Artemis Pattichi for Melbourne council

Waking up to these news makes me proud to be Victorian!

The Victorian parliament has passed a bill banning gay conversion therapy Gay conversion practices have been banned in Victoria following a marathon debate in the state's parliament overnight.

A small step in the right direction. I look forward to seeing these trams around our beloved and the beautiful First Nations artwork in proud display 🖤💛❤️

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/melbournes-2021-art-trams-will-be-designed-entirely-by-first-nations-artists-011221

Melbourne's 2021 Art Trams will be designed entirely by First Nations artists The 2021 Melbourne Art Trams will for the first time solely showcase the work of First Nations artists from Victoria.

The results are out. While I lost a seat on our council by a small number of votes, I want to wholeheartedly congratulate everyone who won a seat on Melbourne City Council and will be leading our city during the critical next four years.

While I lost the seat, I don’t count this as a loss. I feel greatly enriched by the people who gathered around me in help and support, by the people I met along the way, and by the many lessons I learned through engaging in such an exposing and political process to forge positive change.

I am very grateful and proud of staying true to representing my values throughout an intense elections process with many, many obstacles. I am also very grateful and proud of all the great people I met and got closer to because of this process, and of every single one of you who voted for me. I greatly appreciate you understanding and believing in my vision for our city.

I’ve learned a lot, about myself and our city’s political process and I am motivated more than ever to continue leading the positive change our city and community needs in different ways, including being an even more engaged citizen moving forward.

A great insight I will cherish when seeing the results, is acknowledging to myself that my value as a human being remains exactly the same, no matter the outcome, and that is something to celebrate. My worth or abilities haven’t changed since yesterday and I won’t stop working for our community and fighting for our environment.

I am very proud of how far a migrant like me got - overcoming many adversities, becoming a citizen just this May and running for council by August. ...campaigning during a pandemic lockdown no-less.

Thank you all so much for your support and congratulations to our new council team! 🙏✨❤️💕

Melbourne City Council election results 2020 Melbourne City Council election results 2020

Australia risks losing more than $3 trillion and 880,000 jobs unless it acts on climate change A new report warns failing to take action on climate change and avoid economic harm is a policy choice.

There’s less than 2 hours left before the 6pm deadline today to return your ballots!
As per the VEC, you can hand deliver it to VEC’s local election office in the CBD or put it in the mail. Keep in mind that local mail clearance times vary so please check your local times through AusPost.

As a reminder, voting in local council elections is mandatory.

HOW TO VOTE: On the blue Councillors ballot, make sure to number one and only one ticket box. Unlike the Lord Mayor ballot, you should NOT number all ticket boxes above the line. Only include the number 1 in a single box. Then your votes for all 59 councillor candidates are cast by order of that ticket’s preferences.
You can see my preferences on page 41 in the accompanying blue booklet.
The only instance to number all boxes is if you are voting below the line, where you have to correctly number every single councillor box from 1 - 59 for your vote to be valid.

I hope that I have won your vote by now and well done to every one of you for exercising such an important right that helps determine our collective future direction.

It was so great to speak with Melbourne’s Greek voice, newspaper NEOS KOSMOS today, resulting in the below profile piece. Look for it in this weekend’s print edition.

Thank you Ioanni and Neos Kosmos for the opportunity to reach our city’s Greek diaspora.

https://neoskosmos.com/el/258524/artemis-pattichi-aneksartiti-elliniki-foni-gia-tous-katoikous-tou-dimou-melvournis/

Άρτεμις Παττίχη: Ανεξάρτητη, ελληνική φωνή για τους κατοίκους του Δήμου Μελβούρνης | Neos Kosmos Με την πανδημία COVID-19 να πλήττει κάθε πτυχή της ζωής, καθημερινά και ειδικά στη Βικτώρια, ουκ ολίγοι πολίτες -και ανάμεσά τους πολλοί

I spoke with beloved Beat Magazine about how we can support our arts and live music sectors, strategies for rebuilding our local community and supporting our small businesses post-lockdown, and more.

