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All you need to do is click ‘Newcastle Events‘ link in the menu bar above and then follow the link to the online calendar.  Once there, click the ‘Add Event’ link at the calendar and fill out the relevant fields.  Your event will appear once approved for publication.

We look forward to helping to keep everybody up to date with some of the great things happening in Newcastle.

What a gorgeous night it was in Newcastle last night to farewell 2011 and bring in the New Year. As the site statistics below show, as well as the good numbers we have had physically attending our events throughout 2011, we’ve also had over 5000 unique visitors to our website.

 

As you can see from the visit duration statistics below, a large number of visitors found plenty to read about on our site, with around 2000 visitors staying for at least 30 minutes and over 2000 spending at least an hour on site.

Australian IP addresses still provide the largest number of visitors, but, as the figures below show, we’ve had a significant number of visitors from the USA and other countries.

Thanks again to all of our supporters throughout 2011. We look forward to seeing you in 2012 at our events, or engaging with our site. Don’t forget that you can use the buttons our website to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Or, you can always use the Contact page on the site, or click the Comment link. Please be a part of the conversation as we move ahead into a New Year.

Thank you to the large audience who came along to our November event last week to hear about ‘The church and THAT problem – what is the way forward’  Speakers and audience members dealt sincerely and sensitively with some of the deep seated issues around this topic.  This was our second event in our new venue at the Hunter Room in City Hall and we thank everybody who has been a supporter of our activities throughout the year.

This was the last event for the New Institute in 2011.  Our program of events will recommence in March 2012.

Many thanks for your support and interest throughout 2011.  We were thrilled to be supporters at the initial TEDxNewy held at the Civic Playhouse yesterday, 12th November.

For links to some of the great ‘ideas worth spreading’ and photos and other content from the day, look for the link from our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Institute-Newcastle/264214306952732

Have a wonderful festive season and a happy and safe commencement to the New Year!

Cheers

The New Institute team.

One of the most complex and difficult social issues of recent years has been that of widespread andextensive child sexual abuse linked to churches and clergy.  There has been years of painful reporting and revelation, including the recognition that the Hunter region may have been particularly severely affected.  Lives have been devastated and families and communities torn apart. Nevertheless many victims remain silent, and some ‘non-victims’ still struggle to even talk about “THAT problem.”

For the direct victims, it is hoped that bringing the problem into the open, recognition of harm and suffering, and establishment of treatment and healing programs may bring comfort and resolution.

But what about the indirect victims, and the church(es) involved? The many ‘ordinary faithful’have a painful dilemma – torn between their faith and spiritual need to be involved with the church, but conflicted by the churches inadequacies and failings in dealing with the issue.

The next forum of the New Institute brings together two very different perspectives on this most difficult of issues.  Joanne McCarthy, local journalist, and raised as a Catholic, has been centrally involved in revealing the extent of the sexual abuse problem.  Her many articles and reports have gained national prominence.  Father Geoff Mulhearn is a Roman Catholic priest who struggles to resolve the many questions raised for both his faith, and the future of his church, as a result of the child sexual abuse issue.

Despite their differences, both Joanne and Father Geoff believe that a way must be found to deal with the child sexual abuse issue appropriately.  This is needed for the many victims, for the church itself, and for the ‘ordinary faithful’ who wish to continue to worship within the church.  They are both going to explore these painful issues at the next Public Forum of the New Institute.  The format of the discussion will be highly interactive.

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

VENUE: Newcastle City Hall, Hunter Room.

DATE: Tuesday 8^th November 2011 TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm

ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS: www.newinstitute.org.au or Victoria at 0408 588550

Newcastle‘s Intellectual, Social and Creative Infrastructure

Across Australia, Newcastle is perceived as a strong working and sporting city, with an increasingly recognised good environment and a high quality of life.  Problems of physical infrastructure – such as transport – need to be addressed.

But successful cities in the future will not be centres of mining and manufacturing:- they will be centres of ideas, innovation, and creativity.  This requires a different type of infrastructure:- the ‘ideas infrastructure’ – networks of people stimulating each other’s creativity, sharing ideas, and building influence.

