Reflections and Learnings from the 2023 Post Growth Fellowship
As the second cohort comes to a close, we’re reflecting on another year of joyful community, solidarity, and collaboration.
The vision of the Fellowship is to open up the conversation around post-growth ideas, information, and inspiration — in recognition that many alternative approaches are emerging from, and continue to be stewarded in, the Global South and historically marginalized communities across the world. We remain deep in learning as this vision continues to be realized and developed with our wonderful Fellows and Affiliate Fellows.
A community of joy and solidarity
Some of the most resounding feedback shared this year has been about the strength and comfort of community fostered by the Fellowship. Our Fellows appreciated the conversations, the shared space, and the warm, rewarding connections it gave rise to — as well as the opportunity to learn from each other, uncover intersections in their work and how it supports post-growth movements around the world. For some Fellows, the greatest value was to feel part of something, which in itself is nurturing.
Our monthly Fellowship Cafe was also well received, with participants enjoying the casual nature of the space and appreciating the PGI team’s “intricate and elegant weaving of the community.”
Sharing space as an end, not a means
In most spheres and organizations, it’s common practice to meet to accomplish a particular task. This means that things can often feel rushed. Fellows expressed their surprise and appreciation that the Fellowship engagements were not like that at all: conversely, they are about “sharing space with other like-minded people as an end in itself,” as one participant beautifully put it.
Within the Fellowship and at the PGI more widely, we focus on the relational side of life first and foremost. Being, and being together, comes before doing. During each online meeting or engagement call, we start with a grounding and work with an asset-based approach that fosters connections and helps participants find meaningful common ground.
Like last year, Fellows were also glad for the camaraderie and ability to share worldviews as equals — hopes and frustrations alike.
A supportive network and outlet
The Post Growth Fellowship is about supporting and uplifting post-growth practitioners rather than adding to their workload. Fellows expressed gratitude for our flexibility and understanding, and the freedom the program offers as to the extent they participate.
Others expressed the value of the Fellowship as a supportive outlet for their work, including critiques of existing post-growth and degrowth approaches. For some, the regular Fellowship newsletter nourished their work in transformative ways by spotlighting their peers’ perspectives, content, events, and opportunities.
At the PGI we strive to co-create a culture of connection and humanity, and it’s heartening to know that Fellows experienced this, too. The diversity of Fellows and focus on participants from the Global South was acknowledged as key to helping people feel confident to journey together towards a post-growth future.
Despite Fellows’ vastly different backgrounds, the points of connection were numerous, in good faith, and non-judgmental, so that each person’s strengths and unique experiences can contribute to the collective’s wealth of knowledge.
Intention setting for 2024 and beyond
While the Fellowship was appreciated as an opportunity to understand how post-growth manifests around the world, across cultures and sectors, many Fellows expressed a similar need: to understand from the outset more about post growth and what it means or looks like, especially in their peers’ work, research, art, and activism and how it contributes to post-growth movements. Fellows were also keen to learn more about the PGI and its programs, and ways to support and/or contribute to our work.
Providing this information through a variety of channels and resources will be a priority for us in 2024 and beyond. It’s also an invitation to us as an organization to clearly articulate our mission and vision, and how Fellows can enter into a mutually supportive relationship with us.
Some Fellows expressed the need for more participants from under-represented countries and continents, and, relatedly, those bringing different types of energy. The issue of offering content and engagements in different languages was also raised. This is something we have been aware of from the start; we are committed to continued learning and experimentation in this regard. This year we published an article translation in Spanish and produced a podcast in French. Next year, we intend to push ourselves further, by hosting engagement calls in different languages and translating more content. Relatedly, we heard a request for engagements beyond the Western participation paradigm, with more breakout rooms. Facilitating smaller group sessions would also help to foster bioregional connections.
Another intention we are working towards based on this year’s feedback is the creation of a structured space for Fellows to have more political and philosophical dialogues, with a view towards building out a stronger consensus on post-growth approaches, while accommodating and celebrating a diversity of perspectives.
We also heard requests for shorter “micro-engagement’ sessions with thematic focuses; short video intros from each Fellow to facilitate asynchronous connections across time zones; more engagements where Fellows showcase their work; more ways to connect around specific connection points or topics; and detailed descriptions of each session in advance to help incentivize attendance and allow participants to prioritize.
And last but not least, a request was made for us to encourage and facilitate content collaboration between Fellows, which is a task we’re taking on with excitement going into 2024.
As we look towards the third Post Growth Fellowship cohort with anticipation, these reflections stand us in good stead for another year of learning and journeying together.
Three things you can do if you found this article inspiring:
- Republish any of the Fellowship articles or videos.
- Join the Post Growth Institute’s cooperative social media service to help promote the Fellowship, as well as lots of other post-growth aligned content and organizations. You’ll receive email alerts when articles are shared on social media.
- Chip in $US20 to help us convene the 2024 Fellowship.
