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2025 Newsletter 23
Dear Centre Members, HDR Colleagues, and Allied members, We are pleased to have made it to December. This is our third year as the CRF and we (Peta and Jo) have been reflecting on our successes and impact. If you have also been reflecting on this (or even if you haven’t) let us know…. We…
2025 Newsletter 22
Dear Centre Members, HDR Colleagues, and Allied members, As COP30 wraps up in Belém, Brazil, we can celebrate. The Climate Literacy framework was launched at COP30 and deemed a big success! See the presentation by Andreas Schleicher here. He says, “Education is the steering wheel and classrooms are the laboratories of the future and engines…
2025 Newsletter 21
As COP30 takes off in Belém, Brazil, we are ready to watch and stand united as we demand better climate policy. Here are three sites that might enable you to take a look. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/the-big-picture/what-are-united-nations-climate-change-conferences/how-cops-are-organized-questions-and-answers https://www.dcceew.gov.au/about/initiatives/cop30 https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop30 As the world turns its eyes to Belém for the COP30 climate discussions, the OECD COP30 Virtual Pavilion brings…
2025 Newsletter 20
As trimester 2 draws to a close, we begin to settle into preparations for trimester 3 or our research focussed time… and the close of this year. Where did that year go? In fact, for the CRF we are now asking “where did our three years go?” We have participated in the Faculty research review and put forward a strong claim/request for the continuation of our community and an increase for our research capacity building. Jo and Peta have participated in meetings, written a submission, and discussed many possibilities. We are now watching this space to hear how the faculty will respond.
2025 Newsletter 19
Do you aspire to belong to a university that functions in a place-based culturally regenerative way? In 10 days time the CRF Culturally Regenerative Universities Project Team is hosting a CRF Regenerator inspired by experiences of participating in the Culturally Regenerative Universities (CRU) project over the last six months. You are invited to join for an introduction to the CRU and the Delama Dja walk on the Waurn Ponds campus to practice relating with place and immersing in respectful, relational ways of learning together. The team is looking forward to sharing what they have been learning through a cooperative / appreciative inquiry, which has run alongside cooperative inquiries at five other universities. The details for joining are below, RSVP required.
2025 Newsletter 18
In this newsletter we promote three upcoming Futures Forums that focus on elements of environmental and climate action. Next week Michael Chew, Joe Ferguson and John Micael Callao (Makel) will present on Mobilising Youth Environmental Action, conducted in three countries across the Australia-Asia Pacific region. This research contributes to our understanding of how participatory media can advance regenerative futures through authentic youth voices and collaborative action and has been enabled by a CRF postdoc research grant. Come along to learn about this research and see what’s possible with some Enabler funds.
2025 Newsletter 17
September is Biodiversity month and 7th September was National Threatened Species day. It’s the kind of day that we should be aspiring NOT to have! However, Threatened Species day provokes us to pay attention to our roles in our ecosystem, to find ways to live our responsibility and to ensure we are all contributing meaningfully by managing to live with enough, and to right-size (term well used by Prof. Anne Poelina) our consumption. Take some time this week to pay attention and take some action – check an app about your local species, engage in acts of kindness in caring for and with Country… maybe by planting some plant species for our local pollinators, or putting out a new insect hotel… or signing up to volunteer your time to a local network. You can also read some good news items about some species at the end of the newsletter.
2025 Newsletter 16
Peta and Jo have been networking in Denmark Europe – following our connections to CUHRE – the Centre for Understanding Human Relations with the Environment attending the International Eco-Literacy Research Festival. In response to our commitment to attending the Festival and curating connections for the CRF we are offering a different, visually reflective, community sharing newsletter this fortnight. You can expect a return to the usually informative community building newsletter on the 9th September.
2025 Newsletter 15
What a busy few weeks we have had enjoying our colleagues and considering our practices… See the links below to Bronwyn Sutton’s Futures Forum and our 2 Regenerators: creating impact through LinkedIn with our Faculty marketing team and Exploring Cat 2 – 4 grants with Andy Brader.
2025 Newsletter 14
Thanks to all colleagues who ventured out in the wet stormy weather this week to meet us at the Waterfront campus for our 3rd On Country Day. See below for images of the day. The Artefacts of the Future team shared our research with those present and we invited you to be involved – then we made artefacts. As you can see (below) they are incredible and we really advanced our thinking through this process.
2025 Newsletter 13
This week the CRF Artefacts of the Future Project has been in full swing. Primary students have been considering sustainable living and possible futures through art and design, culminating in an exhibition of over 100 primary students’ artefacts at the Gordon Gallery in Geelong as part of Nature Week. This has coincided with the school holidays and a chance for families and community members to engage in creating and making while envisioning possible futures. Next, we bring part of this exhibition and creativity to our CRF members and friends as part of On Country Day #3 on Wednesday 23 July at the Waterfront campus A+B spaces. See below for the details, and the invitation in your calendar. Come along and add a creative spark to your week.
2025 Newsletter 12
This is a big week for many of us and for many reasons…The CRF co-hosted the Festival of Embodiment yesterday (30th June) at Deakin Downtown – see story in this newsletter. The Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) Conference is being held at Deakin Downtown on Tuesday – Friday. CRF members are presenting in a symposium about art/science interactions. Around this, trimester 2 is igniting… and it is NAIDOC Week! A time to celebrate and recognise our First Nations colleagues.
