In today's environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it.
(Joseph Badaracco)
As the quote from Joseph Badaracco states, by sharing our knowledge in many different ways, and by working together, we can empower ourselves, and the communities we seek to work with, to do more. By adopting a broad definition of ‘knowledge’, we can include many more forms of understanding about how our rivers function and what we need to do to conserve and restore these systems so that they can support environmental, social and economic needs. By investing in networks and relationships, we can support groups doing great work, and share the lessons they learn with others so that mistakes are not repeated and successes are built upon. By taking time to value ourselves and the work we do, we can reaffirm and share our sense of purpose to inspire and motivate others to protect and care for our waterways. This presentation will focus on the need to share knowledge and empower people to act and provide some of the philosophy and practical techniques that underpin this approach. It will also showcase some of the most recent projects undertaken by the Australian River Restoration Centre that bring science and practice together, namely, True Tales of the Trout Cod, the reinvention of the RipRap Magazine and the Finterest.com.au website.