The Nitty Gritty
So what will this funding allow for?
Jaime Yallup Farrant is utilising the crowdfunding model to give us her time and expertise FULL TIME, to work here in WA to inspire and facilitate a groundswell of civil society action, protecting our children and future generations from dangerous climate change and environmental degradation, whilst bringing forth a sustainable, just and fulfilling world.
Starting 1st November 2013 through this project we’ll be providing activities:
- To educate, inspire and inform the public about environmental sustainability, including the interconnection between environmental degradation, climate change and social injustice.
- To deliver public events, workshops, training and symposia on issues of environmental sustainability and climate change encouraging personal and collective responsibility.
- To encourage the preservation of the natural habitat and our ecological systems by consulting with individuals, organisations and communities, brokering knowledge and relationships across diverse groups and sectors of society. Engaging with industry and policymakers to ensure strong emissions reductions and environmentally sustainable practices.
- To inspire and motivate behaviour change amongst civil society, organisations and corporations building a movement of people willing to take personal and collective responsibility for our common future
- To facilitate alternative narratives to fossil fuel based development and society. With a particular focusing on narratives which preserve our natural ecological systems and are culturally secure for Aboriginal cultures.
Click here to assist us in making it to our $25,000 target
To keep updated on what’s been happening and what’s planned follow the blog posts on this site and email jaime@rraft.com.au for more info.
Ngaala Kaaditj, Whadjuk Nyoongar Moort, keyen kaadak nidja boodja.
We acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people as the original custodians of this land. And we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future.
It's Up 2 Us! 
Hi. I admire your courage and commitment, but I don’t feel I can support you financially without more information about exactly what you intend to do. The points above all seem extremely vague.
Thanks for your message and I totally understand your concern. In coming weeks we’ll be doing more work on articulating the aims and activities of the campaign and expand this website.
Here’s a brief response for now 🙂
It will include working on a range of initiatives, many I’m already working on, some of which I’m not totally clear of as they will be in response to particular circumstances such as the IPCC report.
Current plans include:
Leading educational program’s in the community (both youth and adults) encouraging effective personal and collective actions to address climate change.
Working alongside 350.org to increase the effectiveness of the divestment campaign and community mobilisation for the Summer Heat Campaign.
Facilitating increased collaboration between environmental and social justice groups.
Working with the WA Climate Change Roundtable in it’s political lobbying and public education campaigns.
Facilitating collaboration between scientists, educators, policy advisors and activists.
Develop the leadership skills of activists and young people wanting to make a difference in this area (I’m an executive leadership coach and organisational change facilitator).
Working with senior management of social justice NGO’s to assist them in connecting the dots between their organisational aims and advocating for effective policies in regard mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Working with special interest groups to see the connections between climate change and their aims and to find effective actions they can take which will have the biggest impact.
Working with senior child advocates and aboriginal elders to create a national circle of elders willing to advocate loudly and clearly for urgent actions protecting current and future generations of children.
Mobilising the community around Fracking including supporting No Fracking WAy and working alongside aboriginal communities in the north west of WA.
Working with institutions and companies to decrease their environmental impacts and increase their advocacy for climate change action.
There are many other initiatives I’m already involved in and which will expand. However the ultimate aim of the year will be to shift our community in the direction of leaving at least 80% of fossil fuel reserves in the ground and to transition to a low carbon society which is just and equitable for current and future generations.
Ps. I’m also a trained drama practitioner so will be looking at where art and creativity can be used to educate, inspire and transform our understanding of climate change and our relationship to the world. Having checked out some of your blog it would be interesting to hear your ideas or hear of work you may know of that’s already working in that space.
Ultimately climate change and our reluctance or inability to act is a failure in our sense of place in the world. Having worked with Aboriginal elders to address this (which I’ll continue to do) it would be great to explore further creative processes for developing our sense of place and restoring our relationships with the natural world.
Hi Jaime
I think your initiative sounds great and I’m keen to support. I’m just wondering if you could elaborate more on what you will contribute that isn’t already being done by the multitude of groups and orgs in this sector? How can you, a single person (albeit a highly skilled and competent one), achieve something that lots of those other orgs, with loads of personpower, either can’t or haven’t achieved yet?
Hi Katrina and thanks for your query.
Most groups working in this space are constrained by their capacity. There is so much more to do than we have capacity for – so having an extra person on board is always useful. Part of my work will be building the grass roots movement. Finding opportunities for everyday folk to get involved and assisting folk in placing their energy where it will have the biggest impact.
I also bring a different perspective to many campaigners. As a social justice advocate and practitioner I have different networks and I’ll be looking to network the different groups and disciplines together.
I’m a highly trained cultural change practitioner, leadership coach and communications specialist. Those skills are required in the climate movement. Being committed to an outcome doesn’t mean we’ll achieve it, however I also focus on how we can be effective, both personally and as a network – so I’m sure those skills will be useful.
We have so many diverse groups already working in the space as you mentioned in your question however we haven’t been effective in working collaboratively – so that is an area I am to focus on. If those of us working for a just and sustainable future can combine our resources we can increase our collective power and that has to be a good thing.
I’ve also just added another post titled Launch Day which explores further some of what I’ll be up to in coming weeks.