Introduction to Transitions
Affordable food and shelter are the foundations of a liveable community. In many regional communities, energy autonomy is the key to a truly resilient community. The NED Foundation has found that communities around Australia are already embracing this process of change. Residents of Yackandandah in regional Victoria now pay less for their power because they have tapped into the sun’s energy.
Why is the NED Foundation involved in Social Transitions?
The Foundation’s remit supports community-based research in social development. The Transitions program began by seeking ways the Foundation might prepare and contribute to the collective work of adapting people and communities to the increasingly erratic climatic conditions on Earth. Our intention is to document and share stories of proactive community-driven transitions.
Dr Sarah Houseman, NED Program Coordinator – Transitions
B.A, Dip. Ed., M. Education, Grad. Cert. Management (Strategic Foresight), M. Science (Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability), PhD (Political Science)
Sarah brings to the NED Foundation a diverse background in education, organisational governance and leadership. Sarah is committed to supporting cultural change towards more sustainable ways of living.
Sarah has led environmental organisations, worked as an educator, and served as a director on a number of non-government organisation boards. She is an experienced facilitator in community engagement approaches such as The Work that Reconnects, Warm Data Lab and the Art of Hosting.
Sarah’s PhD research, published in 2021, examined the decision-making of four organisations operating in a non-hierarchical-model. Sarah has designed and offered a range of short courses on sustainability and social change for the OASES Graduate School, RMIT University, La Trobe University and Sustainability Victoria. To support greater inclusion and diversity in her research practice, Sarah developed a suite of creative methods that she employs in the Transitions project.
Sarah is supported by members of the NED Transitions Working Group, Dr Kath McLachlan, Mark Spain and Michael Maher. You can contact Sarah via: Transitions@nedfoundation.org.au.
