Testimonials

AELA Education Courses

Explore AELA's Professional Development Courses: Introduction to Earth Laws, Earth-Centred Futures, and the new, Introduction to Decolonisation on the courses page.

Working with AELA

Tom O’Farrell

Volunteer with AELA during 2022-2023

'Having the opportunity to Volunteer at AELA has been an excellent experience; I have enjoyed contributing to the outstanding work that AELA does through increasing people's understanding of ecocentric governance. I was looking for an organisation to complete my Pro Bono hours as a part of my law school degree when I came across AELA in my university's Pro Bono Handbook, I had always been interested in the energy transition space and AELA intrigued me.

AELA provided me with the assistance I needed to pursue my research task on the Rights of Nature - the task allowed me to practise and advance my legal research skills which I found very beneficial. I encourage all legal students to volunteer at AELA if you are interested in the environment and want to work with a fun team. Michelle and the rest of the crew are very supportive and are making a real difference in the way people see and interact with the environment.’ 

Niña Guno

Professional Volunteer, media and marketing

I volunteered for AELA because I was interested in its approach to making the Earth liveable for all beings. I come from the Philippines, a country whose natural resources have been depleted due to colonial and capitalist interests, and at the expense of Indigenous people who have long cared for our land. I see parallels with the Australian experience, and I feel a connection in the philosophy of AELA to acknowledge our broken systems and find ways to reimagine our laws and the economy for a better, more inclusive world.

My background is in journalism and I’ve done a few stories on the environment, but AELA’s approach was completely new to me. Even if I was a newcomer, the AELA team — Michelle, James and Sarah — were receptive to my ideas and I appreciated that they respected my time in volunteering for them even if it was limited because of other life commitments.

I highly recommend volunteering with AELA if you like collaboration, new and diverse ideas, and people who lead with empathy. Thank you AELA for the opportunity!