To achieve this vision Sydney Alliance builds bridges and dialogue between organisations and develops the capacity of organisations and their members. The Alliance provides opportunities for people to participate in reshaping their society because we believe in the potential of people to grow and develop as leaders, to be full democratic citizens and to speak and act with others on their own behalf. We build grassroots power that respects the contribution and dignity of all people.
The Sydney Alliance is a citizens’ coalition whose vision is to provide our community with a voice to express common values and aspirations for a fair and just Sydney. The Alliance is broadly based across religious organisations, community organisations and unions establishing relationships that respect diversity, while building a cohesive society. The Alliance is a non-party political organisation. Its primary purpose is the ability to act for the common good to achieve social change in our communities.
Relationship Building >> Leadership Development >> Action for the Common Good
Our Common Dream
Our Partners
Our People
The Sydney Alliance draws on knowledge and experience from the diverse traditions of religious, union and community work. We build grassroots power that respects the contribution and dignity of all people.
We are committed to identifying, recruiting, training and developing leaders to become full democratic citizens able to speak and act with others on their own behalf. We are non-party....
The Sydney Alliance works to build a more fair and just Sydney. It does this by bringing together the three pillars of civil society; community organisations, unions and religious organisations to work for the common good.
The Sydney Alliance is founded on the traditions of community organising from the Industrial Areas Foundation, recently popularised by Barack Obama in his Presidential campaign.
The partnership that is the Sydney Alliance gives us power and legitimacy to act as a coalition for the common good.
All members are themselves organisations.There is no individual membership. Each member organisation is a partner, which means everyone is involved in the work and decision making of the Sydney Alliance...
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Introductory Training
The Two Day Alliance Building Institute is not so much a training program as a hands on experience of the Sydney Alliance. It is open to member and new organisations. Participants work together to build relationships and discover common ground across diversity concerns while practicing the processes and techniques of community organising.
This is a chance to explore the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the Sydney Alliance. Discover common ground and create relationships with leaders from many diverse backgrounds that will be invaluable allies for collaborating for the common good.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE
Advanced Training
The Six Day Advanced Leadership Course is a program for people committed to understanding the craft of community organising - who want to play a key role in leading the activities of the Alliance inside their organisation and acting as a bridge between our member organisations.
The six day course builds a close community of leaders across participating civil society organisations that represent the diversity of Sydney. These leaders are equipped with the tools they need to be more strategic and effective - and to build and strengthen their organisations in the process.
Current Events
Member organisations of the Sydney Alliance come together at various events. These are also an opportunity for new organisations to experience the Alliance in action.
District meetings, where member organisations gather to build local and regional engagement and new organisations can be introduced to the Alliance in action. ENQUIRE or RSVP HERE
Some of the organisations who have done the training so far:
Wesley Mission
Uniting Care
ACTU Education and Campaign Centre
Jewish Board of Deputies
Liqor Hospitality & Miscellaneous Union
NSW Nurses Association
Rail Tram and Bus Union
Unions NSW
United Muslim Women Association
Uniting Church
Western Sydney Community Forum
Arab Council Australia
Catholic Diocese of Parramatta
Bharaitya Vidya Bhavan Australia
Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Immigrant Women Speakout Association
Parents and Citizens Federation
Korean Australian Young Leaders
NSW Council of Christian and Jews
Cyprus Community of NSW
Korean Society NSW
Public Service Association
United Services Union
Aboriginal Justice Circle Sentencing
Federation of African Communities Council
Get Up! Australia
National Union of Workers
Nature Conservation Council NSW
NSW Teachers Federation
Australian Student Environment Network
Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union
Friends of the Earth Sydney
Asian Women at Work
Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW
Lebanese Communities Council
Fairwear
Finance Sector Union
NSW Ecumenical Council
BOOKS
The Origins of Organising
Author: Luke Bretherton
An article written by a theological professor and London Citizens leader about the four traditions that underpinned Saul Alinsky’s conception of community organising. These are Judaism, union organising, social research and Catholic social teaching. Download here.
The Power of Relational Action
Author: Ed Chambers
An article about the importance of relational organising, story and relational meetings to build strong organisations and strong coalitions. Ed Chambers was one of the founding teachers in the Industrial Areas Foundation in the United States. Download here.
ARTICLES
All real living is meeting: extract from Going Public Author: Mike Gecan Download here.
Relational Organising for Trade Unionists
Author: Lawrence O’Halloran. A story about how relational organising was applied in a union setting in New Zealand. Download here.
Another Politics is Possible Article in Red Pepper about London Citizens and its organising. Download here.
WEBSITES
The Sydney Alliance is an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation, which was established in the 1930s and has had over 67 years of success.
