Well, 2018 was an incredibly busy year for us in the Change Champion team! Across five regions we delivered events, activities and workshops for students and staff with the aim of engaging and inspiring people to get involved in Social Innovation.
The Office of Social Innovation has empowered us as Change Champs to be leaders on our local campus, and we are super excited to enable more people to kick-start their changemaker journey in 2019! We are looking for like-minded students to join us, so if you’re interested in creating a better world, contact us at [email protected]
Take a look back at what 2018 looked like for the Change Champion team and our fellow students!
Festival of Change (30 July - 3 August)
Last year we launched the very first Festival of Change. The multi-campus event celebrated and brought to life changemaking at CQUniversity. Events across our regions included; Changemaker Marketplaces, workshops, inspiring talks, a Community Forum and opportunities for people to connect with like-minded individuals making a difference in their community. Be sure to come along to the Festival of Change in Term 2 2019!
Volunteering
By collaborating with new and existing community organisations, we brought students together to volunteer in their community. Some of these groups and events included: SecondBite (Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne), Zambrero Meal Packing Day (Sydney and Melbourne), Sleep at the ‘G (Melbourne), and Men’s Shed fundraisers (Rockhampton). Get in touch with us on Facebook or via email if you’re interested in participating in volunteering activities this year.
Stalls
You may have seen us on campus in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Rockhampton or Mackay at one of our many pop-up stalls! Some stalls had a specific purpose such as Human Rights, or The Big Idea and some challenged you to ‘#thinkaboutit’ - a stall designed to get you thinking about the social issues that exist in your community. Stalls will continue
throughout 2019 and are a great way to find out what social innovation events are happening in your region, ask about volunteering opportunities, or chat to your local Change Champ about your own ideas!
Anti-Poverty Week
During Anti-Poverty Week, 14-20 October, Change Champs hosted events and activities to start a conversation about poverty; who is affected and how you can help in your community. This included documentary screenings, morning teas, and volunteering opportunities with over 125 people engaged across the five regions.
Documentary Screenings
Each month as part of our #thinkaboutit Campaign, we focused on a themes that students said they were most passionate about. Poverty, equality, food waste, homelessness and human rights are just some of the issues that were highlighted. Students, staff and community members were invited to documentary screenings that explored a specific theme as a way to connect like-minded people and start a conversation about the issue. Poverty Inc. and Dukale’s Dream were the two most popular documentaries screened by the Change Champions in 2018.
Lunch and Learn
In November, we invited students to attend a Lunch & Learn with Matt Taylor - Policy Adviser for Victorian Government and Co-Founder and Managing Director of MET Designs. Over a free lunch, catered by local social enterprises, students heard about Matt’s journey as a social entrepreneur to equip them with knowledge and practical guidance about how they can make the world a better place through business.
We are super excited for another great year. You can take a look at photos from 2018 and more on our Facebook page and join in the CQUni changemaker movement!