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The ReAwaken Manifesto for Compassionate Change

As part of the meaningful action aspect of ReAwaken, the need to carry forward the

messages and meaning found in the ReAwaken community were important. The concept
of the Manifesto was inspired by the work of Mary O’Hagan and the Manifesto she

produced in New Zealand. However, this document was intended to capture the
experience of the attendees each day as they were invited to reflect on the keynote and

other workshops for the day to provide input into the document that evolved during the
ReAwaken week.

The intention was to ensure that input into the document was available to all and

everyone who attended and heard a narrative at the event. The themes of connection
and compassion were central and the Manifesto was a positive way of ensuring

meaningful action that could be freely available to wider communities seeking more
humane , non pathologising ways to find connection and compassion in supporting one

another on mutual journey of mental health , trauma and addiction.

The ReAwaken Manifesto was born out of a week-long gathering of international leaders

in mental health, addiction, and trauma at the inaugural ReAwaken conference,
ReAwaken Australia, which took place 8-12 April, 2019 in Adelaide, South Australia. The

manifesto reflects the collective work and vision of these leaders. ReAwaken recognizes
that our society is asleep in many ways, more isolated than ever from each other and the

environment, which has led to ineffective and often harmful polices and practices in the
fields of mental health, trauma and addiction. We call for a great reawakening of the

human spirit, a reclaiming of our narratives, and a reconnection with our fellow travellers
and the earth. We know this is possible because we have achieved this in one short week,

having created a beautiful, safe, inclusive, and loving community in one small corner of
the world.

As a call to action, we express a critical need for connection, compassion, and meaningful

response to these issues, which affect our lives, our families, and our communities. We
call on political leaders and citizens to hear our collective voice, and to take action in a

manner consistent with our shared desire to promote the health and welfare of the
populace.

* ReAwaken deeply thanks Oryx Cohen for his skills and humanity in crafting the Manifesto document from the hearts and
spirit of the ReAwaken attendees

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