There is already a great deal of creative and ideas activity in Newcastle, but the challenge is to improve recognition and connectedness – to build linkages and synergies between these groups, to increase the overall ‘ideas capacity’ in the city, and particularly to increase the national recognition and influence of Newcastle as a centre for innovation.

The New Institute’s next public forum will bring together a range of contributors to address the topic of ‘Building an Ideas City” – the challenge of developing Newcastle’s intellectual, social and creative infrastructure.

In a forum loosely based on the ABC’s ‘Q and A’ over a dozen different groups representing perspectives from business, social, industrial, arts, communication and media perspectives shall join together to address this challenge.

The evening also aims to build interaction between the invited groups, the general public, and the “Ideas Community” of Newcastle;  and to foster initiatives to build the infrastructure to support the development of Newcastle as a recognised “Ideas City” in the future.

The venue in Newcastle City Hall also provides opportunities for socialising in nearby pubs and restaurants after the forum.  This is a great step forward in the development of the New Institutes activities in Newcastle.  All Welcome!!

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 

VENUE:  Hunter Room, Newcastle City Hall  (NOTE NEW LOCATION)  

DATE: Tuesday 11th October  2011  

TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm  ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS:  www.newinstitute.org.au  or Victoria at 0408588550

NEXT MEETING: The Church after THAT Problem.  Joanne McCarthy, Fr Geoff Mulhearn.  Newcastle City Hall, November 8th

 

 

This New Institute Forum aims to involve a range of stakeholders in:-

• identifying the current intellectual, social and creative activity in the region,
• understanding the factors which support or act as barriers to the development of increased innovation, social and creative activity in the region.
• building a framework to increase the recognition, coordination, activity and linkages in the ‘ideas and creative’ sector of the region.

Details

Date: Tuesday 11th October, 2011

Time: 7pm

Location: Hunter Room, Newcastle City Hall – (Please note that lift access for attendees with mobility issues is available by using the entry from the Wheeler Place end of the building)

Entry: A donation of $5 is much appreciated.

Background

The New Institute has been meeting in a variety of locations since 2004, with a general aim of raising the standard and quality of non-partisan discussion of public interest issues in Newcastle.  Newcastle City Council has recently become a venue sponsor of the Institute’s public forums, which will now be held in Newcastle City Hall.

In recognition of this new phase in the New Institute’s activities, our next  meeting on October 11th, will bring together a range of contributors in a panel to address the topic of ‘Building an Ideas City” – the challenge of developing Newcastle’s intellectual, Social and creative infrastructure.

Rationale

Across Australia, Newcastle is perceived as a working and sporting city, with an increasingly recognised good environment and a high quality of life. There is a need for better transport and other infrastructure to build capacity to support the region’s contribution to the national economy.  Every week the media is carrying stories building awareness of the need to invest in building this physical infrastructure for the future.

But strong and successful cities in the future will not be centres of mining and manufacturing:- they will centres of ideas, creativity and influence.  This requires a different type of infrastructure the ‘ideas infrastructure’ – networks of people stimulating each other’s creativity, sharing ideas, and building influence.

There is already a great of creative and ideas activity in Newcastle, but much of this is little-known or poorly recognised. Individuals and groups are not connecting with each other.  Myriad opportunities to build a vibrant dynamic community of new ideas are being lost.

The challenge is to improve both the recognition and the connectedness of the various diverse groups in Newcastle dealing with creativity and ideas – to build linkages and synergies between them, and thus increase the overall ‘ideas capacity’ in the city, and particularly to increase the national recognition and influence of Newcastle as a centre for ideas.

Format

The forum will be chaired by Roger Pryor, a member of the New Institute committee, who will chair a panel, in a format loosely based on the ABC’s ‘Q&A’.   After introduction, panel members will each do a brief (2-3 min) presentation of their experiences or activities in intellectual, social and creative capital.

