Vision: Celebrating Democracy

This paper was an exploratory proposal to design an event to celebrate democracy.   REAL HOPES is a framework I developed as a values based curriculum to provide a foundation for learning peace and anti-bullying.

Imagine what happens when we all come together and celebrate democracy and build upon it.

Celebrating Democracy

Past, present and future

Melbourne, 2008

“Be the Change you wish to see in the world”

Celebrating Democracy is a week event would take place on Friday 9^th May, 2008.   This date commemorates the 1^st opening of Federal Parliament in Melbourne.

The event will run for 9 days in Melbourne.  It will celebrate democracy with real hope.

Aim:  To inspire, challenge and empower a vision of democracy.

Objectives: 

• To educate about democracy;
• Share experiences of democracy;
• Create visions to strengthen democracy.

Framework of the Event.

The event will be structured through the R.E.A.L. H.O.P.E. model.  This model is a values framework and will celebrate democracy through values and themes, as follows:

Responsibility:   celebrating rights and responsibilities.

• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission;
• Liberty Victoria;
• UN Association – The Charter;
• Participatory democracy – having a voice;
• Parliamentary democracy
• Future visions – children’s parliament, youth parliaments

Empathy:   celebrating how we feel about each other.

• Schools could put on productions and role plays exploring what it is to be someone else;
• Expressions of how we feel.   The arts:  music, dancing, art, poetry, clowning.
• What are values? 
• Communicating peacefully;
• Exploring the differences and getting to know each other.   Events highlighting what it feels like to be someone else e.g. disabled, ethnic, gender, age.  
• Future visions

Awareness:  Celebrating our understanding of democracy and citizenship

• What is democracy?   Past, present
• What is citizenship;
• Civics and citizenship education;
• Community activities which create a sense of belonging;
• Future visions

Love:  Celebrating love and nonviolence

• What is love? 
• What is nonviolence?  The power of nonviolence, dealing with emotions, communication skills. 
• Developing positive relationships;
• What is violence?  Looking at crime, violence in our community;
• Community activities fostering love and nonviolence;
• Future visions.

Honesty:  Celebrating truth and visibility

• What is honesty?  Are we truthful?
• Government and democracy – representation;
• Market Research – finding out what people think and feel.  Exploring issues through voting, focus groups, community forums;
• Conflict Resolution skills – looking at different truths toward reconciliation;
• Information sources (media) – range of reputable source to find out aspects of truth;
• Living with different truths;
• Future visions.

Oneness:   Celebrating diversity in unity in a democracy

• What is community?
• What is civil society?
• Where we are similar and different?
• Multiculturalism;
• Aboriginality and the dreamtime;
• The natural world;
• Living sustainably;
• Participation;
• Future visions.  Vox Bandicoot, models of future socieites

Peace:   Celebrating peace and harmony in a democracy

• Individual harmony:  inner peace, dreams and visions, sharing, happiness;
• Family harmony: parenting, children’s rights and conflict resolution.
• Group harmony:  learning to live together in participation;
• National harmony;
• Global harmony;
• Future visions.

Enjoyment:   Celebrating happiness and fun in a democracy

• What is happiness and joy?
• Expression of hobbies and interests;
• Clowning and circus:  having fun and playing;
• The arts:   art, music, dance, theatre etc.;
• Future visions.

Service:  Celebrating serving others in a democracy

• What is service?
• Volunteering;
• Unpaid work for the greater good;
• Caring and sharing;
• Future visions.

IDEAS

Another possible framework:

• What is democracy?
• Rights and responsibilities?
• Democracy in the person:  person values of REAL HOPE (responsibility, empathy, awareness, love, honesty, oneness, peace and enjoyment;
• Democracy in enjoyment:  types of pleasure we pursue, not interfering with others, inviting other to share our enjoyment, being happy and fulfilled.
• Democracy where you live:  living together, cooperation, way of life;
• Democracy at work:  colleagues, workplace, business organisation;
• Democracy in government:  councils, state, federal, global.  Issues of representation.
• Democracy in education: access, equity, REAL HOPE;
• Democracy in health:  access, equity;
• Democracy in diversity:  acceptance, uniqueness, culture, differences;
• Democracy in the world;

Thoughts:

• Equality;
• Street parties:  alcohol free, like New Years Eve – dancing, theatre, poetry, circus, music;
• Philosophy, peace in the community
• Future technologies;
• Councils and democracy
• Children are the future.  Democracy in education, civics and citizenship, new models youth parliament, children’s parliament;
• Bringing society together;
• Nonviolent societies;
• Engaged citizenship;
• Media and democracy;
• Reconciliation;
• What makes a civilized society:
• Industrial democracy?
• Helping versus empowering people.
• Freedom of religion;
• Rights of the Child – UNICEF

Individuals/organizations

• Australian Electoral Commission / ABS – Australians polled;
• Telstra, Qantas,
• Trades Hall;
• Australia Institute;
• NGO’s;
• Government:  Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission,  Liberty;
• University of Melbourne, Latrobe, Deakin, Uni of Sydney, UQ
• Tim Costello
• Geoffrey Robertson,
• Julian Burnside;
• Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Bono, McCartney, Jackson Browne,
• Movie stars:  Nicole Kidman, Sigrid Thornton, Ita Buttrose
• Michael Leunig.