Invitation to the Scottish Degrowth Network first online meeting
Thursday 17th June 2020, 2 – 4pm
Calling all people and communities committed to developing and practicing the alternatives beyond a market-oriented world…
What?
Enough! is seeking to energise and inspire the forming of a Scottish-specific network of alternatives. We are interested in connecting those who are actively interested and working with degrowth, post-growth and alternative economies and who are committed to the work of decolonisation (see notes below).
Who?
This is a network for people who have an explicitly anti-capitalist analysis and who are specifically committed to ideas and practices related to degrowth and decolonisation.
We see the potential for a network to build connections, relationships and awareness between and across people and groups who are supportive of and working towards a degrowth agenda.
Inspired by the mycelium system of mushrooms,* we believe that connecting people and groups who have shared analysis and practice is a critical part of ensuring that the seeds of the new system are more practiced, connected and viable when cracks appear.
We hope this will be a space for weaving and convening a diversity of people and projects, fostering greater collective intelligence and resilience. It could be be a space to share knowledge, ideas and experience, facilitating information flows across groups and creating opportunities to connect.
We seek to be guided by shared principles of care, generosity, abundance, common cause, mutualism, transparency, inclusion, equity and our full humanity. With these ideas and principles as our starting point, we seek to shape the activities and work of the network together with those who are interested.
Enough’s Role
Enough! have some small staff resources and budget that could be used to support the early forming, coordination enabling of a new network. While we are keen to nurture the early stages of any network, we are not aiming or seeking to lead it: our ambition is towards a self-organising root system.
We also acknowledge the potential messiness of this work. We do not come with a clear agenda, but will have some parameters. We recognise that there are and will be power dynamics to be navigated together.
First Network Event, Thursday 17 September 2020, 2pm – 4pm
If you are interested, please join us for a first conversation – beginning to think about what shaping a network together might look like, what such a network needs to be, and how it can support us all to do the best work.
Our first online gathering will take place on the 17th September, 2-4pm, using the Zoom platform.
If you would like to join us, Please complete the registration form below.
In order to host what we hope is a fruitful and productive conversation, we will seek to limit numbers to 25. If needed, we will arrange to host a second conversation.
The registration form also includes a few short questions to help us build a better understanding of who is interested:
- what does ‘degrowth’ mean to you?
- what does ‘decolonisation’ mean to you?
- how do you see anti-capitalist + degrowth practices in your work?
- we might need facilitators for online sessions – are you interested?
We may seek to circulate responses to everyone who registers prior to the event. Please let us know if you would prefer us to not share.
*Registration will close on Friday 11th September at 5pm.*
Once you have registered, a welcome email will be sent about a week prior to the launch event, containing details of how to join the zoom call and other relevant information including signposts to further reading and video material.
Notes on Degrowth & Decolonisation
- Degrowth is a challenge to growth-based capitalism. While you may not describe your work as ‘degrowth’, if you are developing alternative ways of doing things which disrupt profit-driven and growth-at-all-costs work, you are probably close. See: Enough’s Call to Embrace Degrowth Thinking in Scotland; Enough’s Open Letter on Economic Recovery
- Decolonisation. We understand the work of decolonisation as both and internal and external – internal work reclaiming lost practices and ways of being, and external work recognising that there is much to be done on anti-racism in Scotland. We recognise Scotland’s past as both coloniser and colonised. We also recognise that a decolonised global climate justice is vital.
While we recognise that there are different perspectives, we are clear that by taking part in this network you must be committed to be in inquiry and learning around these issues.
* The word mycelium means ‘more than one.’ The mycelium organism is a dynamic root system of mushrooms that utilises trust as a mechanism to build and sustain a vast, reciprocal, underground network that connects the roots of trees and plants and skillfully shares nutrients and resources to support the health of the entire ecosystem with which it moves. See more
Thank you