Stephen McGrail
 
Like Claire, am drawn to the idea of engaging and positive stories of people making a difference – that highlight and build awareness of what we are for, rather than always – at least it often feels this way – highlighting what we are against), but I wanted to quickly introduce myself.
 
I’m currently employed as a consultant with Futureye in Melbourne, a small strategic advisory firm in Melbourne that does everything and anything from high-level ‘corporate social responsibility’ work, to stakeholder dialogue/engagement stuff, to communications development… apart from working on consulting jobs, I also manage their “Members Circle” program which is trying to grow a sustainability ‘community of practice’ with membership from corporate, government and NGO sectors (you may have noticed my emails on Greenleap promoting various forums we hold).
 
My background is in marketing and communication – my first job out of university (I’m now 26) was for a large advertising agency as both a strategist and writer, and have since then worked in all sorts of communications/creative/writing roles… My first interest in the concept and goal of sustainable development was in working with a pro bono client of the ad agency (that client was a group called “Renaissance Earth”) and in the cultural and social trends research I was doing (which was one of the things that originally brought me to the Sustainable Living Festival, as I was writing an “observation report” for the agency’s clients).  Since them my interest has been far deepened by lots of reading, my growing interest in the dramatic and worrying changes happening in the world around me (but I also try to pay attention to some very positive changes are also happening), first-hand experiences of people and organisations with an ‘industrial mindset’ and narrow perspective, involvement in social movements and activism, and my Masters studies in futures studies and futures thinking.  Specifically, I’ve just completed a Masters of Science in Strategic Foresight and Futures Studies at Swinburne University.  If you’re interested see: http://www.swin.edu.au/afi/
 
In terms of personal biases, I guess I’m more interested in transformation, from a whole-systems perspective, than reform (or incremental change) in the status quo.  I’m drawn to the creative and visionary, rather than the pragmatic, and generally want to support anything that I feel will generate the personal and societal learning and development that I feel is urgently needed… and to facilitate shared, positive visions for the future.  I believe that narrow and short term thinking, be it in markets (quarterly/yearly earnings) or politics (election cycles), is increasingly the norm and that this – above all else, perhaps – must be challenged.