You are here
Jan de Voogd Peace Fund
History
Jan de Voogd, a Quaker Peace activist, died in early 2021 leaving his estate to be spent on projects which foster peace and social justice. The bequest is administered by the NSW Regional Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). (Read more about Jan here, here and here.)
The fund has supported 31 projects which reflect the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Sustainability. They have included work in reconciliation, disarmament, non-violent conflict resolution, improving race relations and assisting refugees and asylum seekers and aimed at making communities more self-sustaining, more equal and healthier.
Jan’s will stressed that his estate must be used for the benefit of communities and not spent on infrastructure such as buildings or vehicles.
The fund is administered by a committee appointed by the NSW Regional Meeting. This committee called for applications and made recommendations to NSW Regional Meeting where they were discerned in the manner of Friends. Final recommendations for funding were made to the Jan de Voogd Trustees/Executors.
Jan’s will specified that all funds must be spent within five years of his death. Any unspent money is to be equally divided and given to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Quaker Service Australia.
Current state
All funds are exhausted, apart from a small amount set aside for contingencies. Applications are now closed.
It is planned to make a permanent record of Jan’s generous legacy by inviting grant recipients to provide a short summary of the outcomes of their project for publication on these web pages. The committee plans to publish this record during 2026. At some future appropriate time, this material will, at least, be transferred into the Quaker archives.
Approved and Funded Projects.
Following is a brief summary of the 31 funded projects. This information is based on the application and additional information received from applicants.
Peace-Meal Peacebuilding
Applicant: Some Victorian Friends, Auspiced by: The Alternatives to Violence Project Victoria Inc.
Amount: $20,750
The Peace-Meal Project is a collection of stories and recipes from 30 inspiring peacebuilders who each share a significant story and recipe from times of conflict and peace; and offers insight and understandings of the ways that food, conflict, and peace interrelate. The Peace-Meal Gatherings were initiated to provide virtual opportunities to connect to one another, share a prepared meal and share stories of resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Peacebuilding practice emphasizes the importance of deepening communication and connections from diverse backgrounds and situations, and the value of listening and dialogue.
Three Peace-Meal Events:
- Children’s Table – Making and Breaking Bread (Children’s Week in Victoria) Location: Victorian Friends Centre, Melbourne, with an Aboriginal Peace-Meal story-teller from Northern Territory.
- Dinner Gathering for featuring Peace-Meal Peacebuilders Community (Focusing on Myanmar peacebuilders with a cook from Burmese House) Location: Burmese House, Richmond
- Dinner Gathering featuring Peace-Meal Peacebuilders (Focusing on Afghanistan peacebuilders from ADO) Location: Afghan Gallery
Peace-Meal Book: Editor and freelance publishing consultant for specialist cook-book development support and marketing plan.
Quaker Service Australia (QSA) Khmer Community Development
Applicant: Quaker Service Australia
Amount: $148,430 (QSA -$16,450 and Khmer Community Development (KCD) - $131,980)
Three ethnically diverse communities live in the Kampong Chhnang Province of Cambodia: the Khmer, the Islamic (Cham) and the ethnic Vietnamese. This project, to be implemented by Khmer Community Development (KCD) and managed by Quaker Service Australia (QSA), aims to promote peace, equality, understanding, collaboration and reduce conflict within five villages. KCD, a long standing QSA partner, has over 15 years of experience in peacebuilding in Cambodia. It also has strong project design and execution capabilities and close connections with the communities in which it works. As a result, communities are involved in all aspects of planning and implementation to achieve their goals. In addition, KCD staff have training and experience in peacebuilding, including Vietnamese speakers, teachers, and facilitators.
This project will target 400 families, including 200 Khmer and 200 Vietnamese children and 200 Khmer and 200 Vietnamese parents (one parent or guardian from each family) from the five villages. The aim is to involve at least 80% of the 400 families in informal learning programs and other activities to build understanding and engagement between the ethnic communities and promote collaboration to improve all communities.
Power of Goodness Young Peoples Network
Applicant: Friends Peace Teams Asia West Pacific Inc.
Amount: $68,400
This grant will support 3 teams of trained young adults in West Papua, Central Java and the Philippines to conduct and co-ordinate “Power of Goodness” events in their community so that local young people will gain tools for creating peaceful, just societies.
