Australian Gourmet Traveller - (10)October 2020 (1)

I firstlearnedaboutGroundswellGiving

• Australia’sfirstgivingcirclededicated
  tofundingclimateadvocacy– at itslaunch
  in February.FormerAustralianoftheYear
  ProfessorTimFlanneryspoke,alongside
  formerNSWFireandRescueCommissioner
  GregMullins.WelcometoCountrywas
  performedbytraditionalownerCraig
  MaddenandreflectionsonCaringfor
  Countryfromacclaimedcontemporary
  artist,TonyAlbert.I amextremelyencouragedbytheway
  Groundswellengagesallofustoactivelybepartofthesolution.
  AttheheartofGroundswellis communityempowermentand
  collaborationwitha deeprespectfortheleadershipofFirstNations
  people.I haveneverfeltmorehopefulaboutourfuture,asI do
  now,withthepowerfulandaccessibleworkofGroundswell now
  firmly in place and activated within our community.

“FirstNationspeople

havedonetheleastto

causeclimatechange

butareimpactedfirst

and worst.”

A

s theskiesturnedredaboveMallacoota

andpeoplestruggledtobreathethrough

acridsmoke,a waveofhelplessnessswept

thecountry– andsocialmedia.

“Itwas2 Januarythatwehadthissurgeofpeople

turntous,”recallsArielleGamble,co-founderof

GroundswellGiving.“Whatwedois providea way

forpeopletotransformtheirdespairintoaction.

Theantidotetodespairis action.”

GroundswellGivingis a givingcircle,

designedtogrowa community

ofpaidmemberswhosupport

andfundtheclimatemovement.

Gambleco-foundedtheproject

lastyear,alongsidelong-time

climatecampaignerAnnaRose

andClareAinsworthHerschell.

Thetriowasstilldevelopingthe

conceptwhenthebushfires

arrivedlastsummer.

“Thatis reallywhatmadeusaccelerateourplansto

launchit andbringthatforward,”explainsAinsworth

Herschell.“Alotofpeoplewerefeelingvulnerableand

worriedaboutthefutureanddidn’tknowhowtoget

involvedinclimateaction.Wehada numberoffriends

andcolleaguesasking‘whatcanwedo?’.Groundswell

answeredthatquestionfora lotofpeople.”

Membersdonateeither$20a weekor$1000a year

andthenvotetodecidewhoreceiveseachgrant.It is,

Roseexplains,a whollydemocraticprocess.

“Thereis noshortageofbrilliantpeople,amazing

ideas,passion,dedicationandgoodstrategyinthe

climate movement. We know what it’s going to take

tomakeprogressonclimate...Butwhattheclimate

movementhasalwayslackedis thefunding,”says

Rose,whobeganhercareerasa climatecampaigner

asa teenager.In2006,sheco-foundedtheAustralian

YouthClimateCoalitionbeforegoingontoworkin

a rangeofrolesforvariousclimategroups,including

FarmersforClimateAction.

“Intheclimatemovement,thevastmajorityof groups

havenomarketingorfundraisingdepartment.People

wanttobeconnectedtotheseimportantorganisations

buttheydon’treallyknowwheretostart.”

Inadditiontofundraising,thegroupaimstoraise

thevisibilityofclimatecampaignersandthework

theyaredoing.“MostmediacoverageinAustraliaon

climateis focussedontheimpactandtosomeextent

thescience,”explainsRose.“There’snotenoughabout

thesolutionsandthere’sdefinitelynotenoughabout

thepeopleandorganisationsthatareimplementing

anddrivingsolutions.”

Sincelaunchingat thestartoftheyear,thegroup

hasraised$250,000initsfirstsixmonths.Theirgoal

is toreach 500 membersandraise$500,000bythe

endoftheyear.

“Ourmembersaresucha diversebunchinterms

oftheirage,location,andincomebracket,whichreally

speakstotheuniquenatureoftheclimatecrisis– it

affectseveryone.We’vefoundthatfromthebushfires

totheCovidcrisis,theessentiallinkbetweenplanetary

healthandhumanhealthis beingrecognisedmore

clearlythaneverbefore,”saysAinsworthHerschell.

Sofar,thegrouphasgrantedfundingtofive

organisations, includinga $40,000granttoSeedMob,

whichis committedtobuildingthe

powerofAboriginalcommunitiesto

protectCountryandstopfracking.

“FirstNationspeoplehavedone

theleasttocauseclimatechangebut

areimpactedfirstandworst.First

Nationsjusticeis keytoclimate

justice,”explainsGamble.

If thebushfireshelpeddrive

memberstoGroundswell,the

Covid-19pandemichashelpedtoengagethem,

regardlessoftheirlocation.

“Whatwe’verealisedis howpivotingtoonline

eventshasopeneduptheaccessibilityforpeopleright

aroundthecountry.Wehavemembersineverystate

andterritory.There’ssomethingreallyamazingabout

howthissituationhasbeenabletoconnectrural,

remoteandurbanAustralia,”saysGamble.

“Thethreeofussetthisthingupbutit’sthe

memberswhomakeit whatit is.Membersfund

it,membersdriveit.We’reallownersinthis.

It’sa givingcirclesowe all have this power.”●

groundswellgiving.org

GOURMET TRAVELLER 29

WORDS JOANNA HUNKIN (MAIN) & KYLIE KWONG (INTRODUCTION). PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY HAYES (MAIN) & PENNY LANE (KYLIE KWONG).