I caught up with Simon in the Darling Hills late September. His work is vital to the survival of the Australian Wedge Tail Eagles. He is one of the world’s experts in this specialist area.
Simon is crowd funding to track, monitor and preserve the Wedge Tail Eagles. He is almost there. Can you help and support this worthy project? Below is Simon’s final appeal. Check it out and help save these magnificent creatures.
WELCOME aboard, and thank you for choosing WEDGETAIL AIRWAYS! I write to express my sincere THANKS for your pledge to my crowdfunding campaign! The past 50 days have been action-packed with marketing exercises and the campaign has been ticking along nicely! With 10 days left, we have reached 75% of the target, which is fantastic news!
Just over 2 years ago, I sat in the crown of a gnarled Gidgee tree in the WA outback, being blown around like a cork in the ocean as I waited to film an adult eagle return with food to its nest. On the nest sat an 11 week-old juvenile eagle, Kuyurnpa (Martu for 'little girl'), who was the first ever young wedgie to be fitted with a long-lasting GPS/Satellite transmitter. After 10 hours of sitting cross-legged, imagine my delight when I saw her sit up and yelp excitedly as her mother sailed in against the wind, half a rabbit clutched in her talons, and landed to feed her chick! You might want to reminisce with me about this exciting day here:
On that day I couldn't have imagined that Kuyurnpa would fly from her nest, and over the subsequent 750 days, lead us on a 20 000km journey around the arid Australian interior. Tears of happiness welled up in my eyes when I travelled to the Pilbara region in June this year, and resighted her for the first time since her independence began. Her bold and golden appearance was striking, and to know that her entire life had been recorded was a thrilling thought! Photos of that memorable day can be viewed here:
Now, as this campaign approaches the pointy end, we are well-poised to get the funds that will allow us to purchase TWO GPS/Satellite transmitters! Together with two others I already have in my possession, they will allow the movements of FOUR juvenile eagles to be tracked in late 2016. This research is highly important in helping us unlock information critical to our knowledge of the Wedge-tail's population dynamics, and long-term survival.
BUT... we are not there yet! In order to reach this milestone, we still need to see another $4500 pledged! That's only 100 people with $45 each. And don't forget, this crowdfunding target is the opposite to a speed limit sign:
You can't go below it, but you can certainly go WAY ABOVE IT IF YOU WISH!
The more money pledged, the greater the contribution to my research, and to our understanding of the most charismatic and (yes, I'm biased!) BEAUTIFUL eagle in the southern hemisphere. Don't forget, that if I see the target reach $65000, I will eat my hat, film it and post it to Youtube!! ;-)
Your pledges have been overwhelmingly generous, and without your interest and support, we couldn't have made it this far. But as one last favour, I would be most grateful if you can forward this message to all your friends and families, and see if we can have one last rally to help us FLY WITH EAGLES! Don't forget, there is a selection of unique rewards offered... and there may even be a couple of secret extra rewards added in the next few days ;-)
Thanks again everyone. It's been a pleasure to see your names pop up as you've boarded this aircraft. Please now remove your tray-tables, toss out your life-jackets and leap in the air and say I LOVE EAGLES! Try it, and I bet you'll laugh! :-D
Looking forward to being in touch again very soon!
At Bridge 5 Mill, Manchester, the BPS presented an action based festival. Skilled practitioners from around the world were delivering action based models. Their innovative solution addressed pressing austerity issues.
The agenda was about making a better society and a just world.
It was refreshing and moving to be in the company of people who cared about others.
These committed activists had a sparkle and magic in their eyes. Everyone at this festival had belief, conviction, drive, energy and skilled expertise. They made things happen. One of the presenters is doing a Ph.D. about spirituality. Whatever your religion, there was something special going on in Ancoats. The conference shed light and illuminating insights that need recognition and implementing now.
The strength of the conference message was its venue in help locating issues. Engles made similar observations while in Manchester for his seminal work. Even after building regeneration, southern visitors commented about the east Manchester environment. An Italian claimed it was worse in North Italy.
A strength of the festival was its art, dance, graphics, photography and video. Together with social media hashtags, this was the glue that helped communicate the agenda.
On The Move Workshop
#OTMBridge5Mill
As a Gerard Egan, post-grad facilitator, educated with the Chicago School of process consulting, I wanted to see it in action. Catherine Dobson's, 'On The Move' (OTM) workshop captured this. Her aim was to get the group to re-think how people work together and inprove meeting outcomes.
The workshop set task was how to raise the profile of Bridge 5 Mill and increase its football. The OTM workshop explored east Manchester by walking the streets and its canals.
Egan would be proud of the these conversations. Here were people collaborating in non-threatening contexts, being creative and delivering sharp insights through walking conversations. It solved many issues and addressed the Bridge 5 Mill’s solutions.
