ChangeFest is the nation-wide movement for community led systems change in Australia.
As a movement we are committed to learning and acting toward:
- First Nations voice being centred in local, regional and national decisions.
- Power and authority being harnessed for greater equity and collective agency, over top-down deficit based responses.
- As collaborators we align our power and resources to healing and transformation grounded in place, whether that be local, regional or country-wide in scale.
Vision: a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable Australia where every Australian and their community thrives.
Mission: to grow the place based change movement that the centres community in changing the systems that hold inequality in place.
Purpose: to bring together people from across diverse communities and sectors who are committed to community led systems change to learn, network and collaborate in ways that progress their work in place to address the systemic barriers beyond place.
Core principles that underpin the ChangeFest Movement are:
- Shared leadership: between First Nations and other Australians requires equitable ways of working together across races and cultures.
- Collaboration: we recognise that everyone has a role to play in changing the systems they are a part of. We need all stakeholders from local to national levels to collaborate on complex challenges that communities are facing.
- Power: that effective place based change is when communities are enabled to lead and work in collaboration with other decision makers and power holders. This requires all groups to be aware of the power they have and how this can be shared and harnessed to centre community in decision making.
The ChangeFest movement includes people from across the country who are committed to the principles of community led systems change. It includes:
- communities
- community organisations
- philanthropy
- government
- service organisations
- researchers and intermediaries
There are a couple of ways to become actively involved in the movement:
- ChangeFest Gathering – an annual gathering of the movement. ChangeFest Gatherings have been held since 2018 and are a core touchstone for the movement.
- ChangeFest Learning Network – online events that provide a frequent and regular opportunity for the movement to connect, learn, reflect and share.