Voices4Cowper (V4C) is all about Doing Democracy Differently. We listen to the community and encourage people to get involved in our democratic process.
Voices4Cowper came together in 2019 because we shared a desire for a more meaningful connection between the people of Cowper and our political representatives.
- We are an entirely volunteer-run organisation.
- We have no affiliation with any political party.
- Our members come from all across the Cowper electorate
The formation of Voices4Cowper was inspired by the work of Mary Crooks of the Victorian Women’s Trust and the subsequent work of Voices4Indi and Voices of Warringah. Each of these organisations used the Kitchen Table Conversation (KTC) process to galvanise their community.
In 2019 we brought Kitchen Table Conversations to Cowper to gather community concerns and ideas and place these at the centre of the political process. When we presented our report, the community requested that we have an independent who could represent the values and priorities expressed in the report. Voices4Cowper ran a candidate selection process with two strong candidates which resulted in the community backing Caz Heise. V4C then went into hiatus, and Caz started her extraordinarily Caz for Cowper campaign.
In 2023, Voices4Cowper recommenced and has run an intensive listening campaign with KTCs, surveys, market stalls and community events. The community has again expressed interest in an independent candidate who is visible and accessible in the community, and who listens to and then acts in line with community needs and values. As a result, V4C is currently running a candidate selection process to facilitate the community choosing a candidate for the upcoming Federal election.
Our Vision
An engaged community with political representatives who listen and respond to community voices.
Our Purpose
To encourage community engagement in the democratic process
Our Focus
To use a 'Kitchen Table Conversations' process and other methods to gather and present community ideas and concerns.
Our Values
- Respect
- Integrity
- Inclusivity
- Trust
- Constructiveness
- Transparency
- Equality