Commonground News
Here's a message from the Groupwork Centre's sister organisation:
Hello extended Commonground community We wanted to update you with some of the recent happenings at Commonground and share information about a special post-election offering for all our hard working campaigning friends out there.
2019 Easter Gathering - a very productive affair!
We had over 60 people on site for the annual Commonground Easter Gathering this year! After a very productive and fun weekend we are very pleased to have a full wood-shed and plenty of preserved apples and pears from the Commonground orchard to get us through the winter. Work continued on the Octagon renovations with some lovely new brick stairs created at the entry and of course, the Easter Egg Hunt was enjoyed by all the little (and not so little) ones!Thanks to everyone who came along - your kind hearts and helping hands ensure we can keep visitors warm and feed in the coming months. If you are interested in attending a Community Gathering at Commonground you can sign up on the website or keep a look out for more information on our Facebook page or in future newsletters.
The next Gathering will be the Winter Solstice 21st-23rd June. 
Election Recovery Gathering at Commonground
Commonground is delighted to be opening up our space for an Election Recovery Gathering on the 30th May - 1st June for all those feeling a little rundown and in need of some TLC following the upcoming federal election.We have a long history at Commonground of supporting the social change movement and we feel called at this time to offer this unique opportunity to campaigners, activists, community members and everyone leading progressive social change within Australia to come rest, relax and rejuvenate with friends new and old at our beautiful property just 1.5hrs out of Melbourne.The program will include plenty of chill time, bushwalks on our 90 acre regenerated bushland property, fireside chats, craft and creative activities, yoga + meditation, games, time in the garden, self-reflection and facilitated group discussion. There will be a focus on eating healthy and nutritious food, looking after yourself and doing just what you feel your body, mind and heart needs at this time.Fe
es are on a sliding scale of $150-$350 per person for the full Gathering and we ask that people self-asses based on their individual circumstance and means to contribute. If money is a barrier to you participating please be in contact and we can discuss options for pricing further.More info and tickets through Eventbrite:
Buy Election Recovery Gathering Tickets
Commonground Strategic Plan
Members and residents of Commonground came together in early April for our tri-annual Strategic Planning Weekend. Led by members of the Commonground Council, the weekend was full of hard work, deep discussion and inspiring ideas. The Strategic Plan is still being finalised so we can’t reveal too much but one thing is for sure, there are some pretty exciting developments coming for Commonground over the next few years!
Commonground Venue Update
The first few months of 2019 have seen some incredible groups using our Venue for trainings, retreats, conferences and Gatherings. We have a long list of venue user groups doing wonderful social change work in the world but we thought we would highlight just a few for you here:The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program for Palestine & Israel - affectionately named EAPPI is an international, ecumenical programme that recruits and despatches volunteer observers to visit Palestinian towns and villages to monitor the interaction between the Palestinian inhabitants and the Israeli military.The Australian Progress Fellowship Program is one of the leading training programs for campaigners and advocates covering best practice campaign strategy approaches and tools, communications strategy and practices, lobbying and direct advocacy to decision-makers, community organising, digital campaigning, media engagement, and civil disobedience.Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians working to ensure farmers are a key part of the solution to climate change There training program aims to build climate and energy literacy and skills to advocate for climate solutions both on- and off-farm.
The Pasifika Creative Leadership Camp brought together ten emerging young Pacific artists along with cultural leaders from Shepparton and Melbourne for a program focussed on leadership, mentoring and personal transformation - the program was a partnership initiative of Know Your Roots, PICAA, Vaiusu and Multicultural Arts Victoria.We still have space for bookings in the second half of 2019 - if you're interested in finding out more about our venue for your organisation or community group please contact our Venue team today.
Commonground Festival Update
We’ve been receiving quite a few enquiries so we thought we had better let you know that we won’t be holding a Commonground Festival in 2019. The overwhelming success of previous Festivals has prompted a metamorphosis as the Commonground community finds new ways to manage a growing event and movement in support of social change.
We will keep you updated about other events planned at Commonground in the future.Thanks,The Commonground Crew