10am-9pm
Newcastle and Gateshead (includes all travel and food throughout the day)
Limited spaces available and booking is essential through this LINK
(Due to limited capacity there is a two-ticket maximum per booking and a £10.00 deposit is required which will be refunded following the event.)
If you would like to come but can’t attend for the whole day then please get in touch with Niomi to let us know.
Join The NewBridge Project on Saturday 1 June for Global Degrowth Day. We will travel as a group across Newcastle and Gateshead to visit some amazing grassroots organisations who are working in solidarity to challenge current norms and demonstrate alternative ways to live and work which strive towards a more sustainable basis of life.
NewBridge are working with the Solidarity Economy Association to map the various projects, initiatives and people within the region who are already doing great work around climate change, environmental and social justice. As part of Global Degrowth Day we would like to take you on a tour to some of these amazing local initiatives. We will be visiting George Street Social, Star and Shadow Cinema, The Comfrey Project and ending the day at Stomping Grounds Forest School.
‘We want to show: A good life for all is possible!’.
Schedule:
10–12noon George Street Social:
This will be a chance to meet other members of the group and discuss the themes of Global Degrowth Day and what we mean by ‘a good life for all’. There will be an introduction to George Street Social, and Niomi Fairweather and Hannah Marsden from The NewBridge Project will talk about working with the Solidarity Economy Association to map the various projects around the North East.
Coffee and pastries will also be provided.
The event will start at George Street Social; we ask that you please arrive promptly at the following address: 45-51 George St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7JN
12.30–2pm Star and Shadow Cinema:
Star and Shadow Cinema is a volunteer-run DIY space for Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, and the wider North East. It is an open-to-join co-operative housed in a building it owns, dedicated to culture coming from and/or programmed by the grass roots – particularly cinema and music. As a group we will receive a behind the scenes tour of the Cinema, along with an insight into how this extraordinary organisation manages itself with no hierarchy, and no boss.
2.30-4.30pm The Comfrey Project:
Introduction from the Comfrey Project and a tour of the urban community garden they have developed at the Windmill Hills site in Bensham. A picnic lunch will be provided which will include freshly picked greens straight from the garden. Be prepared to get your hands dirty, after lunch there will be a great opportunity to do some communal gardening – potting some seedlings, weeding the raised beds and more.
5.30-8pm Stomping Grounds:
Stomping Grounds Forest School is an educational ethos which develops confidence, creativity and communication skills through long term participant led experiences outdoors. This will be a chance for the group to exploring the local woodland, participate in some campfire cooking whilst discussing and thinking about human relationships with nature.
DROP OFF
The mini bus will have two final drop off points:
9pm – The NewBridge Project: Gateshead, 232-240 High St, Gateshead NE8 1DJ
9.15pm – George Street Social, 45-51 George St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7JN
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What is Degrowth
By ‘degrowth’, we understand a form of society and economy which aims at the well-being of all and sustains the natural basis of life. To achieve degrowth, we need a fundamental transformation of our lives and an extensive cultural change. The current economic and social paradigm is ‘faster, higher, further’. It is built on and stimulates competition between all humans. This causes acceleration, stress and exclusion.
On Saturday 1 June 2019 there will be public events taking place all over the world to share alternatives to a growth-based society. Through taking part in this day of global action we hope to connect different existing initiatives, building a colourful and diverse movement for degrowth – a form of society and economy which strives for the well-being of all and sustains the natural basis of life.
What do we mean by “good life for all”?
A good life for all requires a different way of doing business and forming a society that aims to support the well-being of all people and fellow creatures, protecting the ecological basis of life. This can only be achieved by a fundamental change in our current mode of living and production, as well as a comprehensive cultural change. For us, the values of such a society include mindfulness, deceleration, solidarity and cooperation in order to make possible a self-determined life with dignity for all.
We also need to develop more democratic forms of decision-making to enable genuine political participation, and to reduce global structures of domination and exploitation, such as racism, sexism and neo-colonialism, so that everyone can actually participate in the good life. Such an approach is also called degrowth or post-growth.
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George Street Social
George Street Social is The Road To Recovery Trust’s first major project. They are a dynamic building with their priority being to create a safe place for people in recovery, as well as the wider community. Their coffee shop and dry bar is a social hub bustling with friendly faces and the best coffee in town. You’ll often find upstairs busy with meetings, workshops, training, yoga, dance, mindfulness or music.
Star and Shadow Cinema
Star and Shadow Cinema is a volunteer-run DIY space for Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, and the north east UK. It is set up as an open-to-join co-operative housed in a building it owns, dedicated to culture coming from and/or programmed by the grass roots – particularly cinema and music. Emphasising the collective experience that makes Cinema special, Star and Shadow exists as a space for a dialogic approach to culture through critical, active spectatorship: watching, listening, thinking and talking collectively and then possibly programming something yourself, as opposed to buying your ticket, sitting or standing in the dark and then heading home. There is no hierarchy – there is no boss, just working groups and meetings, email lists and a dose of honest disorganisation. No-one is paid. The building is run and programmed by its audiences, which means you are us – we don’t do it for you, we do it with you!
The Comfrey Project
The Comfrey Project provides refugees and people seeking asylum across Tyneside with a safe, welcoming environment, which promotes personal well-being through a sense of place and belonging. This is achieved by various shared creative crafts including allotment gardening, cooking and crafts. They have a down to earth approach to social integration and community health. Listening, sharing and inclusion are fundamental to everything we do. They seek to create a safe space, where everyone is welcomed, respected and listened to.
Stomping Grounds – Bringing Forest School to You
Stomping Grounds Forest School CIC is based in Gateshead and was established by Sophie Watkinson, experienced teacher and passionate believer in getting communities back to nature. Stomping Grounds run regular Forest School session with groups of all ages, focusing on holistic development. Forest School is an educational ethos which develops confidence, creativity and communication skills through long term participant led experiences outdoors.
Solidarity Economy Association
Solidarity Economy Association (formerly known as the Institute for Solidarity Economics) is a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder co-operative working to support the growth of the Solidarity Economy Movement. They are based in Oxford and work in the UK primarily, although they do undertake some activity internationally when they can. Their vision is a thriving Solidarity Economy for the UK – an economy that embodies the values of economic and social justice, diversity and pluralism, co-operation, self-management, and ecological sustainability.
The NewBridge Project
The NewBridge Project (est. 2010) is a vibrant hub supporting the creation of new and pioneering contemporary art practice through an ambitious programme of exhibitions, commissions, events and artist development. We create platforms for audiences to engage with the creative process, while nurturing artistic and curatorial practice in an engaged and discursive creative community.
