rn-(fwd)-Ireland from Below activist / academic workshop

1998-12-02

Richard Moore

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From: "Laurence Cox" <•••@••.•••>
To: "Social Movements List" <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Ireland from Below activist / academic workshop
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 16:27:41 GMT
Organization: Waterford Institute Of Technology
Comments: Originally To: •••@••.•••

This might be of interest to some listmembers. People from beyond
these islands might be interested to note that this is the weekend
after the UCC / ISA RC48 regional conference on social
movements and change in Cork. "Ireland from below" is the title of
a well-known book, not an indication that we're uninterested in
anything happening beyond the shoreline!

Apologies for any cross-posting.

Laurence

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Ireland From Below:
Social movements building the future
Activist / academic workshop

Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan
23rd - 25th April 1999
£15 all in!

Organised by:

Laurence Cox (_An Caorthann_ magazine, Waterford IT Centre for
Research on Environment and Community (CRECHE))

Richard K Moore (author of _Achieving a livable world_, Citizens
for a Democratic Renaissance)

Maeve O'Grady (ACCESS 2000 / NOW project, policy worker with
women's community education groups)


Why this? Why now?

* Social movements are getting stuck and don't know where they're
going. Meanwhile, the "big boys" are doing business as usual....

* "Partnershipping" raises new questions about structure, goals,
methods. And where is the EU really taking us?

* New movements are popping up and old ones are changing.
Many of us have similar experiences; but we think our private
miseries are unique!

* Why aren't we talking to each other? Who benefits when we
don't? What would happen if we did?

* We've been struggling for decades to change Irish society: are we
going where we want to go? Do we know where we _are_  going?

* So we're bringing together 25-35 people from all the different
social movements and academics working on movements, around
the question:

         What if we _are_ the alternative?


How are we doing it?

* We're building communication between different movements that
don't talk to each other in the normal run of things

* Organisational pressures can take over and stop us from asking
questions. We need to make time to stop and think!

* Spending a weekend talking, arguing, cooking, dancing, working,
hanging out with each other ... and starting to think about building
Ireland from below

* Everybody will be asked to find a way of communicating with
people from other movements: give a talk / paper, run a
workshop, do a roleplay, create a ritual, help us organise....

* Suggested themes: do our problems connect? Is there a space
for shared visions? What strategies work? What would _our_ future
look like?

* Follow-up: we'll publish papers, notes, results of workshops,
transcripts etc. - and we'll do it again next year!

* We're making a regular space to exchange experience, discuss
ideas and communicate with each other


When?
Friday 23rd April, 5pm - Sunday 25th April, 3 pm

Where?
Sandville House Hostel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan (near bus route)

What?
Bring:
* whatever you need for your own presentation / contribution;
* a sleeping bag if you have one (there'll be blankets etc. for people
who don't!);
* musical instruments if you have them;
* yourself;
* cheerfulness and an open mind;
* anything you'd like to leave on the Info Table.

How?
Friday pm - opening sessions
Friday evening - something different!
Saturday am - workshop sessions: what are the problems? What
are the visions? What are the solutions?
Saturday pm - plenary sessions
Saturday evening - DIY dancing / music seisi™n: teach someone a
new dance!
Sunday am - feedback, speakout, "what next?"
Sunday pm - organising the follow-up

---

Booking form
[Please return this form to the address below]

Yes, I want to take part in _Ireland From Below_. I enclose a
cheque / postal order for IR£15 made out to CRECHE and a
proposal (see below)

Name:
Address:

Phone no:
Fax:
Email:
Special food needs:
Creche requirements (we can't promise this in advance but will do
our very best to organise one if there's a call for it):

I can offer lifts for    people from
Please give a brief description of yourself for other participants:




Please send completed forms to
Laurence Cox, CRECHE, College St campus,
Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford
Tel. (051) 302257, email •••@••.•••

Send us your forms by
***Friday, January 29th, 1999***
Advance booking necessary!

Proposal
Please give a brief proposal of how you'd like to contribute to the
workshop (talk, event, roleplay, etc.):















Deadline for receipt of written papers, material for distribution, etc.:
March 28th, 1999.
- - -
Centre for Research on Environment and Community
College St. campus, Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, Ireland
Tel. (+353-51) 302257
http://cyberjournal.org/social-movements/


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