17 November to 24 November

Can we change the world?

Gavin Fairbairn, Professor of Ethics and Language, has collaborated closely for many years with Denis Rowley, Director of Equal Futures, whose work on countering the isolation and loneliness experienced by many disabled people was inspired by his friend Vickie Cammack, Director of the PLAN Institute in Vancouver. Vickie's husband Al Etmanski, Ashoka Fellow and Executive Director of PLAN, regularly teaches community building skills alongside his friend, John McKnight, who co-founded the Gamaliel Foundation, which began its training school for community organisers by placing a small advert in national newspapers asking 'Do you want to change the world?' One of the first people to respond and train as a community organiser was none other than Barack Obama, President Elect of the United States.

 In their different, but connected spheres, all of these people share McKnight's value-driven aspiration for:

.nothing less than a life surrounded by the richness and diversity of community. A collective life.  A common life. An everyday life.  A powerful life that gains its joy from the creativity and connectedness that comes when we join in association to create an inclusive world.'

So can we change the world? Barack Obama reminds us that by working together, 'Yes we can!'

Denis Rowley is Director of Equal Futures

This reflection may also be viewed in its original form as a brief Powerpoint show by clicking here.