You can read my plans about these important issues in the article below.

It’s a short scroll to get to them - I’m featured third.

https://www.beat.com.au/meet-the-candidates-melbourne-city-council/

Meet the candidates: Melbourne City Council Introducing the candidates for Melbourne City Council and their priorities for the community.

October is Mental Health Month and I want to contribute in this small way to eliminating the stigma. I would hide this in shame for years, which only made it worse, but I want to share it openly and publicly now if it means giving someone out there with a suffering mental health during these hard times, a ray of hope and a supporting hand.

I was diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder and Depression a few years ago, both debilitating at the time, putting my health and life at great risk. I then unknowingly subscribed to the "it's your own fault" and "You're weak, that's why this is happening, or ...You just can't cut it" mentalities around mental illness. That was detrimental to my recovery. It kept me suffering in isolation and would create the perfect environment and conditions for these two invisible illnesses to run rampant.

AN ILLNESS IS AN ILLNESS IS AN ILLNESS - whether it's externally visible or not.

What we say and how we treat others and ourselves, matters. It can either help or crush a person.

Four and a half years ago when I contracted these two illnesses, I never expected to ever be feeling well enough to dare run for public office. I barely expected to be well enough to work part time or even just leave the apartment. I first made sure to be kind to myself as much as possible, to practice acceptance, to seek the things I was grateful for every single day, to seek help, and then I started getting involved in things I care about, volunteering, taking small steps without putting pressure on myself.

Bit by bit, I ended up helping co-found the Southbank Sustainability Group (SSG). Bit by bit, I started feeling comfortable leading again (again with SSG), surrounded by a group of very supportive neighbours who became friends, all working together to bring positive change in the world. Without realising it, I had found my support system and a purpose to keep me seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That led me to joining the Southbank Residents Association committee, which taught me so much about our community's greatest needs, how to best contribute and how our council’s decisions impact our lives.
During that time I started feeling comfortable enough to take another small step and slowly start first volunteering my services and then start my own consulting business, using what I already knew to help social enterprises and nonprofits doing good, do even better by expanding their online presence, connecting my past experience to my present purpose.

Now, after all those small steps taken one at a time, by putting in the work on my mental health and by prioritising self-care, I am in a space where I am healthy and strong enough to serve our community at a wider level and so I decided to follow this crazy idea of running for Melbourne City Council. Only it doesn't seem that crazy anymore...

Now I get to look back on my journey and appreciate every single thing these two illnesses taught me, and how they have equipped me with unprecedented resilience to handle some of the toughest and darkest times, while giving me the tools to manage any amount of high stress or negativity thrown my way. Even though they are still faintly there, I understand them and their symptoms much better now, so they don't get in the way anymore. I work with them instead of fighting them and allow space for the symptoms to be expressed to then move on.

I never thought I'd be here now, so I hope that by sharing my experience and journey it helps those currently in their deepest suffering to see that there is hope and that you will eventually get out of this dark hole. Just keep being kind to yourself (all parts of yourself), keep remembering that you are much more that an illness you are currently carrying, keep connecting to your values, keep putting in the self-care work, open up to help, and keep taking small steps towards the things that make you happy.

If you need help, support, or someone to talk to, here are some great resources to point you in the right direction:

https://ozhelp.org.au/mental-health-month-take-action-this-october/
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/
https://headspace.org.au/blog/how-to-get-a-mental-health-care-plan/
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/mental-health-resources-coronavirus-covid-19

Please do not hesitate to reach out or PM me if you need someone nearby to talk to.

Our mental health is extremely important and it's time we eliminate the stigma. Take good care of yourselves during these unprecedented challenging times. 🙏

Mental health resources and tools - Black Dog Institute Mental health resources and support tools that you can trust knowing that everything that we produce is research-informed and recommended by professionals.

