Toula's Digital Kulcha Blog

Back from the 3 day Connecting Up Conference in Adelaide. Its purpose (in the organisiser’s words):

The Goals of the conference are:

• To provide a platform for innovative communities, businesses and governments around Australia to share their experiences, successes and lessons learned from programs and projects designed to change their ’world’, whether it be a neighbourhood or a nation.
• To promote the social and economic benefits for disadvantaged and isolated communities of access to affordable technology.
• To provide opportunities for like-minded not-for-profits, communities, governments and businesses to build networks and develop programs and projects.
• To create momentum towards a national approach to ensuring that the technology capacity of community and not-for-profit organisations allows them to effectively operate in the digital world.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

After a lifetime working in the non-profit sector and having attended more conferences than Methuselah, my interest lies less in the workshops than in the yabba yabba done between the margins. I want to know who these crazy, brilliant odd bod souls are; these people who could be making a mega-packet in the corporate sector; these people who actually choose to work in largely under funded, under recognised workplaces; these people who seem to be so driven by principle that they dedicate their lives to righting the wrongs of the less powerful in our communities. I don’t believe we should collectively be put up as candidates for beatification but I do think that this sector of principle has an approach to life, equity, access and social justice other sectors motivated only by economic imperatives could learn from.

This conference did not disappoint. Odd, quirky bods abounded but these odd, quirky bods had plenty to say 'n share that was important, challenging and above all hopeful. A refreshing contribution to the body politic.

My camera as always came along with me. (click here to view)