“Power of Goodness” uses stories of nonviolence and reconciliation from real-life situations of people overcoming and transforming conflict in their lives and societies. The events are interactive Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) mini sessions (1-3 hours) organised around a theme and story.
Each team is expected to conduct 5-6 “Power of Goodness” events per month.
Each team is to receive the equivalent of Aus$800 for stipends and Aus$150 for travel and expenses per month. The stipends are to be divided among team members on a pro rata basis.
Hope Household Wellbeing Hub
Applicant: Hope Co-Op Ltd, Melbourne
Amount: $200,000 - ($111,190 is for 0.6 Equivalent full time (EFT) Project Coordinator)
The HOPE Co-op is an asylum seekers cooperative guided by a board with a majority of asylum seekers. It was founded to support its members to enter tertiary education or find work. The Hope Wellbeing Hub was started to support the families of students who were excluded from education because of their Temporary or Bridging visa status.
The Hope Wellbeing Hub used funds from the Jan de Voogd Peace Fund to support and help integrate ten families of the members who were studying. Family wellbeing, social support, English literacy classes, driving lessons and trauma counselling were among the services provided.
Integrity Project
Applicant: Two Australian Friends, Auspiced by: The Religious Society of Friends, Canberra
Amount: $9,200
The Integrity Project consists of holding a banner with the words “Show Integrity in Public Office” at the entrance road to the parking garage of federal parliament, Canberra. The words Quakers, Religious Society of Friends are also on the banner. Photos and video are taken of these actions, followed by an intense social media campaign.
This action will be held four times during two years: in the second week of the new federal parliament sitting, probably in July 2022, the second week of parliament sitting in February 2023, the second week after the mid-winter break in 2023 and in February 2024.
PaxHax
Applicant: PaxHax Inc.
Amount: $174,957
PaxHax addresses barriers to peace & justice (UN Social Development Goal 16) by running events that bring a diverse group of people together who develop citizen-led solutions that draw on design, entrepreneurship, and technology.
They work with leaders in the field to understand the barriers to peace they are facing, turn these into “challenges” for the events, so people can get working on them.
The events use a design thinking method, in a “hackathon” style, to help people rapidly generate ideas, test, and develop them.
Approach: Identify barriers to peace with leaders working in the field → Define them as challenges that can be worked on → Bring the crowd! From young to old, activists to corporates, facilitate events to develop solutions to the challenges → solutions are assessed, finalists offered the chance to progress, with support to progress their concept → further development and testing → implementation with partners.
From the start, PaxHax has been experimental, lean, asks and listens, has sought to make the complex simple, and has raised awareness in a different demographic of how to get involved in action for peace & justice.
Mater Refugee Complex Care Clinic
Applicant: Mater Foundation Ltd, Brisbane
Amount: $189,149
The Mater Refugee Complex Care Clinic (MRCCC) is seeking additional funding to support volunteer General Practitioners to deliver medical services to Medicare ineligible people from a refugee background in QLD. It includes those seeking asylum and recent arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine while they await Medicare access.
The Mater provides in kind nursing and administrative support. The grant will enable the clinic to employ 0.6 equivalent full time (EFT) Senior Medical Officers (SMO) at the centre for 1 year. Without the additional funding the clinic will close in the coming months.
This project will enable the clinic to deliver services when they are needed most and allow MRCCC to pilot a funded model of care to inform applications for a more sustainable long-term funding through Queensland Health.
Ecumenical Accompaniment Program Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)
Applicant: Act for Peace Ltd.
Amount: $123,040
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was established in the Holy Land after an appeal from local church leaders to create an international presence in the country, and the Program accompanies the local people and communities, offering protective presence and witnessing their daily struggles and hopes.
Jan de Voogd Peace Fund suports EAPPI Australia to recruit, train and deploy unpaid Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) to Palestine for several months to provide a non-violent protective presence, undertake human rights monitoring, and to witness events on the ground to undertake advocacy for a just peace upon their return to Australia.
To support the three-month service of these EAs, Jan de Voogd Peace Fund supports the costs of both:
- recruiting and training new EAs and also
- deploying EAs including flight costs, accommodation and local co-ordination in-country.
The Planet Spins
Applicant: The Planet Spins Ltd.
Amount: $200,000
- Establishing a West Papuan-led national nonviolence training program.
- Developing core curriculum co-owned by core Papuan trainers.
- Mentoring a core team of West Papuan nonviolence trainers.