Panel members will then field questions like:

• What are the major “structural” impediments to activity that they have encountered (i.e. other than “Lack of funding” etc)
• How linkages with other groups could produce synergistic benefits in their areas of endeavour
• What factors support or act as barriers to greater activity or investment (economic, social and creative) in these areas
• How can the supporting factors be encouraged and the barriers overcome
• What (affordable) strategies/structures could be developed in the short term to facilitate building up of capacity and capital in ideas/creativity/social innovation

• Questions and comments from the audience will also  be interpolated into the discussion.

• During the evening an opportunity will exist for any group or activity broadly addressing the issue of building an “ideas city” to promote their existence and activities, and to build greater awareness of this activity in the region.

A number of stakeholders from a broad range across the community have been invited to take part as either panellists or as designated audience contributors.

The planned outcomes of this forum should be:-

• Facilitation of interaction between the various attendees
• Improved public profile of the “Ideas Activity” in Newcastle.
• Move to identify how best to build productive and stimulating synergies and networks between the various stakeholders in the “Ideas Community” of Newcastle
• Fostering of initiatives to build the infrastructure to support the development of Newcastle as a recognised “Ideas City” in the future.

Next Steps

Based on the results of this event, next year there could be a follow-up event which focuses on people’s ideas of moving Newcastle forward to a liveable and sustainable city.
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Click the logo to download a flyer for this event.

 

Management Committee

Martin Babakhan;   Felicity Biggins;   Victoria Carroll,  Robyn Considine;    Bernie Curran;   Angie Dilorenzo;    Micah Jenkins  Ross Kerridge;    John Miner;    Roger Pryor;  Amanda Shirley (McLean’s Bookshop),  Krysia Walker. I

Visit the website at www.newinstitute.org.au or phone Victoria Carroll 0408588550, Angie diLorenzo on 0422401129, or Ross Kerridge on 0401522875

 

Please note the change of venue for this event

The New Institute is proud to host a special additional event in September 2011 – a presentation by Dr Iain McGilchrist, a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He is the author of the critically acclaimed “The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.” (http://www.iainmcgilchrist.com)

Dr McGilchrist has written and published extensively on the function of the human brain and the role of the divided hemispheres. He believes our brains are divided for a reason.  Evolution required it, and it makes sense in terms of survival. The left hemisphere provides instrumental attention, enabling us to get and manipulate, by focussing sharply on narrowly conceived detail. The right hemisphere provides relational attention, enabling us to see the whole picture, to form social bonds, to inhabit and belong to the world we see, rather than simply being detached from it and using it.  In human consciousness, these two modes of attention give rise to two different versions of the world, with different qualities, as well as different sets of preoccupations and values. He argues that the hemispheres of the brain need to cooperate but in fact are in a power struggle. He contends this struggle explains many aspects of contemporary Western culture.

His hypothesis has implications for the way we see ourselves in relation to the world and how we understand the nature of our minds and bodies. It also has significant implications for different cultures, the way we interact with the environment and the way we deal with conflict.

Whether you have a specific academic or professional interest, or whether you have a spiritual or cultural interest, this will be a unique opportunity to hear one of the foremost thinkers in brain science and the way humans function in their environment.

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 

VENUE: Newcastle City Hall – Hunter Room, King St Newcastle     

DATE: Monday 19th September 2011  

TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm

ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS:  www.newinstitute.org.au  or Angie at  0422 401 129

Download pdf flyer for this event here

Four years ago Newcastle suffered a major storm with extensive urban and rural flooding and wind storms causing loss of life and over 600 million dollars damage.  There were power and water supply failures affected some areas for three days, plus prolonged commercial damage to major shopping precincts including Wallsend, Cardiff, The Junction and Newcastle West.

These natural storms are recurring events, but the pattern of urban development may have increased the danger to life and property.  Climate change may also contribute.  This could have major implications for future development in the region.

