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Project 3.1 - Clarity on the pressures to adapt
Pillar outcome: Driving Change Well
In the opening sessions of Congress 2023+, we took multiple approaches to converge on the key pressures to adapt that the Society is experiencing. It’s these that we need to address through working together.
What are the pressures to adapt we are experiencing?
Complex Companion needs
Increased demand on our services, with increasingly complex needs from Companions. We need to listen to our Companions and adapt our services accordingly. Underlying these emerging needs are national and global trends like increasing economic inequality, cost of living, housing shortages and displacement from war and climate change.
Walking with Companions
We need to keep focussing on relational, not transactional interactions with our Companions, to accompany them on their journeys. For our Members, it means building our skills and capacity for how we approach and speak with Companions, and how we help them tell their stories, including for advocacy to government. It needs increased cultural competency to embrace diversity in our community, through the lens of our Catholic values.
Revitalising membership
Our Members are experiencing burnout in meeting these needs, with the risk of compassion fatigue. We can do more to support engagement across Conferences for mutual support, providing connection, community and purpose. We want to attract new Members to our cause, acknowledging that there is a need for fulfilment, meaning and connection in Australia, including in younger generations.
Belonging before Belief
With increasingly diverse membership, we recognise that some will share our social justice mission, but not our Catholic belief. We need to support their belonging first, and support growth in faith if that’s what they want. We must provide belonging, and ways to feel connected and useful quickly.
Flexible and inclusive spaces
To accommodate newer Members and changing demographics, we need more flexibility to create spaces where they feel welcome and can participate. This means keeping younger cohorts engaged, adapting to new forms of technology and communication, and new forms of working.
Progress
The content developed at Congress can be used in other sub-projects and initiatives.
Growth and Revitalisation sub-projects
Diverse, Flexible Conferences for Impact sub-projects
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