NATIONAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN
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    • Renewal - REPORT (Sept 2022)
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    • Renewal — 11-12 Sept 2022 Canberra (and online)
    • Weaving — 28 April 2022 online (DAY TWO)
    • Women Rising! 30 Nov 2021 online (DAY ONE)
  • Weaving the threads together: pre-Congress conversations
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NATIONAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN  

Renewal  ​
How can we save the Earth for ourselves and future generations?
11-12 September 2022
Albert Hall, Canberra (and online)  
​
See the full program 
See the guest contributor and artist details 
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Scroll below for a account of the event and links to the recordings
SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
​'Planting the seeds of renewal'

See photo reel from the day

'Imagine walking into a room filled with strangers and feeling immediately welcome. The people who are here are keen to share their experiences, learn from each other, connect and grow. The conversations held in this space touch a chord and allow us to create a shared vision.'
This was the impression of the first day of the Congress by attendee Padmapriya Muralidharan.
See Padmapriya's impressions of each session below.

Read her full account of the day here  
​​WOMEN GATHERING — the chanting is beginning 
Introduction -- Dr Janet Salisbury (WCC Founder) 
Welcome to Country  — Dr Matilda House (Ngambri–Ngunnawal Elder)  
Artistic opening 
 — 'The Singing Hill'  presented by Dr Glenda Cloughley 
Watch the video recording

​Padmapriya Muralidharan
 reflected:
'Dr Matilda House, a Ngambri-Ngunnawal Elder, started the day with a fierce and rousing call to action on climate change. Her Welcome to Country was an honest conversation that didn’t hold back the anger that she feels about climate change; it is a familiar anger – I feel it, I’m sure everyone in that room was there because they felt anger at what’s happening to our beautiful world. I have found her exhortation to use that anger to “get your spurs on” and drive change a valuable approach to the emotional impacts of climate change.'
​
'What came after Dr Matilda House’s ‘Welcome to Country’ was just one example of how different voices and perspectives were seamlessly brought together in the NCW. Drawn from ancient Greek mythology and some more recent Canberra history with poet Dorothy Cameron and Australia’s first Greens senator Jo Vallentine, Dr Glenda Cloughley’s presentation wove art, music and poetry to tell a powerful story of our connection to the Earth and what we as women can change. This story was about The Singing Hill, a poem by Dorothy Cameron, celebrating women’s voices; in setting the backstory to the poem Glenda took us back to the 1980s, a brief moment in history when some Canberra women met in the Australian Parliament House to meditate and create the environment for collaboration. I found the image of women meditating profoundly moving in its approach, not to mention the courage it must have taken for an act of coming together to meditate. The calm and clear voice of Jo Vallentine reading the poem The Singing Hill, as she did in 1991 to a testosterone-fuelled Parliament as she resigned, was one of the most emotionally moving moments for me in the NCW. There was quiet determination in her voice, the same determination that fuels everyone who decides to make a difference.'​
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WISDOM OF THE ELDERS  
​Watch the video recording

'With wide-ranging experience of the conversationalists in public service both inside Parliament and in other settings, the discussion was guided by the lived experiences of the many challenges women continue to face; whether it is getting elected into Parliament, balancing various roles and responsibilities and the pressure of dealing with a patriarchal Parliament to name a few of a long list. The discussion of war, war games, emissions by the world’s armies and a masculine worldview was honest and crucial. Women carry a disproportionate risk and burden of climate change. Honest conversations about the impact of deep-rooted social norms are needed.  One powerful solution discussed in this conversation was meeting people where they were. I found this useful, especially in the context of climate change; rather than ‘preaching’ to people, approaching them with empathy and understanding can help build bridges and catalyse climate action. The other was the importance of allies – something the WCC envisions and events like the NCW create the platform for.' [Padmapriya Muralidharan]
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SEEDS OF RENEWAL 1 
Transforming power through political leadership
​Watch the video recording 

'The conversation with present politicians brought to light a certain shift in culture – from competition to collaboration and from hard to soft power – that these women in Parliament today are championing. The women spoke about the ways they work across party divides, including collaborating away from the cameras. Some very interesting questions were posed to this panel, including how they would change the current Parliament. The answers shed light on the patriarchal and binary conventions of the Parliament along with challenges posed by a larger cultural shift to bipartisan stances. To me, it was interesting how support and allyship was once again highlighted as a key step in creating a more inclusive environment in Australian politics. Another interesting theme that recurred throughout conversations was meeting people where they were as a starting point for climate action.' [Padmapriya Muralidharan]
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SEEDS OF RENEWAL 2
Transforming power through creative vision
Watch the video recording

'A famous artist once said “Art is the highest form of hope”. Art is a crucial element of climate action, especially given its social and emotional impact.' 'The role of stories – whether they are timeless cultural stories or the stories about one’s own family, the role of dance as a medium of expression and education, music as a form of protest, were all discussed in this far-ranging conversation. In what was to me a profound summary of the practise of art and its transformational capacity, artist Miriam Pickard said ‘Wisdom isn’t just for the old, innocence isn’t just for the young.’ Art allows for thinking, imagining, expressing and, not surprisingly, activism.' [Padmapriya Muralidharan]
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SEEDS OF RENEWAL 3 
Transforming power through business and community leadership

