SOME of the world’s brightest minds have gathered in Logan to talk about social equity and change in a gathering which turns the idea of the convention on its head.
This morning’s first session was more gig than talkfest with a band of local musicians formed called SongDivision to help delegates write a song that would be the soundtrack to the event.
The group workshopped lyrics that will be turned into a song that will be performed this afternoon.
ChangeFest 2018 features talks and workshops across three days and entertainment by night with food laid on by the by the city’s favourite foodie producers and haunts.
It brings together about 600 delegates and about 90 speakers who have come from all over the world for the event at Logan Entertainment Centre.
Global leaders who share their stories include US-based PolicyLink President and CEO Dr Michael McAfee, co-chief executive of the Canadian Tamarack Institute Liz Weaver and neuroscientist and advisor to the New Zealand government Nathan Wallis.
See Dr Michael McAfee on film:
The event, organised by Logan Together, Opportunity Child, Griffith University and Collaboration For Impact, brings together funders, decision makers, practitioners, leaders, mums and dads and supports them to work better together for people and places.
All are working on long term intergenerational strategies that focus on young people aged from birth to 25 years of age.
Deputy Federal Labor leader Tanya Plibersek and fellow MPs Linda Burney and Dr Jim Chalmers will take part in a forum What Would the Opposition Do? tomorrow, Wednesday, from 8.45am.
The event concludes with a national social policy statement on Thursday.
Logan Together director Matthew Cox said it was the first time change leaders from across Australia had come together for an event of such size and ambition.
Mr Cox said the group had a positive story of hope and change to tell with projects from communities in Bourke, Burnie, Western Sydney, remote Arnhem Land and suburban Perth joining with Logan to share stories.
There would also be a look at systemic issues that held these works back.
“Australia’s highly fragmented social investment system, plagued by short-termism and a focus on crises responses, will be a hot topic of discussion,” he said.
“ChangeFest will be the catalyst to bring together individual community efforts into a cohesive national framework for long term, sustainable social change.”
The three-day program is designed to challenge, inspire and provoke thinking about how Australia can improve the way social change happens.
Up to 20 leading corporate and philanthropic institutions will come up with a plan about how to enact social change for Australia’s most vulnerable communities.
