NED is established for the purposes of fostering social and personal evolutionary processes within Australia and the world.
We seek the emergence of an invigorated, unifying Australian ethos, and then beyond this we advocate an Australian role in helping humanity steer itself to secure a future on the Earth.
At age 30, John Reilly was the youngest Provincial Court Judge ever appointed in Alberta. He presided over courts in Canmore, Banff, and Cochrane, and it was in Cochrane that he had his eyes opened to the inequities faced by aboriginal people in our justice system.
Last year, he wrote Bad Medicine: A Judge's Struggle for Justice in a First Nations Community, which chronicles the change in his worldview that came from trying to understand the aboriginal people. In this moving talk, he shares stories of how he came to have a deeper understanding of what real justice is beyond simple punishment and deterrence.
Watch the video on YouTube, if you prefer.
This video is also found in an online article Retired judge John Reilly advocates for restorative justice.
From the article (well worth a full read):
Reilly now believes that jail time should be considered as a last resort and that minimum sentences should be done away with. Instead, he believes, there should be opportunity for parole at any point.
He also now advocates for restorative justice.
“The Indigenous think that wrongdoing is the result of ignorance in need of teaching or illness in need of healing,” he said. “I think we should scrap the penal code and deal with all wrongdoing in the way that the Indigenous people dealt with it.”
Conflict resolution is an essential component of Restorative Practice. In effect we are facilitating Restoration of Relationship(s).
This short video is a potent presentation of a possible step through of a process. The presenter calls it Impact vs Intent. The idea is that examining Impact, or Effect, of actions on another person is a necessary step towards reconciliation even when the intent of the actions differs from the impact.
"Listen to the other person... and acknowledge the impact.. reflect on what they are saying back to you on how they've been impacted,... and, be accountable to it.... After you are accountable to the impact you might have the space to explain what your intent was.. That person may or may not want to hear it..."
Watch the video on YouTube, if you prefer.
NED foundation's mission is in 'fostering social and personal evolutionary processes'.
It might be proposed that social and personal evolution is possible to the extent there is voice equity.
Finding our own voice is sometimes a lifelong mission. But it begins in school.
We post this video here because it may be inspiring to teachers and others involved in education and other early childhood development.
Watch the video on YouTube, if you prefer.
Video description: 'Want to learn how to make your school or classroom one that gives every child the opportunity to find their voice? We believe language is the key to unlocking every child’s potential. The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School offers free online language and literacy training for all teachers of children from Birth to 3rd grade on its Cox Campus.'
Cox Campus is an 'international virtual and in-home learning solution', based in Atlanta, USA.
'Educators and families are facing unique challenges during this time. The Cox Campus is your go-to place for free professional development, teaching resources, and more.
If you have an idea that can contribute to our goals we would love to hear from you. Unlike the usual competitive process of most granting programs we offer to help you develop your project and will also support you in writing and submitting your application.
Community grants of up to $10,000 are currently available to small community based organisations or individuals who are interested in working with us on projects that build human potential, implement restorative practices and sustain our planet.
The grant helped scope the development of the Performance project – a presentation that would highlight ‘big picture’ concepts about the future and its implications, given the physical and social boundaries of planet earth.
A solo performance work looking at the entire Human-Earth System - the whole planet as a linked system. The purpose of the show is to allow an audience to engage with the broad scale complexity of the global system ...
The project focuses on three interconnected localising initiatives: Compiling and promoting ‘Where to go to get it'; Skills training in website administration, e-news and social media for Localising Leanganook; Initiating a food mapping exercise across Hepburn shire.
Through this relocalising work community networks have expanded, a variety of activities are on offer such as climate action campaigns and reclaiming democracy projects, and regenerative food production knowledge is shared.
In 2020, NED Foundation provided funding to Mandy King to support completion and promotion of her film “Where the Water Starts”.
The primary objective of the film is to support the campaign by Aboriginal campaigner Richard Swain to protect Kosciuszko National Park and in particular to highlight the damage caused by feral horses which are currently protected within the park.
From the project Facebook Page:
'Where The Water Starts is a documentary at Post Production stage. An Indigenous man and his partner fight to defend the fragile ecology of the Kosciuszko National Park, after a decade of drought followed by the catastrophic fires of 2019-20.'
Restorative practice is a strategy that seeks to repair relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying. It does this by bringing about a sense of remorse and restorative action on the part of the offender and forgiveness by the victim. The NED Board has an interest in encouraging and supporting the adoption of Restorative Justice practices in Australia. The founder of NED, Ned Iceton was instrumental in bringing the value of this work to the attention of the NED community.
"All humans are hardwired to connect. Just as we need food, shelter and clothing, human beings also need strong and meaningful relationships to thrive.
Restorative practice is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities. Though new to the social sciences, restorative practice has deep roots within indigenous communities throughout the world."
- International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) Europe
What is The Social Developer's Network (SDN)?
The Social Developers' Network is a non-profit, free association of people with a commitment to personal and social development.
Social Developers meet at national and regional workshops, to contribute and share knowledge and experiences.
Between workshops Social Developers keep in touch in person, by phone and mail, and online.
In 1975 two long-standing friends, John Russell from Melbourne and Ned Iceton from Armidale organized a first workshop ...