festival of daring possibilities 2022

FESTIVAL OF DARING POSSIBILITIES 2022 

WHAT IF ...WE ALL TOOK CARE OF COUNTRY ?  WHAT IF WE TOOK CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE 

 A fabulous weekend of speakers, performers, workshops, music, films, games, and art

Friday afternoon - 4-6 Free event in the foyer - Youth led change - open space                                                                                                 Play in the park   - juggling, hula hooping, skipping and giant scrabble.                                                                          Food trucks

Friday night  - 7-9:30 A colourful evening of inspiring speakers and performers sharing their big visions for positive change in our community through the lens of WHAT IF ...WE ALL TOOK CARE OF COUNTRY ? WHAT IF WE TOOK CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE ?

Saturday 10-12:30     Princesses of Planting performance at Glebe Wetlands

Saturday 1-5 pm      More inspiring speakers and practical solutions of how we already TAKE CARE OF COUNTRY and what else we can do to REGENERATE all aspects of life in the Bega Valley and beyond. 
Presentations, workshops, films and music  including showing the film "Regenerating Australis", from Damon Gameau, the maker of the 2040 film.     

LOCAL FESTIVAL REGENERATING OUR COMMUNITY
We are also excited to have Many Worlds join the Festival with the 'Princesses of Planting' performance at Glebe Wetlands. And Flovidity Entertainment and the Jeeblers running pop up play in Littleton Gardens on Friday afternoon.

This years speakers and performers include Tamika Townsend, Djiringanj and Ngarigo mother of two, David Dixon, Djiringanj and Ngarigo elder and historian, Warren Foster Senior and Amanda Foster from Wallaga Lake, Gini Eagle and Brad Caban, Barry Irvin, Bega Cheese CEO, Sarah Davis, Jacob Shields, Michael Menager, Nick van Steklenberg, Flovidity Entertainment, Bega Valley Men's choir and the incredible Robyn Martin.
Wallaga Lake artist, Alison Walker, (who painted image used for event poster) will also be exhibiting and selling her art and craft in the foyer, alongside individual posters illustrating the many creative visions of our young people for improving the Bega Valley.
This year's Festival is all about REGENERATION – both socially and ecologically.
WHAT IF WE ALL TOOK CARE OF COUNTRY ? WHAT IF WE TOOK CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE ?

As we all know, the last 2 ½ years have been extremely challenging in so many ways. The tradgedies of the bushfires followed so closely with many months of Covid restrictions and illness has really taken its toll. So much trauma and change in so little time.

Now it's time as a community to envision and step towards the world we dream is possible.

We feel the Festival of Daring Possibilities 2022, is an inspiring offering to begin healing and dreaming big again as a way of staying hopeful about the future. Mental health recovery in our community is paramount and this Festival offers a place of hope, courage and a way to remember “ we are not alone”.
The Festival offers members in our community an opportunity to share their big visions for tomorrow, and feel empowered to create positive social change and to begin rebuilding our communities in a more resilient sustainable way. In a way that offers connection and support for everyone. The Festival also offers a certain playfulness and uplift through the presentation style of WHAT IF... that invites unlimited imagination.
Our last Festival in 2020 was an amazing success, showcasing the newly formed Djinima Yilaga choir and the passion of Warren Foster Junior envisioning a world without racism. This years speakers and performers are equally outstanding, as we seek solutions and find ways to amplify what we are already doing well.

Some of this year's WHAT IF's so far are

WHAT IF WE TOOK CARE OF COUNTRY ? - Warren Foster Senior

WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK ? - Sarah Davis

WHAT IF CUTTING DOWN TREES COULD SAVE OUR FORESTS ? - Nick van Steklenberg

WHAT HAPPENED AT BLACKFELLOWS LAKE ? - David Dixon

WHAT IF WE STARTED WE A BLANK SHEET OF PAPER ?- Barry Irvin.

WHAT IF WE GREW HEMP ?- Gini Eagle and Brad Caban.

WHAT IF OUR COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY VOICE COULD STOP AN ECOLOGICAL DISASTER ? - Jacob Shields

Tickets are available from https://events.humanitix.com/festival-of-daring-possibilities-2022

For any further enquiries, please contact Sue Andrew

Director – Festival of Daring Possibilities aliveandconnected@gmail.com 0422 690670

 PHOTOS AND BIOS

Robyn Martin

With ARIA chart hitting songs and national & international songwriting recognition in her back pocket from her releases with trio The New Graces, Robyn launches her solo project. With a sound that is distinctly Australian, her music traverses a wide terrain from deep pocket soul, mixed with heart warming, thought provoking folk sensibilities, to the occasional banjo driven hoedown singalong and a sprinkle of grungy angst rock.                                                            

David Dixon – Djiringanj and Ngarigo elder and scholar of local history.

Tamika Townsend.- Tamika is a mother of 2 and a Ngarigo Djiringanj woman. Tamika was born and raised in the Bega Valley. Tamika moved to Canberra after she finished her year 12 and has since worked to shape various Indigenous policies and programs. She has since moved back into her country where she works as a senior policy advisor and raises her children.

Warren Foster Senior

Warren Foster is a Djiringanj and Ngarigo Elder, living at Wallaga Lake Community. He is also an author, an actor, a rapper, Director of Gulaga Dancers and a significant cultural knowledge holder.

Amanda Foster

Amanda Foster is a Kamiliroi woman, married to Warren Foster. Amanda is a mother of four and very passionate about supporting children and families through education and housing. She grew up at Wallaga Lake, and has worked at Little Yuin Preschool and is now on the board. She has been working at Merrimans's Land Council for 3 years and is now focussing on community housing.

Barry Irvin

Barry Irvin is Executive Chairman of Bega Cheese, one of Australia's largest dairy and food companies with revenues exceeding $3 billion. Bega Cheese’s product portfolio ranges from dairy ingredients to a number of Australia's most iconic brands including Vegemite, Farmers Union, Dare, Dairy Farmers and Daily Juice. Barry grew up on the family dairy farm which his son Andrew now operates, Andrew is the sixth generation to farm in the Bega Valley. The long history with farming has meant that Barry has had a particular interest in sustainable agricultural production and championed a number of environmentally focused projects. He is very passionate about regenerative practises in particular developing a circular economy for the Bega Valley. Barry has always believed in giving back to the community and is the long-term Chairman of Giant Steps Australia an organisation that provides services to children and adults with autism.

Sarah Davis – Sarah has a background in community development and was inspired by veggie growing, housing needs and a love of nature to do woodwork and study natural resource management. This led her to regenerating the woodworking shed with diversity Saturdays, members working on joining more than just pieces of wood.

Michael Menager - Born in Southern California, but schooled in San francisco during the sixties, and now resides in Candelo.A guitarist and singer since high school, Menager studied and absorbed the styles of classic folk/blues artists such as Mississippi John Hurt and Reverend Gary Davis, and was greatly influenced by songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen..

A modern day troubadour, Michael now divides his time between his home in Australia and travelling the world, but always with the same mission: the sharing of stories and songs, the opening of hearts and minds, the search for the common ground between us rather than that which separates us.