Summer. Systems. Strategy.
Autumn is here. The leaves are changing.
We love the transition that comes with the end of one year, beginning of another. The change of a season. A chance to recalibrate and reset as we move into a new year with all its promises. Summer has come and gone... and with it, some deep thinking and activation as we prepare to launch The Cherished Pets Initiative.
We’ve been quiet but we’ve been busy hatching our plan.
In November 2023 we gathered a group of people to explore questions at the intersection of human and animal services. With the human-animal bond at the heart of everything we do, this event validated eight years of focussed work creating a service that supports not only pets, but also people.
The response to our Roundtable was exciting and even a little overwhelming. It has taken our team the summer to digest, reflect on what emerged, and design a plan for the path ahead.
Our reflections on the Roundtable have revealed a profound sense of duty to both the veterinary and social services sectors, as well as to the broader community - encompassing both the humans and animals we seek to support. This compels us to lead the conversation in shaping a secure future through meaningful dialogue and action.
Over the past three months we have digested, discussed, and deep dived into the world of systems thinking and systems change. Introducing systems thinking as a tool, identifying the core techniques and looking at different ways of applying it. This is designed to help us get started using this approach in our activities in helping to bring about a sustainable future.
For a long time now we have observed and marvelled at the Regen Melbourne initiative. This is an example of a systems change project at its best. Curious to understand more about how others approach systems change, the Social Hearted Vet team has committed energy and resources to learning more and we share some links further below.
In our ever-changing and increasingly complex world, adopting systems thinking enables us to navigate, adapt, and see the myriad of options and opportunities before us. This approach empowers us to uncover the underlying causes of challenges and problems, and open our eyes and minds to new and different avenues for innovation. We realise that we, like many, have been navigating changing systems for a long time.
At Cherished Pets we have designed and been delivering a veterinary care solution that arose from the challenges we see first hand. Our vantage point showed us what our community needed, so we went about and created it. But we now face the challenges that this brings - demand that exceeds our capacity. Funding constraints. The need and possibilities for partnerships beyond Geelong. There is much more that can and needs to be done which brings us to why we are creating a road map for radical collaboration across the sectors.
We are emerging into Autumn with a clear and strong plan. In launching The Cherished Pets Initiative we are excited to bring key actors together from across both human and animal sectors and see what we can get done if we work together. In doing so, we acknowledge that most of us already have a network, team or ecosystem, but by bringing us together we can collectively try to create the conditions for all of our work to have a deeper systemic impact and build a kinder, equitable future for pets and their people.
Our aim is not to reinvent the wheel, but to foster greater collaboration among system practitioners and facilitate connections between existing initiatives. Through this, we aspire to amplify our collective efforts towards creating a fairer and more sustainable world through the human-animal bond. We invite information about and collaboration with other endeavors that share similar goals.
Guiding The Cherished Pets Initiative into fruition is the next phase of honouring our purpose and moving towards our shared vision: a society where the human-animal bond is recognised and valued for the critical role it plays in healthy, connected and thriving individuals and communities. We hope you will join us on this journey and have faith in the process.
Your invitation
Join us on Friday 3 May for an online event
At the webinar, you will hear about:
Key insights from our November event. Hear how pivotal this event was in guiding us forward
Systems Change mini masterclass
Challenges encountered and how we are addressing them
Opportunities for collaboration and collective action
We would like to acknowledge and are grateful for the work of others to identify and develop systems practices. Here are a few links to resources and inspiration that are guiding our journey into systems thinking so far:
SGA Masterclass on Systems Finance
Read Systems Thinking
Follow Small Giants Academy and Regen Melbourne
Explore Doughnut Economics
Susan Hazel & Sonja McDowall’s research - sharing again but everyone needs to read this!
We extend our thanks to Zoetis, our valued partner, for their generous support in furthering our mission.
We are open to anyone wanting to be involved going forward. If you believe in the transformative potential of the human-animal bond in fostering thriving communities, then you belong with us.
Please contact Sarah Waddle to join our community: sarah@cherishedpetcare.com.au
Illustrations: https://medium.com/disruptive-design/tools-for-systems-thinkers-the-6-fundamental-concepts-of-systems-thinking-379cdac3dc6a
We acknowledge the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered and pay respects to elders past, present and emerging. We recognise their continuing connection to the land, waterways, and community and acknowledge that this land was never ceded.
As an organisation that values the human-animal bond, we endeavour to learn from, and incorporate Indigenous way of knowing and the idea of oneness into our practice, in order to benefit both the land on which we live and all beings residing upon it.
