Communities for Future Sessions — enabling networking and learning for a fairer, regenerative world
We are launching a series of monthly online sessions, starting from October 2020.
This is an open invitation to everyone who is curious about the new action programme, Communities for Future, and to everyone who recognizes themselves as being connected with the European community-led sustainability movement (or who would like to be part of it!).
We will focus on the following themes: in October, celebration; in November, showcasing community-led movements; and in December, Communities of Practice. You are welcome to join us!
Through these online sessions, we will co-create an open space for multilateral networking, learning and collaboration across different groups, sectors and individuals that are, or aspire to be, connected to Communities for Future, ECOLISE, the European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, related Communities of Practice and to each other.
These meetings are intended to strengthen our collective bonds, enhance collaboration and leverage our voices. This initiative is part of ECOLISE’s desire to hear from its members and to offer spaces for individuals in our networks to connect with each other and organize themselves as a living and breathing network of changemakers. We envision that as we weave together our diverse expertise and visions, a broader systemic understanding begins to emerge and we can identify new pathways towards widespread societal transformation.
Our first three online sessions will be:
Wed 21 OCTOBER at 17–19 CEST
Celebration! How we’ve made a difference in 2020
We invite you to a virtual feast, celebrating the launch of the Communities for Future program and YOUR valuable work in community-led action groups contributing to a sustainable local and societal transition. This event is meant for displaying and celebrating together as a group of peers the big and small achievements and milestones from European community-led initiatives in 2020. For many of us at the personal level and within our movements, this year has been a tough one. That stresses the importance of turning our focus to what truly inspires us and how we are already making a difference. Now it’s more important than ever to stand together with what we love and what we cherish, feel the power of community and build our bonds stronger.
This event is interactive, participatory and open for all new and old acquaintances from the community-led movements. As we cannot offer you a feast buffet or a bubbly drink through the screen, we invite you to bring along your favourite dessert and a drink, and dress up in a way that makes you feel celebratory. You are invited to bring along and share your story of joy and success from the past months with a picture, a brief presentation, a poem, a song — or anything that helps us celebrate with you. These accomplishments don’t need to be huge — just think of something that made a difference for you. We will also take time to express gratitude to each other and the important people who have supported us and our networks lately.
As our movement is large, we will offer a limited number of opportunities for presenting your celebratory expressions upfront in the main session. Yet all participants will have the chance to be heard and share in small group sessions. When registering for the event, please share with us if you’d like to present in the main session, so we’ll reserve a time for you.
Please register for the session here and you’ll get the Zoom link immediately to your email.
Mon 9 NOVEMBER at 17–18.30 CET
Communities for Future — catalyzing societal transformation through community-led action
In collaboration with Humanity rising Global Solutions Summit, we will showcase the transformative potential of community-led action on climate change and sustainability. We will give voice to the movements of Ecovillages, Permaculture and Transition, which comprise the backbone of Communities for Future, the new Europe-wide action programme spearheaded by ECOLISE. We will hear about approaches and accomplishments that local communities take in responding to the challenges of our time. We explore together what are the prerequisites for catalyzing effective community-led action on a local level and how this can contribute to systemic transformation within and across society.
This session is ideal for people who are not yet very familiar with the community-led movements. It is not as participatory as our other sessions, as it has the format of a webinar, consisting of presentations, roundtable conversation and a Q&A with the audience.
You can also watch the live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/c/UbiquityUniversity
And you can find the recording afterwards here: https://ubiverse.org/groups/humanity-rising-global-solutions-summit/documents
Wed 2 DECEMBER at 17–19 CET
Communities of Practice — leveraging impact by learning together
Join us to explore what is a Community of Practice (CoP) and what can be their role in strengthening community-led responses to societal challenges. In this online session we will hear stories from three Communities of Practice from the ECOLISE network. These CoPs bring people with a shared passion to learn, experiment and innovate together. We explore what makes it inspiring to be part of a CoP, how CoPs can organize themselves effectively and how they make an impact. Also, we will discuss the benefits and prerequisites for multilateral collaboration between different CoPs, weaving pieces together for a broader systemic view and pathways to societal transformation at large.
This event consists of presentations, roundtable conversation and group discussion between participants. It is equally meant for members of existing CoPs that connect to ECOLISE, for people totally new to this concept and for individuals that have a desire to engage more with Communities for Future, the European community-led movements or with ECOLISE.
Follow us for further information and registration details. Sign up to the Communities for Future newsletter
