Our Federation has kicked-off

16 Mar 2020
Author: Lisa Gunnery
2 minute read

The idea for our Federation is to create a connected community that does more than just talk about it, we take action. Our first meet-up was a wonderful opportunity to form connections among a diverse group of people wanting to collectively make an impact here in Aotearoa.

Our Federation came together for its first community meeting last week, and it was a wonderful evening of forming connections among a diverse group of people wanting to collectively make an impact here in New Zealand.  In the group of attendees were long time investors of The Hunger Project NZ, committed volunteers, past and future participants of our Immersion Leadership Programmes, and others who were just learning about The Hunger Project and interested in making an impact. 

The idea for our Federation is to create a connected community facilitated and nurtured by The Hunger Project NZ, that does more than just talk about it - we take action.



 

                  

Our Federation is a community that learns together, that leads together and that tackles social issues close to its heart.

   

Lisa Gunnery, Country Director, The Hunger Project NZ

The Federation idea comes from our work in India. 

The Hunger Project brings together women who have been elected to local village councils. They form Federations which connect all of the women who have been elected to local government within a District. Through their Federation, the women start to learn how to become more impactful in their roles as elected leaders. They share ideas and successes, as well as challenges and obstacles. 

The idea of bringing the women together is used to harness the power of the collective so that an individual woman's voice is amplified by the others within her Federation. They are able to work together to drive significant change through their villages, share skills and capabilities and support each other to create the change required to end hunger and poverty in their districts. 

Community-led development is at the heart of what The Hunger Project does. 

Our first event was an opportunity to learn what drives each of us and what inspired everyone to become part of this Federation, brainstorm what our Federation could be and the kinds of issues that we could tackle utilising the principles of community-led development. 

The benefits of having a group of connected, committed and passionate people and the power in such a community were discussed. There was excitement about and the ways we can work within the existing community organisations to leverage outcomes and create a bigger impact.

Some of our key take-aways. 

Through our Federation, members are hoping to:

  • Get a sense of belonging, connectedness and community.
  • Form connections with like-minded and inspiring people who want to have an impact and give back to their community.
  • Share knowledge and ideas, and learn from each other.

Members thought the purpose of our Federation could be to:

  • Create a community where people feel they can belong.
  • Bringing people and existing organisations and community groups together for collaboration rather than competition to leverage outcomes and increase our collective impact.
  • Influence governmental policies. 
  • Raise awareness of The Hunger Project NZ.

Key areas of concern.

These largely fell into key themes around local women's empowerment and child poverty.

Community meet-ups.

  • There was consesus that members wanted these more regularly to form strong connections, so we will likely hold these very six weeks.
  • We will be looking to have guest speakers such as community leaders, change leaders with inspiring stories of achievement, and people from organisations that are already doing work in the community.

This was a great way to kick-off our Federation, and we're looking forward to our next community meet-up where we will dive deeper into how we can mobilise action to tackle these social issues.

If you’re interested in becoming part of our Federation - we would love to have you along to our next session! Click on the button below for details on our next community meet-up and join our community of changemakers.