We work closely with two other affiliates of the Industrial Areas Foundation in Europe and North America. They are London Citizens in the United Kingdom and Seattle Sound Alliance in the United States.
The Sydney Alliance is funded by our partner organisations. Each partner organisations is a member of the Alliance and contributes to a common purse to support our collective work for the common good.
Our partner organisations work to strengthen each other through supporting and learning from the richly diverse history and tradtions respresented in the Alliance.
If your organisation is interested in becoming a member please contact us on (02) 8007 6055 or via email.
Council of Christians and Jews
Parramatta Diocese of the Catholic Church
Cyprus Community NSW
Cancer Council of NSW
UnitingCare NSW ACT
Metro Migrant Resource Centre
Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union
Uniting Church NSW-ACT Synod
Construction Foresty Mining & Energy Union
Climate Action Network Australia
Sydney Archdiocese of the Catholic Church
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
Hindu Council of Australia
Contact Us
Address: Sydney Alliance
Suite 209 Level 2 Trades Hall
4 Goulburn Street Sydney 2000
New South Wales AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 2 8007 6055
Fax: + 61 2 9261 3505
Email: admin_sydneyalliance.org.au
Website: www.sydneyalliance.org.au
Organisers direct lines:
Amanda Tatersall - 8007 6053
Glen Powell - 8007 6054
Ron Burgess - 8007 6052
Intern Coordinator - 8007 6059
Where did the Sydney Alliance come from?
The Sydney Alliance is founded in the traditions of community organising that have their origins in the United States in the 1930s, and have recently been popularised by Barack Obama. The Industrial Areas Foundation which grew out of Chicago now has over 60 partner organisations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. The Sydney Alliance is the first example of this kind of organising in Australia.
The Alliance is equally based on the kinds of coalition building practices that have underpinned our own democracy, including the famous Green Bans coalitions between the Builders Labourers Federation and residential groups that saved our urban environment. The Palm Sunday peace movements of the 1980s that attracted over 200 000 people at their peak were organised by strong, broad-based coalitions across religious organisations, union and community organisations.
The Sydney Alliance project has been through several incarnations since it was first raised as a possibility in Sydney. In June 2007, inspired by the success of the community based Your Rights at Work campaign, Unions NSW provided initial funding to hire two Organisers and to initiate the canvassing stage of the Sydney Alliance. These organisers travelled across Sydney conducting meetings to see if there was broad-based interest in the idea of establishing
stronger relationships between religious organisations, unions and community organisations. In November 2007, thirteen organisations came together and committed to this vision, and to fund this organising in 2008.
During the Sydney Alliance building stage of 2008, these organisations came together to experience training and leadership development and to build initial relationships. Three organisers also continued the work of meeting with new organisations. By November 2008, 21 organisations committed over $900 000 to fund three years of organising from 2009-2011.
The Sydney Alliance is now in its organising stage, which runs from 2009 to the Alliance's Founding Assembly in September 2011. During this period the Sydney Alliance will continue to grow the network of organisations involved to ensure that it is geographically, ethnically, religiously and socially representative of Sydney.
How does the Sydney Alliance do its work?
The Sydney Alliance aims to create a space where organisations can come together to respond to our problems collectively. We do this in a trusting, measured and considered way. The Alliance firstly aims to work on building strong relationships of trust between organisations, and partner organisations will later engage in listening campaigns to identify specific issues that we will work on together....
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In this way it is a very different kind of coalition, where the issues and agenda comes from the bottom up.
These kinds of coalitions have a track record of success overseas. London Citizens has successfully taken action for living wages, improving London's minimum wage from $8 to $14 an hour. The Sound Alliance in Seattle has organised a $14 million pilot project to create green jobs that retrofit houses to reduce carbon emissions.
In the current climate more than ever before, the Sydney Alliance is uniquely placed to generate an agenda for improving the lives of people in Sydney and initiate a new era of cooperation across our civil society organisations. Listening assemblies undertaken with member organisations will determine the issues that the Sydney Alliance works on; however, hundreds of initial meetings have identified a series of potential issues, including >>
Undoubtedly there will be a multitude of other issues that will come up in our listening assemblies. Through a process of collective discernment, we will begin to piece together what we, the citizens of Sydney, feel are the most pressing concerns in our lives. This will form the foundations of our Agenda for the Common Good.
