In the thousands of conversations I have with people about the need for truly transformative political change, the ideas in my book, Living Democracy, and the work we do here at The Green Institute, one of the questions that so often comes up is “how on Earth do you do that?”

And that leads to some of the best conversations! We get to dig deep into both the theory and practice of social and political change, sharing experiences, comparing notes, and really learning how to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

What I’m writing to you about today, though, is another use of that question that has been coming up a lot recently!

It’s hugely gratifying to me that more and more people around our party and movement are not only finally aware of The Green Institute’s existence, but also impressed by the quality and quantity of the work we do – the workshops, the research papers, the quarterly Green Agenda magazine, the webinars, the book events, the upcoming conference…

When they find out that we do all this with three part-time staff, adding up to less than 1.5 full time equivalent people, I often get people saying “how on Earth do you do that?”

Well. You know where this is heading now, don’t you?

It’s the end of the financial year, and now is the time when you’re being bombarded with requests for support. Annoying, I know. But here’s ours:

The Green Institute plays a crucial and unique role in the ecosystem of Australian politics and change-making.

Seeding, feeding and leading transformative Green politics, we exist to create the space for strategic conversations about change-making that can’t happen anywhere else but are vital for our movement’s transformative goals.

It’s been so brilliant over the last couple of months that we’ve had the opportunity to do that so directly, through the workshops on theory of change and power. Around the country and online, we’ve been facilitating these deep discussions, asking ourselves: who do we think we are, as a party and movement? What type and scale of change are we trying to achieve? What is our role in creating that change, in both the community and parliaments? How do we change the system while operating in it?

By inspiring, informing and involving people from across our movement and beyond in discussing these questions, the Institute deepens and strengthens Greens ideas, activism and change-making, and influences political change from the grassroots to the parliaments.

Our movement desperately needs that. And, in order to do it well, do it better, and do it more, the Green Institute needs your support.

Please consider making a generous end of financial year donation to the Green Institute today, and help cultivate the change we all know we need.

With much gratitude,

Tim