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Fitzroy North
An earnest plea to friends, supporters, and all who strive for a better world
Friends, I am asking for your help. Conversation at the Crossroads is about to launch its most ambitious project to date Conversations that Matter. It’s all happening this Wednesday 24 November – flyer attached.
These last two years we’ve staged a good many events, some small, some large. We’ve covered many of the pressing issues of our time, heard from some of the world’s leading experts and activists, and attracted a diverse national and international audience. While we’ll keep doing these things, now is the time for a bold new step.
The event on Wednesday is the beginning of what is likely to be a long journey. The vision is to establish a global network of conversation groups that delve deeply into one or other of the many challenges we face, be it climate change, the environmental crisis more generally, pandemics, unprecedented refugee flows, explosive social and economic inequalities, deep-seated racism, or armed conflict. The aim is not just to identify this or that problem, but to explore the underlying causes, how one problem connects with another, what are desirable solutions, what are likely roadblocks along the way, and how might we overcome them. Our conversations must also take note of the resulting experience of stress and anxiety that is now one of the most corrosive aspects of everyday life.
What we have in mind cannot be done by a single person or even by a single group. It might be within the reach of a global network of such groups. This is what we are discussing this Wednesday evening: the vision, the method, how to cater to different needs and capacities, and the practical next steps. We shall do this in words, images, music, and with conversation lubricated by food and drink.
You may ask: How can I help? In many ways.
- First and foremost, your presence on 24 November is invaluable. It holds the key to mutual encouragement, and the sharing of ideas and preferences, You can join us in person. Failing that you can join us online.
- If your attendance is just not possible, then complete and submit the simple expression of interest form https://forms.gle/8ddHJfPzQx79fbzS7, and please do it soon
- If you are coming, and especially if you’re not, convey the importance of the occasion to others, and invite them. We will warmly welcome them.
Please register here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=813573&
My best wishes to you and those close to you.
Joe
Emeritus Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM
Conversation at the Crossroads