reemerging brighter and better into the future! 

Read more: [24]
The Wyndham Learning Festival Report is available here. [25]

We were very impressed to hear the voice of  students Hassan Nur Hussein Abdi and Vi Bui on their thoughts about learning festivals.

Why are Learning Festivals Important?

Written by Hassan Nur Hussein Abdi, Victoria University student 

Learning festivals, such as the Wyndham Learning Festival (WLF), are important because they provide community members with a chance to celebrate learning and engage in learning events to expand their knowledge, skills and interests. Annual learning festivals such as the WLF, offer an annual series of activities that provide free learning opportunities across local government areas. Festivals often include activities for individuals of all ages and interests, encouraging everyone to learn for a lifetime while also welcoming new events, sponsors, and participants to represent the community's diversity and vibrancy. Free learning opportunities such as the WLF are a great way for community members to get involved and learn useful skills by attending sessions of their choice or even socialising with others and making new friends. Learners of all ages are engaged, and many come away with a renewed interest in; and passion for, lifelong learning. This enables people to build networks and to positively engage with the community, supporting social inclusion and engagement which in turn supports communities to avoid disharmony, insecurity and even violence. This can also encourage people to want to live in that area. Learning festivals like the WLF, contribute to making a city more liveable, equitable and cohesive.
 
Supporting learning festivals are critical for enhancing learning inclusion, equity and diversity for members of communities. People from all backgrounds regardless of their gender, ethnicity, age, religion and life experiences are supported in learning opportunities. Learning festivals not only offer learning opportunities for both participants and event providers, they excite people to engage in a celebration of learning both during the festival, and then after the experience. A learning festival's goal is to bring people together through learning, to encourage people of all ages to try new things and to promote lifelong learning, which encompasses both formal and informal learning. More broadly, learning festivals provide an opportunity to construct and reflect on a broad and dynamic learning community by adding new events, sponsors, and participants to a city’s learning agenda. It is essential for community members to have access to such opportunities to engage and celebrate learning and incorporating a common theme such as this year’s WLF’s Re-Emerge, Connect, and Thrive’ can unite a community because that common theme, selected by the community, represents the learning challenges in the community at that specific time. Learning festivals provide a wide range of options to meet the needs, interests, and aspirations of a community’s residents, enhancing their learning equity and inclusion.
 

Vi's Most Significant Change Story

"An opportunity to connect with others"

Vi is currently interning with the Wyndham City Council and Australian Learning Communities Network (ALCN) and learnt about the Wyndham Learning Festival directly from the organisers. She attended 7 online events during the festival which ranged from employability classes, yoga, drumming workshops and empowerment talks. 

Vi felt the most significant change that this learning festival has had on her life is the ‘energy’ she felt from being a part of a community. Due to COVID-19 and the lockdowns, Vi has studied and worked online for almost two years now and has lost everyday interactions that we all used to experience daily. Whether it was saying ‘hi’ to people on the street or apologising for accidentally bumping into someone, she misses those interactions with strangers that are often taken for granted. Therefore, being a part of these events has made her feel included in a community again and have the opportunity to connect with others. It has brought her joy and a burst of energy to continue through these difficult times. 

Of the various events Vi attended, she felt that the ‘Assess Your Employability Skills’ workshop, organised by Victoria University Polytechnic, particularly impacted her life professionally. From attending, she gained new skills and knowledge about how to better articulate herself in job interviews through using the ‘STAR’ technique. This made her feel more confident with applying for future jobs as she will be graduating from her arts degree at the end of this year. 

Asia Pacific Learning Cities Alliance (APLC) - Wydham inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Wyndham City’s Learning Cities & Libraries Team have recently been recognised for their commitment to lifelong learning by the Alliance for Asia-Pacific Learning Cities (APLC). APLC is a coalition of cities with policies, wills and plans for the growth of global learning cities under the motto of promoting lifelong learning in the region.

APLC is open to Asia-Pacific countries that want to implement the concept of learning cities in their policies, its focus is on strengthening cooperation among all countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

An Expert Advisory Committee reviewed Wyndham’s lifelong learning achievements and have inducted Wyndham into the Alliance’s Hall of Fame [26], acknowledging future-oriented cities with models of learning programs that may benefit other member cities. Wyndham joined 4 Korean cities and Okayama (Japan), Kashan (Iran), and Chiang Rai (Thailand) as the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees.

