Navigating These Tough Times with a Solutions-Focused Mindset
You only need to open up social media or turn on your TV to see that we are in the midst of a challenging time for humanity, both here and Australia and abroad. Following the referendum which saw the majority of Australia’s population vote no to a Voice To Parliament, our screens are now dominated by images of the horrific violence faced by Palestinians.
As we face these uncertainties and obstacles, it’s more important than ever to maintain a solutions-focused mindset. Part of being a changemaker means we recognise that within every problem lies an opportunity for positive change, and we commit ourselves to focusing on those opportunities, rather than the problems.
This fortnight, I encourage you to take some time to reassess how you’re feeling, and re-align your efforts with the principles of a solutions-focused approach.
Embrace Diversity & Adaptability:
Regardless of where you stood on the Voice to Parliament, we now know where Australians stand on this issue, and in order to move forward, we need to do so in a way that embraces the diversity of perspectives, rather than fight them. In our newly re-launched season of the Changemaker Q&A Podcast, I explore what we ought to do post-referendum, including:
- Keeping the momentum going after what I believe is the largest mobilisation of the population on an Indigenous issue that I’ve seen in my lifetime
- Creating a shared vision for Australia’s future that combines the various perspectives held by people— including progressive & conservative no voters, and yes voters— to inform any theory of change moving forward
- Embracing the rich wisdom and culture of Aboriginal and Torres’s Strait Islander peoples in how we relate to and make decisions about Country, and recognising “Indigenous history” as our shared Australian history
Adaptability matters, and resilience is not just about bouncing back, but also about bouncing forward, so I encourage you to take time to listen to our episode Australia has voted no, what do we do now?
Communication is Key
I might be slightly biased as a comms PhD researcher, but I truly believe that communication is one of the most powerful tools we have when it comes to driving social change, and this includes social media… but only when used effectively.
My sister has become an ‘accidental influencer’ this year, and she FaceTimed me last week distraught about wanting to take a break from social media, but feeling a responsibility as someone with a platform to speak out about the conflict in Gaza. Together, we put together a plan that would allow her to use social media and avoid the ‘slacktivism’ we see so often, where we equate posting on our socials with meaningful action. I gave her some useful tips and frameworks to help her, and shared them all in this week’s podcast episode Leveraging Social Media for Social Change for you to learn from.
Social media can be a tool for good, but it can also be draining, so it’s also important that you take care of yourselves. Incorporate moments of mindfulness into your screen time, and take some screen-free self-care time if you need to… you can’t pour from an empty cup!
Continuous Learning
Wherever you are in your changemaking journey, the journey should remain one of curiosity and commitment to learning. If you’ve read our social change handbook The Changemaker In You, you’ll know that I’m a huge advocate of place-based learning through travel, and ‘experiencing the world’ was a huge part of my changemaking journey — which I also shared in our first podcast episode of the season, where I (re)introduced myself to our community.
As we approach the years end, it is the perfect opportunity to take some time to use travel as an opportunity to seek knowledge beyond your comfort zone, explore new possibilities. I’m stoked that we’ve partnered with some of the travel industry’s leading accommodation, transport, and tour booking platforms to support Changemaker Q&A.
Through our Changemaker Travel platform, you can book your next travel experience with our partners, and a portion of the sale will go directly to supporting the work of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network (at no cost to you!)
It’s partnerships like this that allow us to create free educational content like the podcast. Changemaker Q&A is now available in video format, so you can watch the full episodes on Youtube or Spotify, listen on your preferred podcast platform, or read the episode transcripts on our website. Just like previous seasons, we’ll be answering all of YOUR questions about anything related to making change happen, so we encourage you to ask us your questions (anonymously if you prefer.) Don’t be shy, we’re sending out Changemaker Co. goodies like our patches to anyone whose question is answered on the pod.
Remember, tough times are temporary, but our impact can be lasting. HCN is here to support you as you explore and implement the solutions that will drive positive transformation.