- Training trainers from different West Papuan geographies and from different civil society groups.
- Mentoring Papuan leaders to train West Papuans in the Diaspora alongside Indonesians and solidarity activists through online training programs.
- Mentoring West Papuan leaders to develop and implement campaigns of nonviolent action.
- Strengthening solidarity between West Papuans and progressive Indonesians.
Refugee Advice and Case Work Service (RACS)
Applicant: Refugee Advice and Casework Service (Australia) Inc.
Amount: $50,000
Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS), based in Sydney is a nonprofit providing specialised legal services to vulnerable refugees, people seeing asylum, the stateless and displaced. Its trauma informed support assists people of all nationalities, religions and gender identities who have fled persecution to find safety in Australia. The community outreach ensures financially disadvantaged people get immediate and timely access to one-on-one legal assistance for all visa and related issues from a trusted organisation.
For refugees and people seeking asylum, applying for protection visas or other migration matters is extremely complex, especially for people whose first language in not English, and due to the potentially critical and life-changing consequences of decisions made by government, it can be extremely traumatic. As such specialised legal support is essential.
Editing and indexing an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) e-book
Applicant: The Alternatives to Violence Project (NSW) Inc.
Amount: $9,760
In Building Peace and Community: Alternatives to Violence Project Around the World, 62 authors discuss AVP's experience in 21 different countries. By exploring ways in which AVP has adapted to different contexts, the challenges faced, the lessons learned, and AVP's impact on individuals and communities, they demonstrate AVP's transformative power and the hope it offers in times of growing violence. The funding helped with the editing and indexing of the book, and assisting with distribution, especially in developing countries.
Growing Anaiwan capacity
Applicant: Newara Aboriginal Corporation
Amount: $200,000
Nēwara Aboriginal Corporation, based in Armidale, is seeking funds to employ an Anaiwan Aboriginal person in the position of ‘Programs Manager’ for a period of two years. This person will lead the development and running of various initiatives centred around the revival of Anaiwan language, culture, and traditions, and caring for Country.
Raising Peace podcast and marketing
Applicant: Some New South Wales Friends, Auspiced by: International Volunteers for Peace Inc.
Amount: $11,000
This application is to pay an experienced podcast maker to develop ten podcasts from the videos recorded during the Sept 21 and April 22 online peace events. Members of Raising Peace will work with the podcaster to help identify suitable themes and material. A marketing person will promote these videos to high schools, universities, websites, networks and social media. The original videos will remain on the website for those people who are looking for more detailed information.
The Asylum Seeker Support Project
Applicant: Bridge for Asylum Seekers Inc.
Amount: $200,000
The Asylum Seeker Support Project provides urgently needed living and rental allowance to otherwise destitute asylum seeker residents across greater Sydney and NSW. This project of Bridge for Asylum Seekers will support clients, all on valid visas who receive either insufficient or no financial support with many ineligible for work rights.
The 22-23 budget is approx. $469,000 and 23-24 budget is approx. $615,000. $100,000 of this grant will support 15 most vulnerable households for 6 months during 2022-23. Similar for the second $100,000 in 2023-24
Growing Permaculture Capacity in Bangladesh
Applicant: Permaculture for Refugees Inc.
Amount: $54,000
These funds will allow the Bangladesh Association of Sustainable Development (BASD) to scale up permaculture for refugees by training refugee professionals, organisation staff and host communities in permaculture teaching and project management. BASD has a proven track record of teaching, accounting and reporting, and will run Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) courses and Training of Trainers (TOTs) courses for two years tailored for NGO staff and working with refugees as well as host communities, reporting quarterly and moving towards sustainable funding.
Over 2 years BASD will:
- Conduct 6 Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) courses, each with 30 students.
- Conduct 4 Training of Trainers (TOT) classes, each of 20 students.
- Provide course materials and support.
Permaculture for Refugees (who has worked with BASD in training refugees and NGO staff onsite, in camps and BASD sites) will share two roles of subject specialist and content curator and also monitoring and evaluation.
Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Quaker Worldwide Peace and Justice
Applicant: FWCC Asia West Pacific Inc.
