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Tania de Jong AM, Founder Creativity Australia and Creative Universe, speaking at the Annual Hume Global Learning Village Research Conference.   Abstract: The Artful Human’ – Creativity and Lifelong Learning

One of the greatest challenges we all face today is overcoming the barriers to stimulating creativity and innovation. We need to constantly create opportunities to connect with one another in new and meaningful ways.

The barriers are ever present. We interact with boxes / screens instead of with one another. We are in danger of becoming a society where alienation, disengagement and self centeredness are entrenched in a world where human beings fail to capitalise on building lives and relationships that are generative and creative.

Creative participation offers important tools to teach people how to think and therefore act differently.

Creativity is not a unique talent.

Yet it was recently said that: Creativity has become the most universally endangered species in the twenty-first century. A 15 country research project showed that creative behaviour diminishes from 98% in 3-5 year olds to only 2% by age 25.

Professor Simon Majaro says: “There has been such a push to the left, mathematical, quantitative and analytical side of the brain that the software of the brain on the right has been neglected.

One major hope for the future is to adopt a new concept of human ecology.

One in which we start to value the richness of the human intellect, including our creative capacities. We need to educate our whole being (left and right brains) so that we can all face the future in a balanced way and make something of it.

With the urban population explosion imminent, it will be more important than ever before to build social capital and strong communities, not just bricks and mortar.

Social inclusion of migrants and other disadvantaged groups and individuals is an ongoing challenge in our community. Addressing this issue through innovative creative leadership programs is one way of developing new networks, improved language and communication skills, creativity, wellbeing and employment pathways.

Creativity Australia’s With One Voice programs are unique in that they deliberately build and bridge social capital. They bring together people of all ages and from all walks of life, cutting across socioeconomic, cultural, generational and linguistic barriers in the pursuit of harmony. When many diverse voices come together as ‘one voice’, the outcomes are transformational.

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