>> commuting around Sydney with expensive petrol,
congested roads and inadequate public transport
>> a lack of balance between work, family and
leisure time, which also leads to a lack time for
volunteering in community work
>> rising cost of living
>> the breaking down of our multicultural society and
cross-cultural respect, with rising racial and
religious tensions
>> the challenge of building a sustainable city that
also supports jobs and economic growth
Ms. Maha Krayem Abdo OAM
President
Rev. Harry Herbert
Executive Officer
UnitingCare NSW/ACT
Mr. Gambhir Watts
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavav Australia
Mr. Adrwe Ferguson
Secretary
Committee to Defend Trade Unions Inc
Mr. Ben Cruse
General Secretary
United Services Unions
Mr. Mark Lennon
Most Rev. Bishop Kevin Manning
Bishop of Parramatta
Mr. Robin Margo S.C
Mr. Brett Holmes
Ms. Jane Brock
Immigrant Women Speak Out Association
Mr. Derrick Beelan
National Union of Workers NSW Branch
Rev. Nial Ried
Moderator
Uniting Church NSW Synod
Ms. Randa Kattan
Executive Director
Mr. Steve Turner
NSW Public Services Association
Rev. Keith Garner
Superintendent
Mr. Mark Boyd
Liquor Hospitality & Miscellaneous Union
.
His Eminence George Cardinal Pell AC
Archbishop of Sydney
Mr. Michael Christodoulou AM DO
Mr John Irving
Mr Nick Lewoki
Rail Train Bus Union NSW
Ms Lina Cabero
Mr Tredwell Lukundeh
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Hi folks, it is now too late to register for the Assembly in Blacktown at the Civic Centre - Bowman Hall, Campbell St, Blacktown - map.
However, you CAN register when you arrive.
The event will start at 2pm sharp, so we suggest arriving early to ensure that you are allocated to a table and seated before the event starts.
Mr. Rathana Chea
Community Organiser
Rathana has worked in social policy, campaigning and community development in senior roles for a number of leading organisations. He has served on the board of various NGOs, particularly within the multicultural sector , and in numerous government advisory roles.
Mr. Glen Powell
Glen has been a church mission consultant, event manager and small business person. He has worked with the Uniting Church in Australia, the Black Stump Festival and co-founded two innovative congregations. He is an economist, theologian and community development practitioner.
If you are interested in a career with the Sydney Alliance we have both an Internship and Secondment program. Please contact our office on 02 8007 6055 or email us for more information.
Dr. Amanda Tattersall
Coalition Director
Amanda has been a union and community organiser. She was President of the National Union of Students, co-founded Labor for Refugees and GetUp.org.au, and has been an officer of Unions NSW. She has written extensively on coalition practice around the world.
Ms. Jennifer Acklin
Jennifer has worked as Lead Organiser for a union. She worked in training and dvelopment across trade unions as an Educator/Organiser at the ACTU. She has also acted in an advisory capacity for strategic change management of trade unions.
Ms. Liliana Capacchione
Administration Officer
Lilianas education and career background has been in Marketing and corporate IT. A lifestyle decision a decade ago has allowed Liliana to divide her time between work, family and local community involvement. As the Administration Officer of Sydney Alliance she is initial point of contact and manages the day to day running of office.
The Sydney Alliance draws on the knowledge and experience from the diverse histories and traditions of religious, union and community work. We build grassroots power that respects the contribution and dignity of all people.
We are committed to identifying, recruiting, training and developing leaders to become full democratic citizens able to speak and act with others on their own behalf. We are not affiliated to any political party .However, we proudly engage in community education about political process and leadership.
The people of the Sydney Alliance are the sum total of leaders and members from our Partner Organisations. We are supported by a team of expereinced professionals who have been trained in Community Organising in London, Chicago, Seattle, New York and Sydney.
click here to return to previous page >>
Sydney Alliance is a people power organisation. We draw on the knowledge and experience from the diverse histories and traditions of religious, union and community work. We build grassroots power that respects the contribution and dignity of all people.
We are committed to identifying, recruiting, training and developing leaders in every corner of the community where we work. We are non-party....
Training Opportunities
The Two Day Alliance Building Instituteis the best way to get involved in the Sydney Alliance. It introduces the processes and organising techniques used in Community Organising and explores the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the Sydney Alliance. With approximately 40 people from different member organisations at each event, it is a hands on experience of the diversity and potential of a broad based coalition in Sydney.
The Six Day Advanced Leadership Courseis a program for people committed to understanding the craft of community organising who want to play a key role in leading the activities of the Alliance inside their organisation and acting as a bridge between our member organisations.
Training and Action
The Alliance strengthens civil society by strengthening the civil sector organisations that are part of the Alliance.
We do this by leadership development and building relationships for more effective collaboration within and between organisations and by mobilising members in effective action.
Hands on training, action and reflection are core activities of the Alliance - to build strong relationships, develop leaders and build power for the common good.
Action for the Common Good
The Sydney Alliance builds relationships between organisations and individuals by asking them to take action.