Amount: $118,012
Goals:
- Articulate a Quaker theology of engagement with historical injustice, supporting suitable speakers for the 2024 World Plenary and sharing insights with Friends globally
- Help decolonise the two Quaker United Nations Committees by supporting participation of a greater diversity of Friends
- Over two years devise a Global Quaker Sustainability Network strategy
In 2024 Quakers from all over the world will gather together for the first ever ‘hybrid’ in-person and virtual World Plenary Meeting, in South Africa and online with the theme Living the Spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with hope to God’s call to cherish creation – and one another. The intention is that this will be the most inclusive Quaker world gathering ever held.
The conference has the potential to be a pivotal moment as we focus on spiritually rooted collective action for systemic change which participants would then spread into the many networks Friends are part of. For a year before this gathering and a year afterwards, we seek to ensure the gathering fulfils its potential by supporting Friends to articulate a Quaker theology of engaging with injustice, including racism, catalysing the decolonisation of the two Quaker United Nations Committees and co-ordinating the Global Quaker Sustainability Network.
Building self-sustaining communities, Senegal
Applicant: Gaia Senegal, Auspiced by: The Rotary Club of Wahroonga Inc.
Amount: $90,000
GAIA seeks to build self-sustaining communities in Senegal and local development through scaling up organic farming / permaculture and sale of organic fruit, vegetables and honey on the local market.
Their organic farming / permaculture project is:
- Creating jobs and boosting the local economy
- Improving health and nutrition
- Promoting better resource and environmental management.
GAIA is passionate about inclusion and sustainable development. To achieve their goals, they are working the following local organisations and groups:
- Mayor of Kaffrine and local environmental authorities
- National Federation for Organic Agriculture
- Local research institutions.
- World Vision, Peace Corps, SEN-ECOKAF, SIMPA, Rotary
- Local communities and farmers, including women, young people and People living with a disability.
Safe house in Pakistan
Applicant: Some Victorian Friends, Auspiced by: Edmund Rice Community Services Ltd
Amount: $60,000
This grant is to establish a safe house in Rawalpindi for Afghan refugees formerly associated with the Peace House in Kabul. The house will be able to accommodate 15 refugees for one year. The funds are to cover:
- Visas for Pakistan for 15 people
- Travel from Kabul to Pakistan
- Cost of housing, Food and other necessities including medical care
- Edmund Rice auspicing/administration fee
- Contingencies
Demilitarise Education
Applicant: Australian Non-Violence Projects Ltd
Amount: $25,000
This grant will support the Sydney based organiser of Wage Peace to focus on the Demilitarise Education Project. The specific goal of the project is to affect a change in NSW Department of Education policy such that weapons companies are prohibited from forming sponsorships and other commercial relationships with schools, or otherwise delivering educational content to young people. And, in addition to raise awareness of the increase in a culture of militarism in NSW and Australia.
The organiser will:
- Map the increasing presence of the weapons industry in NSW education.
- Develop a core campaign group, including an advisory committee made up of educators and a network of teachers and students.
- Empower the core campaign group to ensure the Demilitarise Education project has a life beyond the project funded by this grant.
- Support citizen participation and activation to address the presence of the weapons industry in the NSW school system with workshops, seminars, training and tactics drawn from the politics of nonviolence.
Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition (AABCC) book
Applicant: AABCC, Auspiced by: The Campaign for International Co-operation and Disarmament (CICD)
Amount: $10,500
This project plans to research, write and publish a book covering the history, predominantly oral history, of the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition (AABCC), as well as assist with their ongoing work. From 1986 onwards AABCC was the largest and most active and influential peace coalition in Australia. After 2010 it remained an organising group mainly in NSW and due to COVID had to close its office. It plans to retain its website, Facebook page and post box.
Jan was a member of the Management Committee for many years. By sharing the past 3 decades of AABCC experience with its history of efforts to foster non-violence and life enhancing visions for peace, it will help build peace movements in the future, especially in the difficult time we face at present.
Wellspring Care For Creation Nationwide Listening Pilgrimage
Applicant: Wellspring Community Inc.
Amount: $10,000
This grant will help fund the intensive part of the face-to-face listening, interaction and dialogue of Iona and Wellspring leaders taking place during Sept - Nov 23 by the Pilgrimage team as they join with First Nations people.
This grant will go towards the costs of honorariums and other expenses of First Nations people involved in this pilgrimage.
Revolving Door
Applicant: An Australian Journalist. Auspiced by: The Medical Association for Prevention of War – Australia Inc.
