Let’s pick up our pencils and redraw the world together
We have an amazing opportunity in Dudley to be part of the very beginning of an enquiry connecting artists, designers, economists, ecologists, gardeners, teachers, neighbours and many more to redesign and get to the heart of new economic possibilities for our high streets, towns and neighbourhoods.
We are seeking renegade neighbourhood economists; people who live, work or play in Dudley and are curious about economics fit for the 21st century. Economic ideas which are focused on meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet.
🍩 Introducing Doughnut Economics
“People can get scared of economics, but nobody is scared of a doughnut!” — Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics.
The doughnut she is talking about:
offers a vision of what it means for humanity to thrive in the 21st century — and Doughnut Economics explores the mindset and ways of thinking needed to get us there. First published in 2012 in an Oxfam report the concept rapidly gained traction internationally, from the UN General Assembly to the Occupy movement. Kate’s 2017 book, Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist, further explored the economic thinking needed to bring humanity into the Doughnut, drawing together insights from diverse economic perspectives in a way that everyone can understand.
(Source: Doughnut Economics Action Lab)
You could also think of this doughnut as a compass for human prosperity in the 21st century, with the aim of meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet.
The doughnut offers a playful, practical platform and compass for how we thrive in the 21st century. This involves finding the safe and just space between the social foundations for us to flourish and the planetary boundaries that protect Earth’s life supporting systems, ensuring we don’t continue to exceed our ecological ceiling. It offers us ways to think and design together at a range of scales, with everyday, creative, practical action that is grounded in deep, rigorous, scientific evidence about the scale of the challenges ahead. (Source: Civic Square )
The doughnut has been warmly embraced by entire countries and major cities. It’s time to bring economics back to the scale of streets and neighbourhoods, the places we call home. (The word ‘economics‘ comes from the Greek words, ‘eco’ meaning home and ‘nomos’ meaning management. Put simply, economics means the art of household management.)
In 2022 Dudley has an opportunity to be one of the first places in the world to consider this local scale and downscale the doughnut.
🧐 Curious?
There are up to 12 fully funded places available in a Peer-to-Peer Learning Journey focused on Doughnut Economics in Dudley. We even have a copy of Doughnut Economics to give to each learner.
Dudley’s Doughnut Economics Peer-to-Peer Learning Journey is one of 12 which will take place at the same time in different parts of the UK and internationally. The Learning Journey lasts for 6 months, and is kind of an advanced book club. For the first 3 months we will be taking a deep dive into Doughnut Economics, then we will move into 3 months of experiments taking the ideas off the page and into action at the scale of the household, street and neighbourhood. (Key dates are listed at the very end of this post.)
The Kick Off weekend will be in Birmingham on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 February 2022.
📖 Then we will Deep Dive into Doughnut Economics with weekly peer group meet ups in Dudley on Wednesday evenings, 6pm-8pm at CoLab Dudley on Dudley High Street and/or online (depending on COVID restrictions) February to June. There will also be a Mini Studio Meet Up in Birmingham on Saturday 26 March and a Mini Showcase event in Birmingham on the evening of Friday 13 May.
💡As we begin Taking The Ideas Off The Page there will be Deep Work Studio Days (on Saturdays) in Birmingham, a Programme Showcase on the weekend on 23 and 24 July 2022 and a Wrap up and Celebration Dinner on Sunday 25 September 2022.
This Peer-to-Peer experience is designed to integrate your learning into whatever kind of work or local doing you already do, so it really shouldn’t feel like a huge commitment or pull on your time. Indeed the idea is that it will deepen your thinking and connect you to all kinds of support and encouragement, expanding the possibilities and potential of what you do.
🙋♀️ I am the host for Dudley’s Doughnut Economics Learning Journey. This is something I am doing in an unpaid capacity, as a Time Rebel in Dudley. I will be exploring ways for the 45 Time Rebels also supported by CoLab Dudley to come into relationship with the renegade neighbourhood economists on this Learning Journey, so that a wider web of peers is activated.
💻 Find out more
If you’d like to chat with about what’s involved, you can register for an online session on Wednesday 5 January. There are two times being offered; 3pm-4pm and 6pm-7pm
- Register to find out more on Zoom on Wed 5 January, 3pm-4pm
- Register to find out more on Zoom on Wed 5 January, 6pm-7pm
Or feel free to email me: lorna@dudleycvs.org.uk or call/message/WhatsApp me: 07501 722 255
📝 Apply to join the Learning Journey in Dudley
You don’t have to attend a session to find out more, nor do you need to wait for one of these sessions to apply to join the Learning Journey in Dudley. You can go straight to this form to apply now.
💝 Generosity making this work possible
The Doughnut Economics Peer-to-Peer Learning Journeys have been instigated and are supported by Civic Square (a CoLab Dudley learning partner), who are focused on downscaling and co-creating the Doughnut Economics framework to the neighbourhood scale.
Other collaborators providing support to Dudley’s Learning Journey are peer-led learning innovators Enrol Yourself and the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, who are turning Doughnut Economics from a radical idea into transformative action.
I’ve popped a quick links and a video below, to help you find your way to relevant content.
🗓 Key dates
- Kick off Weekend — Sat 12 & Sun 13 February 2022 | Birmingham
- Weekly Peer Group Meet Ups — Wednesdays 6pm-8pm February to June 2022| @ CoLab Dudley, High St, Dudley / online
- Mini Studio Meet Up — Sat 26 March 2022 | 10am — 5pm | Birmingham
- Mini showcase — Fri 13 May 2022 | 18pm-21:00pm
- Deep Work Studio Day — Sun 22 May 2022 | 10am-6pm | Birmingham
- Deep Work Studio Day — Sat 4 June 2022 | 10am-6pm | Birmingham
- Deep Work Studio Day — Sun 19 June | 10am-6pm | Birmingham
- Deep Work Studio Day — Sat 2 July | 10am-6pm | Birmingham
- Final Showcase — Sat 23 and 24 July 2022 | Birmingham
- Wrap Up and Celebration Dinner — Sat 25 September | Birmingham
🔗 Quick links and a video
- Doughnut Economics Action Lab doughnuteconomics.org
- Civic Square Neighbourhood Doughnut
- Civic Square Peer-to-Peer Learning Journeys
- … including more about why I’m hosting one in Dudley and who it’s for
