Rethinking Solidarity: Networks, Economies and Platforms

The idea of community based solidarity networks, campaigning on local issues and problems, and providing direct mutual aid on a day to day issues, seem to be a necessary next step in the current situation. They are also congruent with a whole series of currently developing political strategies, including the social strike, radical municipalism, social and community unionism and the idea of solidarity economies. However, so far people have found solidarity networks difficult to sustain and impossible to make scalable. In this workshop, we will be drawing on the experience of a number of solidarity networks, trying to draw out common problems and figuring out ways to address them.

In particular we will be concentrating on questions such as: how do we deal with a lack of resources and lack of time? How do we avoid falling into a service/service user or charity type of relationships? Can we use the mobilising power of the internet and social media to scale up solidarity networks? Could local newspapers fulfill a similar function? Can we link up solidarity networks to solidarity economies? How should they relate to the newly expanded Left of the Labour Party?


This post is one of a series announcing all the plenaries, workshops and entertainment at Plan C’s Fast Forward Festival this year. On Facebook? Join the event and follow the page for the latest.

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