As 2017 draws to a close, the Together SA team has reflected on the development of the Collective Impact movement in South Australia this year. So much positive work, progress and potential.
On December 12, more than 30 representatives from 11 of our state's Collective Impact initiatives came together to share learning, to ask questions about common barriers to Collective Impact work and explore opportunities for deeper collaboration. It was an inspiring event.
And we certainly have our work cut out for us in 2018, with 1 in 8 people living below the poverty line, 1 in 5 women experiencing domestic violence and 1 in 4 children born each year the subject of at least one notification to the child protection system - in SA alone. Despite our best efforts and significant resourcing, we finish 2017 with these sobering statistics.
I believe that hope is a renewable resource. The Collective Impact community in South Australia will persevere and grow, because the alternative of maintaining the status quo is not an option.
Collective Impact requires you and your agency to think differently, and to change. Liz Weaver from the Tamarack Institute in Canada has a call to action for partners to change just 10% towards a common agenda, informed by reliable data, embedded in a balance of best practice and innovation, with community informing both the definition of a local complex social problem and the creation of approaches to generate sustainable change.
Collective Impact emerged in our state five years ago. As advocates for this innovative framework, it is time to come together reflect on past achievements, learn from current practice and plan for the future of Collective Impact in South Australia, together.
Together SA is hosting our state's first Collective Impact Symposium on Tuesday 20 February 2018. The event will feature international speakers, Australian Collective Impact thought-leaders, South Australian practitioners, community leaders and a Collective Impact Expo. Our question to you all is
- just what will it take to create sustainable, community-led, systemic and cultural social change in our communities?
We are thrilled to have
Sir Nigel Richardson from Child Friendly Leeds return to Adelaide to present at our Symposium. Nigel was here in 2016, and we look forward to taking a deeper dive into the implementation of the Child Friendly Leeds framework - just how did they achieve such long-lasting, city-wide, positive results?
At Together SA, we envisage a future where we work together in deep collaboration, with a common agenda driving culture and system change for the ultimate benefit of all South Australians. We believe that taking a collective approach to these difficult and challenging issues can affect the type and scale of change South Australia is looking for. Most importantly, it can be change that is led by local communities.
I wish you a wonderful festive season, and hope you return in January reenergised and ready to continue our important work, together.