Read the press release here. [27]  

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News about Learning Cities from UNESCO UIL

The 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities, from 27 to 30 October 2021

This fifth international conference, hosted by Yeonsu (Republic of Korea), is happening now and I am attending some programmes so I hope to provide more news in the next newsletter!

Join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities!

From 1 September to 1 November 2021, UNESCO Member States (including Australian Learning Cities) are invited to apply for membership in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). The UNESCO GNLC is an international policy-oriented network providing inspiration, know-how and best practice.

Read more. [28]

Report sourced from the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO).

Building Data Capacity in the Not-for-Profit  (NFP)Sector

Yao, X., McCosker, A., Albury, K., Maddox, A.,  Farmer, J., Building data capacity in the not-for-profit sector: interim report. 2021, Swinburne University. 

This is an interim report of the Swinburne node of an Australian Research Council (ARC) project which aims to understand and build data capacity and capability within, and with, the NFP sector.  This is a project worth following as there is a consensus within the NFP sector on the importance of data-driven impact, reporting and measurement to attract funding and inform advocacy for policy change. Five themes have emerged from the research done so far. 1) There needs to be consistency in data systems and processes. 2) The need for the development of data analysis expertise, which among other strategies includes upskilling of the current workforce. 3) There is a preference for off-the-shelf tools. 4) The need for data strategies beyond legal compliances, and 5) Data-driven decision making and impact measurement.

Read more [29].

Victorian social enterprise strategy 2021-2025
https://apo.org.au/node/314374 [30]
 
Social enterprises positively benefit our society in many ways, most importantly through job creation – with the net employment effect for new social enterprises being larger than that of commercial firms. By providing meaningful and supportive transitional employment pathways for those experiencing barriers - including young people, people with disability, Aboriginal Australians, women and culturally and linguistically diverse communities - social enterprises play a key role in supporting an inclusive Victorian labour market.
Globally, the social enterprise movement has grown significantly over the past decade. The coronavirus pandemic has challenged social enterprises but also provided countless examples of social enterprises across the world stepping up using agile and innovative approaches to address and mitigate both persistent and emerging challenges.
The Social Enterprise Strategy 2021-25 seeks to grow, better connect and unlock opportunities for the sector, so that social enterprises can play an even greater role in creating jobs, and delivering enhanced economic and social value to the Victorian community.
This strategy sets an ambitious agenda for Victoria, with a suite of actions across four thematic areas:

1. Building business skills and capability and capturing impact.
2. Enhancing recognition and access to innovative financing to scale impact.
3. Fostering a connected and innovative social enterprise ecosystem across Victoria.
4. Opening doors for social enterprises across government.

Reports Sourced from Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
The following reports come from ACER's series examining data from the 2018 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Australian 15-year-old Students Living in an Integrated World
De Bortoli, L., Underwood, C., & Richardson, S. (2021). Australian 15-year-old students living in an integrated world. Australian Council for Educational Research. https://research.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/53 [31]

Australian teenagers report greater levels of respect for people from other cultures than the OECD average, according to a report released in September by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

Read more [32].

Occupational Aspirations of Australian 15-year olds?
De Bortoli, L. (2021, September 01). Snapshots issue 14: What are the occupational aspirations of Australian15-year-olds?. Snapshots. 14(14) https://research.acer.edu.au/snapshots/vol14/iss14/1 [33]

The top 10 most commonly named occupations for girls were (in order) nurses, teachers, lawyers, psychologists, medical doctors, specialist medical practitioners, veterinarians, physiotherapists, science and engineering roles, and biologists, botanists and zoologists.

The top 10 most commonly named occupations for boys were (in order) science and engineering roles, electricians, carpenters and joiners, athletes and sports players, medical doctors, lawyers, graphic and multimedia designers, physiotherapists, teachers, and architects.

Read more. [34]

For further information contact:

Dr. Leone Wheeler
Hon. CEO, Australian Learning Communities

Mobile: 0456 038 236.  Email: [email protected] [8]
ALCN website www.alcn.com.au [35]
Like us on Facebook – search for [email protected] [5]