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J.
Donald
R. de Raadt has taught
in universities in Australia, the USA and Sweden.
In 1993 he was
appointed as professor by the Swedish government
and held the Chair in
Informatics and System Science at Luleå Tekniska
Universitet for twelve
years. He has served as President of the
International Society for the
Systems Sciences (USA), President of the Swedish
Operational Research
Society and Vice-President of the International
Federation for Systems
Research in Vienna. He has played a leading
international role in
systems science and philosophy and developed an
ethical approach
directed towards community development and a
humane life. He is the
author of several books; his research has been
published in most of the
international systems journals and presented in
conference papers; and
he has been guest key-note speaker in Australia,
USA, Europe and Latin
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Veronica
D. de Raadt qualified as a social worker in
Australia and after earning
a masters degree in the US, worked in domestic
violence and mental
health. To add to her skills in the human
services, she earned her
doctoral degree in Sweden and studied human
factors in community
development in remote communities. The results are
summarized in her
book Ethics and Sustainable Community Design. In
Sweden she also taught
psychology, sociology and research methods at
Luleå Tekniska
Universitet and worked with EU-funded community
development projects.
She founded, together with her husband, the
Institute for Management
and Social Systems in Sweden, now operating in
Australia as the
Melbourne Centre for Community Development. Her
research has been
published in the main systems journals and been
presented at
international conferences in Europe and the US.
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Xinyan
Wee
(BA, MTeach, GradDipArts) is an educator whose
research interests
include the systemic impact of education, child
development and
humanistic pedagogy. Her teaching experience is
extensive, having
taught students of diverse levels and backgrounds
ranging from primary
to tertiary institutions in both Singapore and
Australia. This has
given her the opportunity to engage and work with
a variety of
education philosophies, notably, the Steiner and
Emilia-Reggio
programs. Currently an adjunct lecturer with SIM
University in
Singapore, she is also the founder and editor of a
Singapore-based
youth publication, inkq, as well as a co-founder
of a literacy project,
Once Upon a Monday, offering creative English
enrichment to children
from lower socioeconomic demographics for free.
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Christian
Maciel De Britto (BA, MA, D.Soc.) is a Brazilian
sociologist. His
research applies Multimodal Systems Thinking to
study issues related to
the sustainable development of communities. He is
a member of the
research group in Epistemology and Environmental
Sociology and of the
Centre for Rural Studies of Parana (both
recognized by the National
Council for Scientific and Technological
Development of Brazil). He
also works in partnership with NGO's such as YWAM
(Youth With a
Mission) and Harvest Foundation teaching
theoretical and practical
community development principles.
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Sue-Lee
Seng
(Bachelor of Architecture, Grad Diploma in
Community Development
Programme) worked as an architect from 2004-2011.
She has been
volunteering since 2007 in Melbourne teaching
underprivileged children
in the inner-city public housing estates good
moral principles in a fun
and positive environment. In 2009, she went to
China to help the local
farmers harvest potatoes with a team of
volunteers. She has also
volunteered with an architecture not-for-profit
organisation in 2007 to
help build latrines in Solomon Islands after the
community was stricken
by a tsunami in 2007. She founded RIAH in 2011, a
community-based
hairstyle business which funds and raises
awareness of needs in her
social spheres of influence. She currently works
as a children’s pastor
and a community developer in Melbourne.
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