Maria Simonelli

The Creative Advantage is as much about my own journey as it is a reader’s guide to living a creative life. My ‘why’ is to facilitate creative problem solving approaches with individuals, within organisations and across community, to achieve a more sustainable world. I combine creativity, education, the arts and sciences to provide vibrant and energising approaches to social change.

Climate change, the declining health of the environment and its relevance to all aspects of sustaining life has given me a greater sense of urgency. The world needs imaginative solutions driven by creatives and supported by teams of innovators to solve our economic, environmental and social challenges to create viable, equitable and sustainable communities. This book is my contribution to reach a broad audience to build the creative capacity and focus on the task at hand to affect that change.

www.thecreativecatalyst.com.au/new-book

The Creative Catalyst supports individuals and organisations to explore their creativity and discover new approaches to problem solving, build creative core competencies, integrate these into our lives and workplaces to facilitate positive social and cultural change.

A suite of products and services are now available including an online program, a three book series and workshops in various online and in person formats, all catering to individuals and teams.

www.thecreativecatalyst.com.au

Be Collective (2021)

Be Collective is a social movement driven by an innovative technology platform, to deliver social and community benefit. It supports communities, businesses, government, educational institutions and not-for-profits, by connecting those providing volunteer opportunities with those that want to help.

Telco Together Foundation (2015-2019)

Providing a means for the non profit and corporate sector to create meaningful and effective partnerships. The Telco Together Foundation is a non profit, providing a platform for telecommunications industry to make a significant social contribution.

I supported this Foundation by providing strategic and project management expertise to facilitate effective and long lasting partnerships. I worked closely with Vocus, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Aussie Broadband to enable engagement opportunities that resulted in positive social change. I also undertook research and facilitation to establish the Industry Incubation Hub, (now the Industry Impact Hub), a collaborative telecommunications industry initiative to action industry-wide approaches to issues confronting our community. The first two initiatives undertaken focused on working with the members on Domestic and Family Violence and Modern Slavery.

Greenfleet (2015)
A non profit environmental organisation, focused on climate protection through restorative planting and biodiverse carbon offsets. I supported this organisation by facilitating a campaign development process to engage individuals, businesses, NGOs, councils and universities.

Toombak Indigenous Production (2014)
Toombak, a majority owned indigenous media company, produce television, radio and digital media content from an indigenous perspective for the Australian audience. I assisted by undertaking a strategic facilitation process to support the next phase of their growth phase.

I’m influenced by urban trends and contemporary issues and interested in questioning everyday patterns by intervening and provoking alternative forms of discourse. I hope that my artworks assist to transition a viewer to make connections between disparate ideas and give a different perspective on something they are already aware of. Above all I value the awake, curious and creative mind that cross pollinates ideas to join the dots and build new ideas.

YouTube Channel

Sculptural Practice Website

Director and Artist of The Project Reclaim. This is an organic sculpture series made from antique fabrics and organic materials to create unique sculptural pieces.

Project Reclaim draws attention to what and how we consume and provides an opportunity to rethink what is waste. This art practices shows how materials can be reused and ultimately diverted from the waste stream.

Random Acts of Kindness: Some pieces available for auction with funds donated to charity.

www.projectreclaim.com.au

The Make Light Not War project creates sculptural pieces that challenge perpetuating myths surrounding the acceptance and integration of renewable energy technology into our daily lives. Given the clear science on climate change, I connect people through my sculptural works, to the potential and the optimism that this technology provides.

Website Gallery

Technology is becoming a key tool in creating substantial positive change in the world. There is a huge range of groups and diversity of approaches, all playing their important part. Digital change makers play a key role in supporting these groups and approaches, helping them think and learn about systems thinking, utilising networks, facilitation and working with people to co-create and engage on a larger scale.

This project enabled me to support community organisations and provide practical advice to enable them to strategically use these social and digital mediums for maximum campaign exposure for greater benefit. My focus is to facilitate the creative community and arts practitioners to use social media in a positive way to manage their profile.

This project was originally inspired by receiving a Digital Change Maker Apprenticeship.

https://actionskills.org/apprenticeships/

Utilising the unique Career Redesign Program that had at its core, a human centered design method that supports participants to make a successful career move, particularly in the second half of life. The program provides the inspiration, tools and a process to take action. It identifies enablers, addresses challenges and risks and helps find the clarity needed through a focused and practical process.

Resources currently available include both the online program: " Find Your Career Sweet Spot & Redesign Your Career", the ebook "Sweet Spot Careers-A Practical and Creative Guide to a Successful Midlife or Mid Career Transition" and the Facebook Community support site.

www.careerredesign.com.au

Climate Positive was a non-profit environmental organisation working with businesses and households to achieve measurable and long-term global warming solutions.

As General Manager my role was primarily in business planning to successfully increase participation and funding from a number of non-traditional sectors in carbon offsetting. (Maternity leave role)

The Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) is a non-profit organisation committed to a sustainable property industry by encouraging the adoption of green building practices through the Green Rating tools, advocacy, membership services and education programs.

As Education Director I was responsible for the redesign of the education strategy, facilitation of stakeholder input and the management of the Education Unit during a transitional phase for the organisation.

Utility Services, was a for profit alliance made up of South East Water, Thiess Services, Siemens and MWH Designers, to deliver integrated urban development, engineering and construction services.

This role provided me an opportunity, in the organisation's establishment set up phase, to facilitate community engagement in the delivery of environmental infrastructure to their regions.

During this period I undertook a Churchill Fellowship to USA, Canada and Europe and studied the motivational factors for organisations integrating environmental principles into business plans.

As a Winston-Churchill Memorial Fellow I continue to assist and mentor further applicants on this amazing initiative.

Report available.

ICLEI_ is a non-profit international association of local governments and the community sector that have made a commitment to sustainable development.

I was a key player in ICLEI Oceania’s start up since its Australian incorporation in Sept 1999. This entrepreneurial organisation maintained a niche market of capacity building services in their areas of social and environmental development during my 10-year tenure. As part of the executive team, my role was to manage, problem-solve, co-facilitate and scenario plan for effective program development, organisational stability and growth. I was specifically tasked to secure new funding, relationship management and program development.

Article and Interview

As part of a Federal Government Scholarship Program and located in the Government Relations and Communication Dept. I assisted with a number of projects including providing advice on relationship management with the Commonwealth. I also undertook two self initiated research reports including “Lessons in Leadership” and “The Business of the Environment: Factors motivating industry to take up environmental initiatives”.

Located in UNEP’s Paris Oil and Petroleum Unit managing projects that explored best practice in the regulatory and voluntary approaches of the leading oil exploring and exporting countries. The experience provided a great exposure to the working of international diplomacy and cooperative policy making.

Program Management, Policy Development and Training Coordinator for the Federal Government. A formative time in personal development of program management, facilitation skills and understanding options to build engagement and capacity across sectors. It was also a role that enabled me to apply my environmental education and community building experience into the formation of government policy.