Victorian Congress - program

Draft program - watch this space for updates

Friday 28 March 2025

Coming together (various locations, optional activities, all at own cost)

• Wear purple green and white ribbons to identify yourself as participants start arriving, and as a celebration of our brave suffragist great grandmothers.

• A casual day potentially with guided walks in some of the bushlands around the town to observe, to reflect, to absorb. Kaweka nature park in Kaweka street, Castlemaine, guided walk at 2.30pm.

• Lunch at Saff’s café, 64 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine, where arrivals can gather and meet up. Watch for the purple, green and white ribbons.

• Visit to Buda, an historical house and gallery where six sisters lived and created art and metal work. The venue has a shop but no café, lovely garden, very women-centred. Open 12pm to 4pm. Entry fees: $12 adult, $10 concession.

• 6:30pm – Dinner at the Railway Hotel, 65 Gingell Street, Castlemaine.

Saturday 29 March 2025

Day 1 - Challenging the status quo (Castlemaine Town Hall, 25 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine)

• In foyer - Stalls, art and book displays/sales etc.

• 8:30am - Arrive, register and settle in and view the art display of pieces brought by participants.

• 9:30am - Introductions, Acknowledgement or Welcome to Country.

• 9:50am - Keynote address: The Great Grandmother’s Story:

  • Dr Janet Salisbury, Founder Women’s Climate Congress, with A Chorus of Women: Janet will introduce the congress with the herstory of the WW1 women’s peace movement, which inspired the formation of the Women’s Climate Congress, and share how the women’s resolutions from 1915 have inspired the WCC Charter for Change and how the whole story is inspiring women globally to plan an International Congress of Women to challenge the status quo of global politics and turn the tide on climate change.

• 10:40 - 11am - Group discussion.

• 11 - 11:30am - Morning tea.

• 11:30am – 12:30pm - Women challenging the status quo now:

  • Victoria McKenzie-McHarg – Convenor, Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia

  • Sharan Burrow – Global advocate for human rights, climate action and Just Transition

  • Bec Blurton - WCC Steering Circle, First Nations Affairs

  • TBC.

• 12:30 - 1pm - Video presentations.

• 1 - 2pm - Lunch break (TBC).

• 2 - 3:30pm - Women challenging the status quo for national and global climate action - workshop:

  • Building capacity and planning for women changing the climate locally, nationally and internationally.

• 3:30 - 4pm - Afternoon tea.

• 4 - 4:45pm - Video and/or short participant contributions.

• 5 - 6pm - Botanical Gardens walk (optional, 9 Parker Street, Castlemaine).

  • Enjoy a 6km flat path around the gardens. Look for the guides wearing purple green and white ribbons to assist you, then head up to the less formal area and spend some time there in deep reflection and quiet contemplation. Bring a cushion, blanket or rug.

• 6:30pm - A meal together, catered, at Castlemaine Town Hall.

  • Followed by a game of serious (trivial) pursuits to create conversation about the WCC Charter for Change (pre-reading the Charter will greatly help you with this game).

  • And finishing with sacred circle dancing until 9:30pm. Bring your musical instrument and voice and perform if you wish. There will be also be some group singing.

Sunday 30 March 2025

Day 2 - Changing the status quo: working towards outcomes (Castlemaine Town Hall, 25 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine)

Working towards the outcomes – discussion groups on activism principles, learning about speaking your messages of climate concerns to your communities, to your MPs etc. How to take the experience of this weekend to your own community and maintain the efforts.

• 8:30am - Arrive, settle in, viewing art displays etc. Talking with new made friends and contacts.

• 9:30am - Opening.

• 9:45 - 10:45am - Hearing from women parliamentarians.

  • Conversation with a multiparty group of women parliamentarians (TBC).

• 10:45 - 11am - Morning tea.

• 11am - 12:30pm - Action workshops.

  • Working towards the outcomes – discussion groups on activism principles, learning about speaking your messages of climate concerns to your communities, to your MPs etc. How to take the experience of this weekend to your own community and maintain the efforts.

  • Actions for local, national and international levels

  • Making social media videos and/or designing/sending letters postcards to ministers, MPs.

• 12:30 - 1pm - Short participant and/or video presentations.

• 1pm - Lunch.

• 2pm - Feedback from action workshops (for example, sharing videos made, letters, artworks etc.).

• 2:30pm - Women’s circle: Farewell discussions, where to from here.

• 3pm - Finish with group meditative dance based on Enya’s music, Watermark.

Information packs

• For speakers and attendees

• For artists, performers and exhibitors

• For media:

  • Media release

  • Flyer

  • Poster

  • Banner

  • Banner with QR code