Want to know more about OTM Consulting? Contact Catherine Dobson 0n 07850 198455 and catherine@onthemoveconsulting.co.uk
These are links illustrating the model:
I got a lot from this festival. Everyone involved deserves recognition and big thanks for making a successful, thought-provoking event.
Please get back to me if you want audio recordings, photography and video to communicate your projects.
Austerity hurts those with the greatest needs. Do something positive now.
Eddy Jackson MBE
54° North Studio
Photojournalism| Video Production | Education Online Media www.communicationuk.com
BPS Community Psychology Festival 21st November 2015
Bridge 5 Mill, Ancoats, Manchester
Feedback responses to the OTM conversation/consultation walking workshop:
General features of ‘On the Move’ as an approach
Enjoyable to take time to engage with the environment
Helps pay attention to detail of our world
Scenic routes helps you feel calm
Fresh air helps a clear head, promotes ideas and thoughts
The sunny day helped the enjoyment
Different people picked up on different aspects of the environment
The kinds of discussions were fluid and would not have happened sitting down at a table
Walking in such a place is good for ‘team building’ and cohesion of the group
Easy to talk to someone when you are walking alongside, less awkward
More direction
Just lovely to get outside and walk
It was nice walking and chatting to each other.
This kind of workshop should be planned for everybody, all the participants of the Festival
Really enjoyable!
Relevance of location for ‘On the Move’
Interesting to know the place and its natural context
Talked about the regeneration and gentrification of the area
Talked about place identity and historical context
Being in the environment and walking through it is a different way of having conversations about it. It was great to hear more about the history, local campaigns and the local community – gave more depth to the experience
Enjoyed the walk and seeing more of Manchester than I would normally go to.
Participants OTM feedback on how to increase footfall at Bridge 5 Mill
Comments about the location of Bridge 5 Mill and nearby geographic features
Ancoats Dispensary campaign is an inspiring movement – link this to the activities at Bridge 5 Mill
Having better signs from the road and from the canal
Comments about activities within Bridge 5 Mill
Community involvement eg gardening, workshops, café
Open the Mill up for events – heritage open days, sustainability workshops, art workshops – AND promote these
Thinking about – what would I be coming here for? – a meeting, an event, a workshop…what else would bring me here? A café….Something to look at, such as art gallery…could it be a destination for a walk along the canal?
Hold regular meetings or classes here
Have a café – along-side the canal
It looks a bit of a ‘ghost place’
Organise sports activities and other cultural activities to promote and let people know it can be used in a different way
Use as a cultural and social centre to let people meet and participate in the community
Making links with the Ancoats/Rochdale canal regeneration groups
Place for display of canal antiquities, pictures, art and sculpture, stories
History of the building
Having a display about the history of the building, links to the local and regional textile industry, relevance of being beside the canal, how local people were employed, what the different rooms were used for
What was the route of the silk industry – import, export and transportation of goods, what was made and how
How did people work at the mill, where did they come from and what did they What did the machinery look like?
Importance of building design, ‘sustainability’
Build on its sustainability and eco-features as a venue
To organise events, festival of music, art, to help people come and enjoy the place
Having solar panels or other forms of heating
Good insulation is important – though the building was not designed to keep people warm, rather for cooling down machinery
This is a nice place –can it be developed in a non-modern way?
How do you help people, teams and high achieving organizations to achieve great things? Below is the secret to my success.
I learnt this the hard way. Here is a great short cut with lots tips to benefit you.
Clinical psychologist, Catherine Dobson presents a coaching method that is transformational. The question you need to ask, is your organization’s leadership and management brave and competent enough to do this?
'On the Move,' is about walking and talking. It is about using conversations and collaboration to encourage creativity. It breaks away from the traditional style of meetings that stifle ideas. Here, the same people blag and restrict everyone's potential. I'm sure you have witnessed this.
There is a much better way of doing things.
In my work, I binned the traditional management style by becoming more open. By enabling others to be creative, individuals, teams, and organizations achieved great successes.
In the recordings, Catherine questions the effectiveness of the workplace. You have been there: regular meetings, discussions going in circles, the same people coming up with the same solutions?
Check out the Twitter conversation at @OtmcCatherine and #OTMBridge5Mill
On The Move (OTM), solutions are about re-thinking how people meet. By making small changes in combining conversations with short walks, significant positive develops emerge.
‘On The Move’ walk and talk event generates new dialogues, opens up creative ideas and delivers solutions to problems.
It is a fun way of working together while being active and ‘on the move’!
The academic foundations for OTM evolve from:
Systemic thinking
Appreciative inquiry
Literature on health
Wellbeing and exercise
Creativity and the
Benefits of walking groups on mental health.
Check out Catherine's PowerPoint for the BPS Manchester Workshop On the Move - Community Psychology Festival: