Bilbo on Adventure, Networking

I love meeting new people.  I love sitting down and having tea and cake and
talking about inspirational things going on in the world..  I love telling
people about what  I and my friends do, about where I live and about how fun
it is being organised and revolutionary!

And I love hearing other's stories in return.

These rather mundane but fascinating activities, collectively I call
Networking. This is especially so when the articulated purpose is the
development of social change webs and/or the Australian Nonviolence Network
(ANN).

In September 1994, I spent three weeks travelling to Darwin and Alice Springs
and Adelaide in order to meet with and listen to individuals and groups
working in social change.  The visits were sponsored by the Network
Facilitation Collective and the Centre for Nonviolence which paid for part of
the airfare.  This was part of our commitment to proactively developing the
Australian Nonviolence Network.  We figured we can't just sit here and wait
for people to find us.

I began as early as March writing letters and ringing people up so that I
would have a variety of suitable people to meet.  A number of people who
receive NvT were extremely helpful in helping me find my way.  Jenny
Fitzgibbon in Darwin especially seems to be pretty good at getting around and
knowing who's doing what around the place!

My aims were threefold:
* To make the resources, information and philosophy of the Centre known so
that people could use the resources as they wanted or needed.
* To find out what was happening in the various social change movements and
to think with local people about what sort of support we could offer from the
Centre for Nonviolence
* To find people of like mind who might like to develop relationships and
link in more closely with the Australian Nonviolence Network.

In this way (and in terms of the aims  of the ANN), the trip had both a
"Networking"  role and an 'Outreach' role as well as a role exploring the
'Culture of Nonviolence' through meeting and listening to how nonviolence
works in other's lives.

I was able to meet people working in a variety of ways in different places;
from the Environment, Aboriginal, Women's, Social Justice and Anti-Militarism
Movements.  I was inspired by the work of lots of people working to make the
world a better place.

Evening discussions were organised in both Alice Springs and Darwin.  These
provided an opportunity for people to explore what nonviolence means to them
given their experience and hope for the future.  I was able to explain that
nonviolence wasn't something that anybody had the definition for. But
instead, that if we choose to think consciously about it,  it is something we
could all give meaning to through the process of living our lives.

Paddy Cowburn and Emma King in Darwin organised one of their regular
discussion nights for women interested in social change issues.  It was an
excellent opportunity to notice what excellent thinking people have around
nonviolence even if they have never specifically sat down to talk about it
before.  Paddy and Emma are involved with running the Women's Embassy in
Darwin which is a resource space that can be used by local women's groups. 
They are also involved with various "Peace Movement" stuff and regularly
organise actions linking militarism with women's oppression.  Of great
concern to Darwin activists is the increase in the local population by 10%
through inundation of Defence force personnel.

I also was able to get to know Ilana Eldridge.  Ilana is a social activist
drawing links with and making real relationships across various social change
movements.  Ilana took the time to introduce me to the leaders of the East
Timor community in Darwin.   From these people I got a sense of determination
and persistence.  But also of some of the hopelessness of struggling so long
with few breakthroughs.  Here, there was interest in the Melbourne Rainforest
Action Group ship actions and I was able to offer our Network's strengths in
thinking clearly and strategically about nonviolent action campaigns.

I also got to meet Anne Wharton who is active within the Uniting Church. Anne
has a long history of connection with Peace Movement and is especially
interested in Nonviolent Defence.  Given the incredible rise in military
activity in Northern Australia, including the giant military exercise
"Kangaroo 95" there is need for making nonviolent defence alternatives widely
known in the community.

In Alice Springs, Penny Worland organised a lovely afternoon vegie barbeque. 
This was attended by people associated with the Arid Lands Environment Centre
(ALEC).  A nice bunch who wanted to make the work of ALEC more effective.  It
was articulated clearly that they were especially interested in hearing about
strategic thinking and planning of nonviolent action campaigns.  There was a
lot of interest in thinking more and  Geoff Evans who is the convener of ALEC
offered to facilitate a two day introduction to nonviolence workshop.  I was
able to hand over a copy of our "Introductory Workshops Kit" (thanks to the
Melbourne Nonviolence Education Collective) and encourage them to go for it!

Both the evening discussions seemed useful for untangling some of the
concerns and reservations around nonviolence.  I noticed a lot of confusion
around the issue of promoting nonviolence while wanting to wholeheartedly
support the self-determination aims of those peoples whose struggles have a
military component.

On return, together with the Network Facilitation Collective, I am thinking
hard about how to continue to offer useful connection and support to those
individuals and groups with which I have met.  We have a loose system of
membership in the Network.  But the way people become enfolded in the web is
through developing relationships with various people at various points. 
Ilana has already joined the Network Phone Link Up.  And Geoff Evans is
hoping to come and visit Commonground when he comes down this way.

I invite others of you in or on the fringes of the Network to write and make
connections with some of these people.  If you are going to their places,
look them up.  Remind them about the Australia-Wide Nonviolence Network
Gathering and invite their valuable input.  Encourage them to get Nonviolence
Today.  Tell them what an excellent magazine it is.  Think about useful
practical projects we can work on together.  Because it is in these projects
that we build friendships and trust that is a solid base for growing strong
together in the long term.
Margaret Pestorius