Amount: $60,000
A large number of politicians, Defence Department officials, military and intelligence officers, bearing inside knowledge and extensive contact lists, walk through the ‘revolving door’ into roles with multinational arms manufacturers. These moves, largely unreported, undermine democracy, peace, and public integrity. This project will expose and explain this phenomenon.
The project will create a database of revolving door appointments in the arms industry from the year 2000 onwards. The database will be accessed through an easy-to-navigate website taking the US Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Pentagon Revolving Door website as its guide.
Alternatives to Violence Project (NSW) capacity building project
Applicant: Alternatives to Violence Project (NSW) Inc.
Amount: $55,931
This project will help Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) (NSW) establish systems, processes and practices that will transform the group into a professionally run (while maintaining a voluntary ethos), financially sustainable organisation that draws on best practices in governance, management and continuous improvement.
The project will involve:
- Employing a project worker (14 hours/week) to manage and support the project.
- Hosting a gathering of NSW facilitators to engage facilitators in the project and to build their capacity.
- Investigating online or other systems to manage a range of tasks including registrations, customer relationship management, publicity and communication, donor management, income and expenses, and collecting impact data.
- Setting up systems identified in Point 3.
- Creating a strategic plan to ensure organisational and financial sustainability.
- Obtaining expert advice or training where needed (e.g. for advice re management systems or possibilities for creating income)
- Identifying potential ongoing funding sources (e.g. grants, fee-for-service workshop, donations/bequests)
- Creating promotional and publicity material (including improving our online presence)
- Identifying and building partnerships with other organisations who can help extend AVP’s reach.
- Facilitating at least 15 workshops over the 12 months plus 6 hours/week of AVP sessions.
Green Collect Sustaining job creation for beneficiary staff
Applicant: Green Collect Ltd, Melbourne
Amount: $26,000
Green Collect is a not for profit social and environmental enterprise. It provides circular economy services to its clients by collecting their surplus office items and finding the best environmental outcome.
This grant will help sustain beneficiary staff who have experienced barriers to employment by filling in the shortfall from the Federal Employment Program. The funds will be used to supplement the salaries of either 4 full-time staff or 13 part-time staff or a mixture of these.
Lismore Region Refugee Settlement
Applicant: Six individuals in northern NSW, Auspiced by: Sanctuary Northern Rivers Inc.
Amount: $10,000
The Lismore Region Refugee Settlement (LRRS) is a group of six compassionate friends who live in the Lismore region and are taking part in the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) program under Community Refugee Settlement Australia (CRSA). The group’s responsibility begins when the family arrives at the airport. The group has signed an agreement with the Department of Home Affairs to support the family for one year. A detailed timetable has been set out for the program’s success linking the family into all the services they will need over this year including accommodation, education and medical. CRISP will monitor the effectiveness of the group and the family’s progress. They are fundraising themselves as well. Any funds not utilized in the support of this family would be used in the support of a second refugee family.
Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee (QPLC) Peace worker
Applicant: QPLC, Auspiced by: The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia Inc.
Amount: $60,000
This grant will enable the Applicant to employ a part time (2 days per week) Peaceworker on behalf of the Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee (QPLC) for the duration of the project
QPLC Peaceworker role description and required skills:
- Established good working relations with large organisations and/or Parliamentarians at a level of government and their offices.
- Experience in lobbying key decision makers in a level of government or national/international non-government organisation
- Basic research and writing skills.
- Ability to write clear and concise reports.
- Work both independently and with a small team
- Ability and willingness to engage with people from all political parties.
- Understanding of and acceptance of the Quaker Peace Testimony and beliefs of the Religious Society of Friends.
- Familiarity with QPLC and Australia Yearly Meeting (AYM) would be beneficial, but not essential.
The individual will work closely with QPLC members in both directing and supporting this work. The Peaceworker is expected to attend monthly QPLC meetings and deliver a report of their work, including contacts and meetings.
In addition, the individual is expected to produce a final resource as both a record of the two years and a valued resource for Australian Friends.
Manus Lives Matter
Applicant: Some Victorian Friends and Manus Lives Matter, Auspiced by: The Refugee Council of Australia Inc.
Amount: $25,000
This grant is for the support of the families of 4 Afghan men subject to Australia's offshore processing policies. The men are awaiting resettlement in Canada, and their families who are still in Afghanistan are in a highly vulnerable situation. After the men go to Canada, their families will be reunited with them there.
