sustaining resistance, empowering renewal
10th Nov to 18th Nov 2012
Tools for Effective-Sustainable Activism
A 9 day workshop in the Catalan Pyrenees
This workshop, in a remote and wild valley in the Catalan Pyrenees, offers a range of tools, collective and personal, which can make our activism more effective. These methods can help us stay in it for the long haul, adding continuity to our movement building. They can be used to ensure the collective and organisational dimensions of our activism exemplify the values we’re struggling for. And they can help us stay inspired, nourished, & more creative in our tactical approach.
The course applies systems thinking, ecological thought and radical critical analysis to the practice of activism and the building of participatory social movements. It will bring together activists from across Europe, to share practice and re-inforce networks.
The workshop will use methods of holistic and participatory learning: cognitive, critical, emotional, and visceral. And the event will model direct democratic social forms.
What are the aims of the course?
- To offer tools to help us work effectively with the inner dimension of social engagement, learning to manage fear, frustration, despair and despondency and to stay in touch with the compassion that lies beneath them.
- To discover ways of maintaining greater personal balance, creativity, flexibility, resilience and clarity and how to remain open and grounded so that we are better empowered for action.
- To learn methods for managing energy recognising the importance of self-care and how to incorporate this in our lives.
- To discover how we can avoid emotional hardening and cynicism
- To identify and draw upon the sources of nourishment and inspiration that supports our engagement and helps us realise our potential as organisers and empowered agents for social change.
- To explore methods which support more skilful communication within our own groups and networks, so we can minimise the energy is expended in our organisations resolving (or harbouring) resentments, conflicts, betrayals – and enable our own organisations to more fully exemplify the values we are working for.
- To equip ourselves with an understanding of methods of inter-personal work in groups, communities and networks which exemplify the values we are striving to realise in the world –consensus building, power dynamics, collective processes, empowerment and leadership
- To apply insights and methods from the Buddhist tradition, such as meditation in a way that frees them of “religious” baggage and renders them appropriate for integration into the culture of social activism.
- To create a vibrant and supportive temporary community of social activists so that the sharing of their experience can deepen a shared understanding of the above issues.
We have some bursary funding available for activists from across Europe. There is space on the application to ask to be considered for these. If you do not require funding we hope you will be prepared to make a contribution. We run on a Dana Economy, which means we depend on donated contributions to ensure our events are economically viable. So please support the events and project by giving what you can. It helps us to plan the finances to know in advance what you can offer. We estimate overall costs of the event to be around €300 per person. Contact us for an application form.
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