2025 Newsletter 11
The Research Retreat held on Peek Whurrong Country, within the wider Eastern Maar/Gunditjmara Country in Warrnambool, south-western Victoria was a wonderful success. Over the three days we had 13 CRF members plus our Warrnambool colleagues enjoying the research community and spending productive research time. We decided that instead of calling it a research retreat…. that this event and others like it should be called a research ADVANCE! We retreat in order to advance research. So here is to our next one planned for next year.
2025 Newsletter 10
And then it was June… welcome to the inter-trimester break… the time in our year that seems fraught with marking, taking leave, and setting up for trimester 2 – it is also the conference season for some. So, take care of yourself and enjoy.
2025 Newsletter 9
This is a big week for the CRF – we hosted our On Country Day #2 yesterday at Common Ground – on Wadawurrung Country at Freshwater Creek near Geelong! This was a chance to engage in a warm data workshop as we considered What is food in an ever changing world? See below for images from our day.
2025 Newsletter 8
We have been rescheduling a few events lately – acknowledging that sometimes unexpected things come up for presenters and we all need to look after ourselves and each other… and simply change the date. We value our collaborators and you – our members. We appreciate that changes in scheduled events can feel frustrating, yet we are committed to honouring each of us and ensuring our colleagues can give us their best.
2025 Newsletter 7
Happy day after Earth Day! Earth Day has been celebrated on 22nd April since 1970, so this is the 55th year! This year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet. We trust you are enjoying our planet and some wellbeing on your intra-trimester break. Maybe this is a welcome treat for when you return from well-earned leave. We’ve been enjoying some leaves of the plant variety, Jo spent a few days on Gunai Kurnai Country and Peta is on Kaniyang Boodja.
2025 Newsletter 6
We are really sorry to have needed to postpone the On Country day in Geelong – scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday 8th April). Thanks to Lachy and Jayne-Louise who were committed to going ahead… too few were able to take advantage of the opportunity. We will reschedule for some time in May. Look out for the calendar invite coming soon.
2025 Newsletter 5
The fifth newsletter of the year presents some amazing opportunities and possibilities for learning and collaborating. The CRF is pleased to curate this information and we are especially grateful to our members, HDR Colleagues, and allied members. We greatly appreciate those who share connections and ideas with us regularly.
2025 Newsletter 4
Trimester 1 is underway and we start to settle into our new ways of working. We trust that you are now able to bring your focus around to research and to think about how to enact and enliven your program across this year.
2025 Newsletter 3
This week we will hold our first of four On Country events for the year. Although it can be difficult to carve out time for these days, those who attend always report that it is time well spent. On Thursday we’ll be taking some time before the start of Trimester 1 for walking and sharing research, the arts, culture, yarning and food on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung Country, Naarm. The details are in the newsletter, read on
2025 Newsletter 2
Regenerating futures is what our centre is about, and as you will see in the news below, there is a great deal being generated both within the CRF and beyond. In times when we see so much that is degenerative and extractive, there is hope when seeing people taking action and putting ‘life and connection at the heart of every decision’. Damon Gameau’s Regenerators platform and short film is a call to action, and we amplify this and many other initiatives in our fortnightly newsletter and through our CRF strategies.
2025 Newsletter 1
Wominjeka, welcome back to 2025 – a new year that brings change, challenges, and possibilities. We ignite our third year as a Faculty Centre knowing there is much to do and being mindful of how we go about it. The imperatives of the Centre: Anthropocene challenges; Decolonising knowledge and practices; and nurturing our supportive community or researchers, are more needed than ever before.
Newsletter 46
What a year… Jo and I feel pleased with the CRF developments, achievements, and outcomes… and we hope you do too. We feel CRF is co-constructing a community that is actively engaging in a wide range of important considerations and undertaking practices that are engaging and inclusive. We are attempting to provide opportunities for you to continue to build your capacity as researchers through targeted strategies and funding. We are growing our networks to develop a broad ranging community that can interact and mentor.
Newsletter 45
This week we welcome new allied members – Kathie Ardzejewska and Jane Merewether (both from Edith Cowan University). Along with Sandra Wooltorton (The University of Notre Dame – Australia) and David Rousell (RMIT) they are part of the group who are leading the appreciative inquiry called “Culturally Regenerative Universities”. The CRF will be participating in this project, and we are looking forward to designing and conducting our own appreciative inquiry next year.
Newsletter 44
As the weather remains variable across the state and the week, we must be ready for anything. Our seasons shift from poorneet to Gurru – the grasses are seeding and drying. The CFA – Country Fire Authority are gearing up for a big year this year.
Newsletter 43
Have you planned your Goal Setter meeting yet? See below for details about this strategy for CRF members (only) at the end of 2024. The closing date for this strategy is the 13th December.
Newsletter 42
The CRF has a number of activities left this year: Futures Fora, On Country #5 – a Critical Forest Collaboratory, and strand events. All strands now have significant programs underway – please read on.
Newsletter 41
The CRF reported our annual activities at the SoE gathering this week. With two slides and an audio report we represented the importance of building our community and strengthening our research capacity. We did not report the metrics – we did not conform to the neo-liberal rhetoric that more is better. We focussed on our community and capacity building strategies, and we showcased the great On Country event we shared with Lowell Hunter.
Newsletter 40
This is our 40th Newsletter this year!
In celebration – we recommend that you take yourself outside for lunch each day this week. Take the break that you deserve, make time for you to recharge to be ready for the afternoon.
Please note: Link to the summit recordings can be found in the newsletter