Action may involve coming to coalition meetings, running listening campaigns or being part of the strategising and implementation of an agenda for the common good in Sydney. The Alliance has many action teams made up of members from participating organisations.
For information about attending a leadership institute please contact the Sydney Alliance office on 8007 6055 or email us.
Relationship Building
The work of the Sydney Alliance begins with one-to-one relational meetings. Thousands of these have already been held across Sydney.
The aim is to intentionally work on building understanding, respect and a sense of reciprocity between our organisations and our active participants.
Too often in the busy work of organisational life we can lose our sense of vision, mission and purpose.
A primary goal of the Alliance is to rekindle these values as a foundation for joint action.
Leadership Development
The Sydney Alliance provides several opportunities for participation and training.
The Two Day Alliance Building Institute is an introduction to the processes and community organising techniques used by the Sydney Alliance. It canvases the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the Sydney Alliance by bringing together approximately 40 people from different member organisations and new organisations interested in finding out more about the Alliance.
The Six Day Advanced Leadership Course is a program for people committed to understanding the craft of community organising who want to play a key role in leading the activities of the Alliance inside their organisation and acting as a bridge between our member organisations.
From time to time, Sydney Alliance member organisations and other interested organisations gather to mark a milestone and initiate or conclude an action of the whole Alliance. In July, we had 280 Alliance participants gathering in Blacktown to launch the Listening Campaigns that will identify issues that are priorities to the diverse population of Sydney. This is the process the Sydney Alliance uses to develop its multi-issue agenda for action for the common good.
The Sydney Alliance launched three districts in April, to allow organisations to gather and work on local and regional issues that may not directly involve the whole Alliance. These District expressions of the Alliance will meet again in June.
West District - Tuesday 15 June, 6.30-8pm, DAC Diocesan Assembly Centre, 1-5 Marion St Blacktown, for information or to RSVP contact Amanda on 0409 321 133 or by email.
South West District - Wednesday 23 June, 6.30-8pm, St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 71 Webster Rd, Lurnea, for information or to RSVP contact Ron on 0435 846 520 or by email.
Harbour District - Thursday 24 June, 6.30-8pm, Benefactors Hall, 146 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, for information or to RSVP contact Glen on 0429 490 602 or email .
Thursday 26 & Friday 27 August 9am-5pm
National Union of Workers Granville
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union Lidcombe
NSW Teachers Federation Surry HillsEVENT FULL
Saturday 28 August & Saturday 4 September 9am-5pm *** NOTE NEW DATES DUE TO ELECTION ***
Day 1 -St Nicholas' Parish Penrith
Day 2 -Penrith Uniting Church
Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 August 9am-5pm
Western Sydney Community Forum EVENT FULL
Liquor Hospitality & Miscellaneous Union HaymarketEVENT FULL
Sunday 22 & Sunday 29 August 9am-5pm
Public Service Association City
Tuesday 17, Wednesday 18, Tuesday 24 & Wednesday 25 August 6pm-9pm
Paddington Uniting Church, Paddington
Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Monday 16, Tuesday 17 August 6pm-9pm CANCELLED DUE TO ELECTION Arab Council Australia Bankstown
Saturday 14 & Saturday 21 August 9am-5pm
St John's Anglican Church Sutherland CANCELLED DUE TO ELECTION
Cafe Church Glebe (GOING AHEAD DESPITE ELECTION)
Monday 16 & Tuesday 17 August 9am-5pm
Campbelltown Uniting Church
Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 August 9am-5pm
Sunday 22 and Sunday 29 August 9am-5pm
Thursday 26 and Friday 28 August 9am-5pm
2pm Blacktown Civic Centre - RSVP here
Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Monday 16, Tuesday 17 August 6pm-9pm
Saturday 14 and Saturday 21 August 9am-5pm
Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 August 9am-5pm
Monday to Wednesday October 25 to 27 and November 1 to 3
Venue: Chevalier Centre, Kensington (TBC) Cost: approximately $800 (depending on venue)
The Advanced Leadership Training is a Six Day Residential Training program that has been described as a life changing experience by many participants. Key leaders from Sydney Alliance organisations participate in the training, building strong relationships with other leaders, clarifying both their personal and organisational sense of purpose and direction. The training provides people with the tools and strategies to build the power and capacity within their civil sector organisations to be more effective and sustainable for the long term common good.
Training will be led by Neil Jameson - founder of UK Citizens - and Joe Chrastil of Seattle's Sound Alliance as well as trainers from the Sydney Alliance.
For enquiries please call Liliana on 02 8007 6055 or email.
© Sydney Alliance for Community Building Ltd 2008-2009