The families (10 adults and 9 children/adolescents) will be sustained for 12 months by receiving food, essential medicines, and fuel for cooking and heating.
Additional funds have been sought from other sources for the six other families of Afghan refugees subject to offshore process, who are also being supported.
Koala Chaplaincy
Applicant: The Forest Advocacy Ministry (Uniting Church), Auspiced by: The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)
Amount: $60,000
The Koala Chaplaincy Project will:
- Offer pastoral care and chaplaincy to those who are defending the forests, especially those forests within the proposed Great Koala National Park (GKNP). Assist with connection to professional support services as needed.
- Participate in meetings of forest friends groups and similar community-led forums concerning the GKNP, and facilitate other support as needed.
- Follow up and debrief with meeting participants.
- In conversation with local Aboriginal groups, advocate for Aboriginal sovereignty in GKNP campaign conversations.
- Provide input from the GKNP area to the advocacy work of the Forest Advocacy Ministry Committee with the aim of ending industrial native forest logging in NSW. Organise or provide care to forest defenders outside the GKNP area as time allows.
Funds will cover chaplain’s wages (30% full-time) and superannuation, travel costs and hospitality expenses.
Climate Distress and Open Dialogue
Applicant: The University of Sydney and collaborating bodies.
Amount: $21,925
Aims and Design: to develop an adaptable climate distress program that can be scaled widely and cost-effectively.
This project aims to support our community of practice, providing funds to enable us to learn from each other more fully, conduct comparative and collaborative research to better understand key points of similarity and difference, and develop together a program for climate distress in community settings.
We aim to:
- Explore the points of connection and difference between our dialogical practices
- Expand the evidence base for community interventions around climate distress through discrete and comparative studies of our member organisations
- Develop an inclusive, adaptable program for addressing climate distress in diverse communities and organisations
Multifaith Council of Australia
Applicant: The World Conference of Religions for Peace Australia, Inc.
Amount: $60,000
This project will work towards a central inter-religious multifaith voice as a representative advisory body promoting social cohesion and peace to the national government and to faith community councils in each state and territory of Australia.
The work of the project will:
- Provide direct links for improved communication, dialogue and information exchange between faiths communities, with the Commonwealth Government and its agencies, with state and territory governments and their agencies and with other social and business sectors.
- Facilitate interreligious collaboration, dialogue and harmony to build and maintain social cohesion.
- Mobilize the unique spiritual, moral and social resources of people of all faiths and religions to address shared concerns and respond to national and local emergencies.
- Ensure the freedom of religion and its authentic practice in our society is present, thereby working to resist religious bigotry, racism and discrimination and to protect Australians against dangerous religious cults and destructive religious practices.
Activating and Building Capacity in Asia West Pacific Friends
Applicant: Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Asia West Pacific Section Inc.
Amount: $12,100
Friends World Committee for Consultation Asia West Pacific (FWCC – AWP) Section is the smallest staffed section of global Friends. The current Secretary provides a contract for service limited to one day a week. Although there are many challenges in this Section, there are also opportunities for Friends to grow.
Strengthening Spiritual Formation Strategy focusing on Quaker processes and decision making.
- Identify Quaker education needs for far-flung, remote and/or small meetings, children and Young Friends. Early indications suggest that work needs to be done on translating work into Asian languages.
- Connect Friends to global Quaker learning opportunities at Woodbrooke, Silver Wattle and Pendle Hill.
- Establish regular consultation methods with Quaker education providers.
- Identify translation needs.
- Identify gaps and look to sponsoring or sourcing educational experiences.
Communications and Communications Infrastructure Strategy.
- Internet and Zoom capacity and inclusion: Technology is a part of the process of bringing together Friends in the region. Successfully communicating across the largest section is also about determining different status of IT in different meetings, the comfort levels in each Meeting when it comes to IT and zoom use, Friends’ training needs, and the best ways for ongoing technical assistance to be obtained.
- Language inclusion: Webinars are likely to rely on English as the Section lingua franca. Although many Friends in our Section understand English, they do not always understand it spoken fast, or with Australian or New Zealand accents. We would like to develop habits and resources which will enable translations to be done efficiently on zoom. We would like to translate select Quaker texts into languages spoken by Friends in the region: Hindi, Japanese, Korean and later, possibly Chinese.
Contact the committee: devoogdpeace@gmail.com