Watch the video recording

'With three young people who have been in the frontlines leading climate action, this conversation ranged from discussing their challenges to speaking about strategies that they use to overcome these challenges. When you’re a young person, especially a young woman, in a room full of older men in a patriarchal system, where do you start change making? When you’re a young mother and social norms dictate child-caring responsibilities, how do you nurture your career? These are tough questions, wicked problems, with no easy answers. But rather than providing answers, the conversationalists in this session shared their challenges, experiences and approaches. One such approach I found powerful when considering climate action – an existential task if there ever was one - was the analogy of ‘patchwork’ used by Charlie Wood. “What can you do in your patch”? If each of us tends to our patch, create a network of allies across other patches we can create what Charlie called ‘an ecosystem of movements’. And this ecosystem can be a powerful, people-centred, connected, nurturing one.' [Padmapriya Muralidharan]
COP 27 NEWS
Elise Buckle (Co-founder, She Changes Climate) - live from Geneva
News of open letter to COP27 Presidency to promote 50% representation of women, and global Women's Leadership Summit (4 Nov 2022)
Rania Makarious (Senior Diplomat, Egyptian Embassy)
Watch the video recording

​ARTISTIC CLOSE 

Songs for Renewal  —   'Hymn to Gaia' and 'The Promise' by Glenda Cloughley from The Gifts of the Furies 
Introduced by Dr Glenda Cloughley, sung by A Chorus of Women
Watch the video recording 
Read about the songs  (lyrics)
Sing along (sheet music) | Sing along (practice track) 
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EVENING SOCIAL EVENT
Musical contributions from WCC members
Sophia Fletcher — a singer/songwriter/musician  from northern NSW shared a video her new song 'Extinction is forever' (available via Music | Sophia Fletcher (bandcamp.com) to open the reception. 
Bronwyn Kelly — a songwriter, lyricist and composer gave a live performance of her arrangement of 'My Country' by Dorothea McKellar.

Book launch
Right Here Right Now by Natalie Isaacs (Founder, 1 Million Women)
​Watch the video recording

​Presentation by Costa Rican Ambassador
​
HE Mr Armando Vargas Araya, Ambassador of Costa Rica
​Watch the video recording

MONDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
'New growth'

See photo reel from the day
ARTISTIC OPENING – She Spins 
Video presentation of 'She Spins' by Meg Rigby, sung by A Chorus of Women and with visuals by Sally Blake 
​Watch the video
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PACIFIC WOMEN'S VOICES
Presentation by Pefi Kingi (Pacific Australian Womens Association)
​Watch the video recording

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NEW SHOOTS 1
Short presentations: 
'Climate Compact' —  A national plan for action on climate change

presentation by Professor Kim Rubenstein  (law professor, human rights and gender equality advocate, citizenship expert)
Watch the video recording ​



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Australia Together — Transforming power through long-term integrated planning
presentation by Dr Bronwyn Kelly  (Founder, Australian Community Futures Planning)
Watch the video recording

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OUTLINE OF THE WCC CHARTER FOR CHANGE 
Presented by Dr Janet Salisbury and Dr Honey Nelson
Watch the video recording 
See the charter here​

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NEW GROWTH 1
Small mall group conversations about the Charter themes 
​At the Albert Hall venue the parallel groups were hosted by WCC members and colleagues with experience in the different theme areas . 
Online participants self-selected a facilitator. 
​​Summary of conversations 

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NEW SHOOTS 2
The public good — A renewed 'why' for our times
presentation by Dr Millie Rooney (Convenor, Australia Remade)
​​​​Watch the video recording

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NEW GROWTH 2
Small group conversations about the Charter themes 

​At the Albert Hall venue the parallel groups were hosted by WCC members and colleagues with experience in the different theme areas . 
Online participants self-selected a facilitator. 
​​​​​Summary of conversations

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BRINGING THE THREADS TOGETHER — ACTION PLAN AND COMMITMENTS 
Review of key points from the small group conversations and from the 2 days overall. 
Commitments for action
​Watch the video recording

ARTISTIC CLOSE
A Chorus of Women led group singing of 'Ubuntu' by Johanna McBride
​Watch the video recording  

THE SINGING HILL REVISITED
We had arranged to visit Parliament House at the end of the Monday program - to gather at the fountain in the Member's Hall and to report on the Congress to interested parliamentarians and media. Sadly, this event had to ben postponed due to the Queen's death and suspension of Parliament. It will be rescheduled at a later date.
Thank yous .... 
Thank you to the National Congress of Women hosting team for putting this event together:
Barbara Baikie, Barbara O'Dwyer, Janet Salisbury, Kirsten Anker, Lyn Stephens, Sally Blake, Sarah Stitt. 
With lots of help from:
  • Congress logistics coordination - Catherine Ross
  • Admins extraordinaire  -  Nettie Hulme, Laurann Yen, Padmapriya, Lynne Audsley, Jenny Robinson 
  • Artistic program development - Johanna McBride, Glenda Cloughley, Meg Rigby
  • Zoom host - Deb Collins (Wicked Elephants Cooperative)
  • Visuals coordination - Johanna McBride
  • Charter design - Padmapriya Muralidharan and Richard Stanford
  • AV/IT and video recordings - Bryan Fitzpatrick  (Indivisual Event Management, Canberra)
  • Billet hosts, flower arrangers and more .... 


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  • Home
  • About
  • REPORTS & RECORDINGS
    • Renewal - REPORT (Sept 2022)
    • Weaving - REPORT (April 2022)
    • Women Rising! REPORT (Nov 2021)
  • Program
    • Renewal — 11-12 Sept 2022 Canberra (and online)
    • Weaving — 28 April 2022 online (DAY TWO)
    • Women Rising! 30 Nov 2021 online (DAY ONE)
  • Weaving the threads together: pre-Congress conversations
  • Book corner
  • Contact