The Victoria Wisdom Council is a randomly selected group of citizens – symbolically representing all the people of Victoria – speaking on issues that affect us all.

Participation in a Wisdom Council is free and voluntary. Because of the random selection of its members, the Wisdom Council is independent. It does not represent any voice other than its own.

The Council chooses issues based on what the members feel is important. These issues are discussed and at the end of the meeting a unanimous statement is reached and presented to the public, after which this Wisdom Council disbands. A new Wisdom Council will be convened in the near future.

Statement of the First Victoria Wisdom Council

The Victoria Wisdom Council recognizes that the fabric of our society is fraying in a variety of ways:

• We are increasingly isolated from each other
• We are losing connection with our environment and making choices that have grave impacts upon it
• Our society is increasingly socially and environmentally unsustainable
• There is a growing disconnection between our government and the people

We believe these issues are solvable by fostering a shift from “I” to “We” in our attitudes and actions, by taking a greater role in our democracy, and by recognizing our personal responsibility for these issues.

The Victoria Wisdom Council encourages citizens to become more civically engaged and politically active, by:

• Empowering disenchanted people to reconnect with public life
• Providing more people to people connections, and
• Offering new ways of finding and using our voice

The Wisdom Council itself is one way of achieving this.