100 years ago, in 1920, Mary Rogers became the first woman in Victoria to be elected in local council. A Richmond councillor to be exact, described as "By all accounts, an extraordinary woman”. She and the women that came before her fighting for our right to vote, have paved the way for women like me to run today.
I hope to continue their extraordinary legacy, strength and leadership by being elected Melbourne City councillor and serving our city and its people well.

Remember to VOTE 1 for “ARTEMIS PATTICHI - INDEPENDENT LOCAL VOICE” on the Councillors ballot to make that happen. 🤜🤛

(Mary Rogers photo credit: City of Yarra)

I am honoured to be a guest on Glenford's "The Spirit Within" monthly radio show at 2pm-3pm today on the amazing 88.3 Southern FM!
I look forward to our conversation as we go through my 10 favourite songs and through them, talk about my life journey, my work with Southbank Sustainability Group and my eventual candidacy for council.

Tune in www.southernfm.com.au to listen live at 2pm.
(check the sidebar if you're on a mobile device)

88.3 Southern FM The Sounds of the Bayside

I'm looking forward to taking part on Southbank Residents Association's Meet the Candidates event - on at 6:30pm today. There still might be a few seats left to register and hear from candidates like me on Southbank-specific issues and plans.

Who understands the needs of Southbank residents? Who will listen, engage, and give us a voice on shaping the future of Southbank?

With the Melbourne City Council elections coming up in October, this is our opportunity to elect people who will truly represent our community.

Join us this Monday 12 October at 6.30pm for our online ‘Meet the Candidates’ event. We will have representatives from the Lord Mayor leadership teams including current Lord Mayor Sally Capp, as well as two local Southbank council candidates, Artemis Pattichi for Melbourne council (sustainability champion and previous SRA committee member), and Southbank resident Samantha Tran for City of Melbourne.

Register now to obtain the Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/yy5bhutb

Here are some of the key actions I plan to bring to council once elected.
There are of course many other issues and areas of interest I support (like helping our rough-sleepers get off the streets and into a home, etc.), but an extensive list would go on forever.

Email ([email protected]) or a PM me if you want to talk actions for any areas of interest not included below.

Remember to VOTE 1 for "Artemis Pattichi - Independent Local Voice" on the blue ballot for councillors, to get a fresh voice that represents residents and cares about environmental action in our local council.

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL✨

"I originally met Artemis through the Sustainability world in 2018 and as soon as we met, we clicked. Artemis is grounded in the deepest of values I hold close to my heart which is equality, reconnection to our planet and of course a sustainable future.

I implore anyone who is seriously wanting their vote in this election to go to someone who has their heart and mind on the future of our planet to vote for Artemis Pattichi. I know i am wanting a future good for all, and I know that will be delivered through Artemis. "

Kathryn Farrell - Co-Founder of Trash Bags On Tour

Meet my running mate, Adriana Mendieta Nino. Adriana is originally from Colombia, now living in Kensington. She is a proud LGBTIQA+ community member and has strong experience in community development programs, giving her a unique people-centred approach in her decision making.

Adriana's Candidacy Statement:

"Melbourne is a wonderful city and we can make it even better, more inclusive and respectful of nature with the right people in our city’s council.

I am a passionate community development professional born and raised in Colombia. I migrated to Melbourne in 2011 to pursue a Masters in International Development, find better job opportunities and very importantly, a peaceful life. I now live in Kensington and I believe I’ve found that life. This city has offered me a home, a place to grow professionally, express my opinions, and feel safe and welcomed as part of the LGBTIQ+ community. I now would like to give back to our city.

I have been working in monitoring and evaluation of community programs for the past seven years in the nonprofit and private sectors. I am currently working in a women-led, values-driven consulting organisation that collaborates with change-makers to design and evaluate solutions for social justice, local and community-led initiatives, and environmental sustainability. My experience in the social development sector and my engagement with our local Owner’s Corporation, have allowed me to identify the more pressing needs in our community and initiatives that would improve our quality of life.

