Tamborine Mountain Universe

The Elevate Prize funding will be used to further develop the social pledge of the project: to deliver access to STEM, Science, Space and Astronomy for the disadvantaged. We expect to find funding for the technical equipment required for our 360 Full Sphere Planetarium and our Experience Centre, but it will be harder to fulfill our goals to optimize and maximize the goal of inclusion of disadvantages kids. It will need tailor-made adjustments to the technical and digital equipment. And it will be adjusted to limitations in internet-access at remote locations.
Creating a superior digital framework to reach out to those children will be needed to achieve this - major - aspect of Tamborine Mountain Universe. For me personally this is the ultimate goal, and it has become that as well for our entire team and Social Enterprise.

When I decided in 2002 to move from The Netherlands to Australia, after a successful career in journalism, management and science, I redefined my goal in life as 'giving back'. I got involved in Landcare in the region, become president and turned it from a tiny 'one dollar' club into an organisation that made a significant impact on the restoration of the natural environment. I used methods that are common in the corporate world, especially the attitude of accepting the existence, and importance, of money. I received an Australia Day 'Special Mayors' Award in 2008 for these achievements.
Around that time I was also diagnosed with leukemia. That experience re-in-forced my commitment to the community. After three years full time on the road, and publishing Wake Up Time, a book about the social problems in Indigenous Communities, we settled down on Tamborine Mountain. Here I published Green Island in the Sky (a coffee table photo book about the nocturnal wildlife of our rainforests), became vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and founded TM Universe. I'm strongly driven by ideals (science, education, healthcare, inequality), but like the challenge to realize the dreams using entrepreneurial concepts and principles.

TM Universe addresses a number of issues. Society is increasingly feeling loss of self-determination. Dramatic growth of inequality and concentration of power at big enterprise and government has given Big Brother more impact than ever before. TM Universe is a substantial not for profit project (requiring about $ 10 million in investment) that will give back power to the community, but also contribute significantly to the local economy.
The fact that 'normally' governments build museums or experience centers does not mean that this should be the standard: community involvement is strength.
When I visited Willowra, a tiny Indigenous settlement in the middle of the Tanami Desert, 200 kms from the nearest sealed road, a boy of 15 years old, Timothy, followed me the whole day, like a duckling. Without saying a word. Finally we sat down and this what what he said: "Please explain me what are black holes". This kid has no chance to ever find out. Governments, business and Indigenous bureaucracies have failed for decades to solve this problem. And they won't because they expect different outcomes using the same solutions.

• TM Universe addresses a wide range of topics like modern technology, community ownership, zero carbon, support for disadvantaged kids, market based system for revenue, no ongoing dependence on subsidies and grants. The only way forward was a strong membership, and a legal structure that values everyone' interests. We had to establish a not for profit association, supported by a trust, but all embedded in charity status.
• The first million in funding did not require one government or corporate dollar; this in itself shows how unique this project already is.
• The Technical Director and the Building Designers are volunteers, even though they work at the highest levels in their professions and industry.
• They are attracted to the not for profit model, together with a very professional set up of the project. This also applies to locals who invest.

The word disruptive clearly comes to mind, when defining the independence of TM Universe. In our experiences so far the combination of a market approach and economic model are very good for us. But it has to be acknowledged that the Council is far from impressed. They only focus on the criteria we have to meet. We will meet them.... :-)

Tamborine Mountain Universe will show that people, if they organise themselves, have much more power then they realise. We are not the slaves of governments or big industry. If we succeed, we prove that communities can have self-determination.
Tamborine Mountain is the largest town in Australia without town water: we all depend on bores and rain water. The community is happy with this, but we do need a 'back up' system in case of drought. The solution, in the form of water storage for the community, is easy, but the council systematically refuses this. So, we will build a megaliter storage on 'our land': community paid, for the benefit of the community.
Given that conservatism is galore in Down Under, a full sphere planetarium would most likely never have been considered. But without government, people make the difference.
Use of modern technology will allow us to reach out way beyond our land. This aspect will have to be investigated during the build up of the precinct. 
And indeed: we're guided by the community and society's needs, not by stakeholders' wallets.