Fair Share Festival 2012

We hope you will join us at the Fair Share Festival –a weekend exploring a transition to a connected community, localised fair economies and sustainable lifestyles. With speakers, workshops, music, stalls, discussion and entertainment, the Hamilton Public School will be a hive of activity for the weekend. Highlights include:

6:30 - 9:30 pm Friday evening 9 March: A Q&A type forum on Closing the Poverty Gap. Panellists include Cheryl Kernot (Chair of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand and former Member of Parliament), Doris Puiahi (Tugeda Tude fo Tumoro Project, Solomon Islands), Daniel Ben-Ami (Finance and economic journalist, Author of Ferraris for All) and Donnie Maclurcan (Founder and Ideas Guy at Project Australia and Co-founder of the Post Growth Institute).

10:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday 10 March: Workshops, speakers, stalls, music, entertainment. Presentations or workshops will cover a range of topics including community gardens, a cooperatively run solar hot water factory, how the Sunshine Coast aims to become the most sustainable area in Australia, permaculture beyond the garden, and strategies for a successful transition to a more sustainable future. There will also be music, entertainment, food, and fair trade and craft stalls.

10:00 am – 3:30 pm Sunday 11 March: Workshops, ideas expo, entertainment. Workshops on spirituality and sustainability, asset based community development, and school gardens. There is also a drama workshop for children and practical workshops on blogs and tumblr’s, and building a 12v sound system with pedal power. The Ideas Expo will allow people who have good ideas that could help create a fairer, sustainable world to set up a table and share their ideas with others.

6:30 pm Friday – 3:30 pm Sunday: Slum Survivor (an initiative of TEAR Australia). Over the weekend of Festival ten 18-25 year-olds will build their own slum housing and participate in a simulation experience designed to help us get a small taste of what life might be like in a slum and to think about how we can respond.

Entry is by what you can afford (minimum $5/day for adults and $2 for under 16s). If you would like to volunteer during the festival (and receive free entry) please contact Dee Brooks on 4921 6845 or dee.brooks@newcastle.edu.au.

The Fair Share Festival is being hosted by Transition Newcastle in partnership with the Hamilton Public School, the Family Action Centre (University of Newcastle), Permaculture Hunter and One Just World. We are supported by UnitingCare Ageing (Hunter, Central Coast and New England).

More details can be found on the festival webpage (http://fairsharefestival.wordpress.com/), our facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FairShareFestival) or by contacting Graeme Stuart on 4921 7241 or graeme.stuart@newcastle.edu.au.