#BUILDTHELEARNINGSOCIETY

 I have a dream. A scary dream. A dream that is a BHAG – a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.

What’s my BHAG? To pilot the transformation of Aotearoa New Zealand into a Learning Society.

Okay, I know, it sounds underwhelming… but what is a Learning Society? My definition is, ‘a Learning Society is a society that values and actively invests in learning’. Why is this a good thing?

Well, as Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz puts it (1), the transformation to Learning Societies has had a greater impact on human wellbeing than any other form of government action.

Now I aim to put that theory into practice; to test it for real in a pilot project in a real country.

What are my qualifications for this? My biggest qualification is my 30+ years of delivering environmental training and seeing the massive transformation that result.

I’m not an academic – though I was one. I’m no longer an expert environmental practitioner  – though I was one. I’m not the kind of professional trainer you normally meet.

My sphere of activity is strategic environmental training with specific reference to the skills gap for the sustainability transition. I now focus my efforts on supporting environmental experts to deliver the great training they can do.

And I show them how to measure the outcomes of their training using a trifecta of globally accepted indicators frown the worlds of economics, training and the environment.

All my training and experience means I can see both the vitally-important on-the-ground detail – and at the same time, I can see the big picture in a way that helps me bridge these very different scales.

This has woven the multiple strands of my experience into my determination to demonstrate that professional environmental training is a simple, essential and doable way to deliver a Learning Society.

I see the Learning Society as a significant pathway towards a Wellbeing Economy, an economy where the money-go-round is focused on delivering wellbeing for people and the environment.

Back to who learns what; why would they learn it; how do they learn it; and when do we know if we’ve made a difference?

My focus remains on:

·       WHO: environmental practitioners and the crucial but overlooked need to elevate their continuing professional development to a place of parity with the tertiary education sector;

·       WHAT: on professional training as a rapid, cost-effective and scaleable solution to the core environmental risks we face;

·       WHY: because environmental and economic experts agree that six of the ten core risks to the global economy identified by the World Economic Forum (2) are environmental; and

·       HOW: by leveraging the capability and agility of professional environmental associations, also known as industry or sector groups, to deliver the additional expertise that their members already know they need.

And WHEN will we know we’re making a difference? By monitoring and evaluating the progress and outcome of the pilot project using globally accepted indicators of wellbeing across our natural, human and financial capitals.

This is the first in a purposeful series of LinkedIn newsletters dedicated to my BHAG; my scary goal.

Coming up, though not necessarily in this order, I’ll be questioning some of the assumptions underlying the Business As Usual (BAU) model of how we run things, linking always to the transformational outcomes of professional environmental training:

·       growth: in what?

·       productivity: of what?

·       the economy: what’s it for?

·       wellbeing: who counts?

·       infrastructure: what counts?

·       nature: priceless?

·       and more…..

 I conclude by laying down the wero (challenge) that I myself will be taking up: just how much better can we make the world via a just transition to a learning society that delivers a wellbeing economy?

I wholeheartedly welcome your comments, critiques and suggestions!

Nga mihi nui (thank you very much, with very kind regards, with gratitude), from Clare

#BUILDTHELEARNINGSOCIETY

A MOVEMENT TO SAVE THE WORLD BY PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was a Liberian politician who served as the 24th President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. She was Africa’s first elected female head of state. Her quote in full is, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

 References cited

(1)   Joseph Stiglitz and Bruce Greenwald (2014) Creating a Learning Society: a new approach to growth, development and social progress. Columbia University Press.

(2)   World Economic Forum (2024) Global Risks Report. See www.weforum.org/

 It’s all about Learning for Life on Earth. Feel free to spread the word!

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