Professor Garry Willgoose and colleagues Anthony Kiem and Danielle Verdon-Kidd, from the Centre for Climate Impact Management at the University of Newcastle, have produced a report pulling together all the research done on the consequences of the storm, and lessons learnt, for the Federal Department of Climate Change.

If it happened tomorrow would the emergency be handled better?  What was learnt and usefully incorporated into our planning and emergency management?  What lessons have still not been learnt? Some “knee jerk” responses that have occurred but are perhaps over-reactions will also be discussed. This is an important opportunity for the public to hear about what has been learnt – and what hasn’t been learnt – after Newcastle’s latest major storm.

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 

VENUE: Souths Leagues Club.

DATE: Tuesday 13th Sept. 2011  TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm

ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS:  www.newinstitute.org.au  or Angie at  0422 401 129

Download pdf version of notice

 

In Australia, approximately 105,000 people are homeless on any given night. In the Hunter right now, up to 400 people, some as young as 12, are homeless or sleeping rough. These people are unprotected and vulnerable. They face an uncertain future, seemingly destined to be caught in the ‘no home-no job-no home cycle’.

Traditional approaches to homelessness have not solved this complex community challenge.  Ending homelessness requires innovative thinking and a sustained effort from all levels of government, business, the not-for profit sector and the community.

The New Institute, in collaboration with Hunter Youth 2020, is hosting a forum on August 9th looking at the latest national and international approaches to addressing youth homelessness.

Anna Zycki, Area Director Housing NSW – Hunter, will provide a snapshot of homelessness at the local and national levels, and information about the NSW Government’s policies and programs to address homelessness in the Hunter.

Felicity Reynolds, Chairperson for Common Ground Australia will talk about chronic homelessness and preventative solutions that are working here and overseas.

Tony Keenan, Chair of the Australian Foyer Foundation will present Foyer, an innovative approach that is having a significant impact on youth homelessness in Australia and internationally.  Together Tony and Felicity will explain how the Foyer model works and discuss how it could be developed for the Hunter.

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 

Click icon to download pdf flyer

VENUE: Souths Leagues Club.

DATE: Tuesday 9th August 2011  TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm  ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS:  www.newinstitute.org.au  or Angie at  0422 401 129

 

Newcastle is a changing city.  It is commonly accepted that despite numerous positive attractions, the city and region suffers from an ‘image problem’ that adversely affects the city and its people in a multitude of ways.  The irony of this image problem was reinforced when Lonely Planet ranked Newcastle as one of the ten best cities in the world.

In a move aimed at changing the image, and providing a unified ‘message’ or ‘brand’ to be used by all groups marketing Newcastle, Newcastle Council and the NSW Government have funded a major new campaign to ‘rebrand Newcastle’.  (This move was preceded by a New Institute forum on this topic two years ago.)  The new ‘brand’ and campaign is now being launched.

The most visible manifestation is the multicoloured NEWCASTLE logo that is the frontispiece of the campaign. The logo is being rolled out on coaches, buses, ferries, the Carrington wheat silos – and on the usual promotional material.  But what’s it all about?  What’s the message and the thinking behind all this?  And where to from here?

The next forum of the New Institute will introduce the new campaign in detail.  The ‘logic’ of the campaign will be explained by Adam Lance, Creative Director of Peach Advertising. Adam is looking forward to getting beyond the logo, and sharing some of the more complex aspects of the conception and design of the campaign.  He will be joined by Simon McArthur, Newcastle Council’s Tourism and Economic Development Manager, who will explain how the colourful logo, and the campaign behind it, are part of an overall strategy to change both the image and the reality of the city.

There is no doubt Newcastle is changing rapidly.  Is this new campaign going to help this in a way that is good for all, or is it just froth and bubble and spin?

Is it good value for money?  This is your chance to find out more…….

Download pdf flyer

THIS FORUM IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 

VENUE: Souths Leagues Club, Merewether

DATE: Tuesday 12th July 2011  

TIME: 7.00 till 8.30pm  ADMISSION: $5 Donation

FURTHER DETAILS:  www.newinstitute.org.au  or Angie at  0422401129