I believe we need a more varied representation where decisions are made at the level of government closest to the community: our local council. We need fresh, independent voices from diverse, migrant backgrounds, and particularly women to achieve that more balanced representation that will lead us to better solutions.

Coming from a monitoring and evaluation background, I believe that accountability, collaborative program development, unbiased implementation, transparent reporting, and continuous improvement, driven by adaptability to the needs of people should be at the core of our city's development and plans."

VOTE 1 FOR TEAM "ARTEMIS PATTICHI - INDEPENDENT LOCAL VOICE" 👍

As your Melbourne City council ballots arrive in the mail, remember to 👉 VOTE 1 👈 for “Artemis Pattichi - Independent Local Voice” on the blue ballot for councillors.

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL✨

"We cannot sustainably continue to live as we have. Urgent action is needed and I know Artemis has the ability to lead and inspire us to build a better future just as she has proven with SSG. She is committed to the cause, and works with the community to find holistic solutions. When she sets her mind to something, she follows through. She lives by her values and is a role model to us all."

Linda – Member of Southbank Sustainability Group

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL✨

"It was 2.5 years ago when I received a Facebook message from Artemis;

I think your involvement will be great, Melissa! 🙂 Seeing how aligned your thinking is to the group. We look forward to meeting you!

Little did I know that I was about to not only meet one of the most inspirational, passionate, kind and caring persons ever but that I would make a friend for life through the Southbank Sustainability Group.

I wish I was still living in Southbank to be able to vote for Artemis for a councillor in October’s elections, because I know she truly embodies my personal core values; Caring for ALL people as well as the environment. I also know that she will always be a voice reason and advocate for well informed & sustainable solutions to improve her community’s wellbeing on all possible levels.

You probably have seen a lot of praise for NZ prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, especially this year. Are you one of those people who has thought at least once “I wish we could have a leader like her”? Well luckily there are ‘Jacindas’ in every country and Artemis is one of them. We just need to elect them."

Melissa Tuliranta - Co-Founder of Trash Bags On Tour & former member of Southbank Sustainability Group

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL✨

"Artemis has proved herself a strong community leader. She is well known for her work in Southbank where she has led the creation of an award winning sustainability group. She is passionate about the environment and takes positive steps to improve the world far beyond her immediate residential area.

She is efficient and organised, achieving success in promoting her message to the community and in establishing strong community ties. She constantly looks ahead to her next goal and is tireless in her energy to achieve it.

Above all, she cares, not only for the environment, but for the people she meets and their personal happiness."

Jenny King - Co-Founder of Southbank Sustainability Group

My eco-friendly campaign flyers are in! If you live in City of Melbourne you‘ll see them around. If you don’t, pinch in the photo to read the info up close.

Let’s make our city better to live-work-play through good leadership. 🙌

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL - ✨

"My association with Artemis Pattichi has been as a member of the Southbank Sustainability group (SSG) at Boyd.
Essentially, SSG has been connecting people in the neighbourhood, creating a growing sense of social cohesion in what is an extremely socially, culturally and generationally diverse community and Artemis has always been at the forefront of the initiatives that effected that emerging cohesion.

As a driving force for the group, Artemis continues to encourage the community to adopt more sustainable living options through a range of initiatives both practical and educational such as the recycling action plan which will lead to a more sustainable local community.

In a relatively short time and as a leader of the SSG, Artemis has been instrumental in generating an evolving sense of community and in promoting a gentle cohesive force across a diverse spread of generations, social backgrounds and cultures. I would greatly appreciate having Artemis represent me and my community at a more influential level."

Heather Wheat - Southbank Resident (17 years)

✨SMALL BUSINESS TESTIMONIAL✨

"Artemis Pattichi has been the driving force behind the high profile and awards that have been achieved by the Southbank Sustainability Group. As a businessman with concerns for the environment, as well as wanting a strong and independent voice for our community, I welcome her decision to run for council."

