Introducing EEstories & farewelling ozEEnews

What would you say if someone asked you about your favourite childhood story?

We don’t get asked this question very often as adults, but think for a moment: what stories have stayed with you? A film, a book or a social media post perhaps?

Stories have always helped us make sense of the world. They’re how we connect, remember and imagine. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories inform our landscapes and our deepest knowledges. Story is one of the most important forms of human communication.

So…in thinking about how best to support our members and reach out to new colleagues, we have decided that we want to focus on our stories. To do that, we are formally launching our AAEE blog “EEstories”. This will be replacing our longstanding and honoured “ozEEnews” which, over the past years, has been published quarterly as a PDF.

There are some wonderful benefits to this new mode of AAEE communication. It will obviously be more accessible via our website, and will be delivered straight to your inbox when each story is published, so it can be shared easily through our educators ecosystem. Stories will showcase our amazing AAEE members, and their inspiring projects and passions. There will be wider reach and deeper connections made.

We highly encourage you to write and submit your stories for publication – the more the merrier! Photos, links, and even short videos can easily be shared. Stories can be short and sweet, or more detailed, and we can include a huge diversity of contributions, from classroom projects to community campaigns and everything in between. It will be exciting to be able to represent our multitude of sectors and environmental practices.

When we developed our national AAEE strategy together last year, and then in our recent surveys, it came across loud and clear that networking and collaboration were amongst the most important membership benefits of AAEE for you all. We think that EEstories will help us develop this in a fun and inspiring way. We are looking forward to receiving and sharing your stories!

And oh by the way – my favourite story growing up was The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Is anyone surprised? More recently, I was inspired by an animated film called Flow – yes, it is a bit post-apocalyptic but is so beautiful and ultimately hopeful. Highly recommended!

An unrelated (but actually completely related) last bit of this first post, our EOFY donation campaign.

This blog, and all the other new initiatives that we are implementing this year, are part of our goal to grow and strengthen our organisation. Of course to do that, financial security is a necessity. We are going for a multi-pronged approach, and one of those prongs is recognising we need to strengthen our donation culture. So please consider making a donation, big or small, before the end of the financial year (or whenever you want really, it can be ongoing!)

AAEE is more than a membership organisation. We’re a network, a support system & a movement for change. It’s powered by people like you. If you believe in AAEE and want to see it grow stronger, your donation makes all the difference.

For the earth,
Lisa
AAEE National President