To foster the arts, diversity and creative thinking for our long-term future.

It was long winded but held plenty of scope for awesomeness!

The aim, then getting out there and pitching the concept to the students. Inviting collaboration, offering work experience, written references and the satisfaction.

The formal entity in the shape of a Student Club was able to be created with minimal cost, and though only one grant was sought and received the formation had potential.

TheFieldCreative happened first in New Zealand at Massey University’s Auckland campus and then in Australia at Southern Cross University’s Lismore Campus. Goodwill activities were and still are created informally when the entity was not in operation.

The process involved, having a mission for the Club, pitching it- in the minute before various classes started. Having an Annual General Meeting, voting and appointing a President, VP and Financial Controller. Submitting the formalities and then doing the stuff. Many meetings were had, projects planned and carried out.

At Massey I had been Student President in 2002 so was familiar with the Clubs system. When I returned from traveling in 2005 to polish of some papers for my PG Dip was then a student and thus able to initiate a Club.

At SCU, I was a staff member, Tutoring the Ethics & Sustainability paper for both years that the Club was running. The professor of the course Geoff Lamberton  was lined up to be a Supervisor for my Thesis on The Charity Theory. However it looked at the time that the poetry might take off quickly and reach a broader audience, so resisted the commitment.

 

The SCU marketing staff were keen to support and promote the Club however could not unless the name of the service MASSdebating was changed. I was foolhardy and stubborn, and stood by the name of the project which had already run in Australia and also earlier in New Zealand. The name has the potential with the branding to appeal to a younger audience that would not normally give two looks at a forum for environmental and social concepts.

MASSdebating on the street was popular, the forums not as much but were important as a core launchpad for concepts. Either way MASSdebating did not make the project succeed long-term. And the publicity from the University, coupled with following through on the thesis probably would have.

These are the choices we make and learn from.

Part of my problem was that I tried too hard, and was maybe a little too alternative? Wore too many hats, on skills that were not my expertise (like video editing!) and though was absolutely dedicated and the concepts were sound did not have what it needed at the time, nor the right people in support.

The vision was to create the project as a Charitable Trust or Foundation, but created instead as Student Clubs for various reasons. Partly the cost, probably resistance to the greater commitment, and mostly not having the right people to create it with. People who had the necessary experience, the passion and the time to invest.

People who saw the entirety of the vision, and the potential. Whose hearts are in the right place, and to guide what I feel is a very important piece of the global puzzle into eternity. It is idealistic, but can be very realistic given the right conditions..

This is where we stand.