Daniel - Proprietor of My Goodness - Pizza & Burgers

✨TESTIMONIAL✨

"I fully support Artemis for Councillor for City Of Melbourne. She will be a grass-roots representative for residents' issues."

Mike Vallis - Ex-Treasurer of Southbank Residents Association

✨COMMUNITY TESTIMONIAL - Full version✨

"I first met Artemis Pattichi about four years ago when a group of us co-founded the Southbank Sustainability Group (SSG) and was immediately impressed with her ability to captivate people with her dedication to create a better world. Since then, Artemis has solidified her connection to the community by giving us a voice so that our opinions are heard and our concerns are addressed. Our achievements and numerous awards would not have eventuated without Artemis’ hard work and dedication and I consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have her working with us.

Aside from these capabilities, Artemis is charismatic and hard-working and to be given the opportunity to have her represent us is fantastic as I’m sure she would be an outstanding councillor."

Arji Fry - Co-founder of SSG

My first ever campaign poster is at the printers (a green printing certified company I was lucky to find) and I will soon have this little thing posted around noticeboards and other spots around our beautiful city's suburbs. Keep an eye out for it. 😊

A few of you asked how you can donate to my campaign. Well, now you can on the link below.👇

✨ artemis4melbournecouncil.raisely.com ✨

Donations will help greatly in reaching more Melburnians while in lockdown.

I only accept small-amount donations (up to $250) to stay fully impartial if elected and represent all Melburnians equally & fairly.

Artemis Pattichi for Melbourne Artemis4MelbourneCouncil : Make a donation today to get a strong community voice into council

Going down memory lane, I got to remember the honour of participating in Climactic podcast‘s 'Amazon Fires Special' episode last year. The discussions we had then are still very much relevant today.
You can listen to the full episode here:
https://www.climactic.com.au/show/climactic/the-amazon-fires-special/

The forms are in and it’s official: I’m running for City Council! 🎉🙌

RIP to a powerful force of nature, a woman that fought (and won) for everyone’s justice and equality. Thank you for inspiring us and everything you’ve done for us, .

I want to believe you were ready to leave because you knew we‘re ready to carry your torch of justice, equality and freedom.

May you continue to inspire and empower us from the beyond. 🙏✨💚

It’s heartwarming to see children playing and having fun together again at our local Boyd community park - after months of the playground being closed.
It brings back a sense of community for us all. 💚

I’m honoured to have been a part of The Thread Podcast’s first Sustainability Panel, alongside some amazing women creating inspirational change for our planet. 💚

Tune into The Thread this Sunday 20/09 at 19:30 to catch this exciting episode.👇

This Sunday night we have a treat for you!
Tune in at 7:30pmAEST

It’s great to see local cafes - like my local Corner Co. 1903 - still make Covid-safe sustainable choices available, staying true to their commitment to sustainable action. It made my day with a delicious coffee in a mug-wall borrowed mug and Fernie keeping me company!

(CornerCo’s swap cups are also the most affordable around, reusable with a compostable end-of-life.) 💚

A Melbourne recovery fund has been announced today, to help hospitality businesses open up again outdoors, promising practical solutions. It also aims to help events and cultural activities. A much-needed aid to Melbourne's small businesses and treasured arts community.
Read more in today’s The Age:

Dining on the streets: $100m fund to help Melbourne recover from COVID Bars and restaurants will take their operations to the streets this summer, under a multi-million dollar package designed to prop up city's hospitality sector.

I am honoured that my first interview about my candidacy, made the front page of this month's Southbank News. Celebrating its 100th edition no-less.
A beautiful job done both by Sean Car with words and John Tadigiri with photos.

You can read the full article here: https://www.southbanklocalnews.com.au/editions/article/artemis-enters-the-race-for-council_10017/

👇 this right here

We can't say this enough: vote for climate. Protecting our planet is on the ballot.