About the ICA Australia

Institute of Cultural Affairs - Australia

A.C.N. 001 286 639

What is the ICA?

The Institute of Cultural Affairs Australia is concerned with the human factor in social change. Central to the work of the ICA is the observation that sustainable development occurs when people are meaningfully engaged in the change processes impacting their lives and the organizations and communities they are a part of. It is also our observation that cultures based on inclusive participation and profound respect help people work creatively, minimize conflict and accomplish more together.

The ICA Australia, is a statutory member of ICA International, an association of 30 National Institutes of Cultural Afairs with more than 100 projects around the world.

ICA International has Category II Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSCOC), liaison status with FAO, working relation status with WHO and Consultative status with UNICEF. It is a member of CIVICUS.

What is our mission?

The ICA Australia is committed to developing and facilitating participatory processes to enable change at the individual, organizational and community levels.

What guides our work?

The ICA’s guiding principles evolved out of a history that goes back over 40 years to its beginnings as a social movement for local development and social change. They include:

• Honour the past, affirm the present and see the future as possibility.

• Everyone shares responsibility for the current reality and has something to contribute to its transformation.

• The people best equipped to deal with a situation are those closest to it.

• The more inclusive the input, the more effective the output.

• Reflective practices are key to individual and organizational growth.

• Balancing global and local perspectives is fundamental to effectiveness.

• The future is created by small groups of people acting on behalf of the whole.

All the space, all the story, all the programs, all the people and all the creatures.

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