Flag test event

Where:

- solidarity on exclusion
- participatory decision-making process
- respect to environment
- alternative for banking & food system / local monetary flows
- alternative monetary time-based systems
- avoiding pollution
- making compost
- sharing risks & profits / no profits
- living degrowth (practice)
- alternative, non-exclusive access to resources and services
- gift solidarity
- creates employment for local people
- integration based on equality
- self-sufficiency - independence (energy, food, services)
- creates community, trust (relations between people)
- saving drinking water
- diversity of strategies
- resistance thinking, practice
- non-violence
- integration with local communities + links

Where:

Arguments collected for the academic debate:

PRO arguments

- it’s necessary!
- we’re lovin’ it
- pro-health (better life)
- degrowth or die
- adapts to local context
- tackles colonialism
- live the impossible
- environment & sustainability
- future generations
- working conditions
- humans as social beings -> cooperation, inclusion
- stressing quality not quantity
- rethinking values + indicators (GDP, time)
- limits of resources
- increasing inequality
- pluralism of ideas

AGAINST arguments

- too complex and difficult
- no single answer
- no proofs
- fear and insecurity
- sacrifice comfort zone
- egoism
- growth makes people happy
- no vision for health system
- sounds negative/apocalyptic
- not universal
- eurocentric
- unfeasable
- systemic constraint

 




Where:

SUNDAY MORNING SESSION

Aims: 1) learn from the experience of being participant for own future training practice
2) to understand the E-R-R model & practice it

- Reflection on the structure of the course
- E-R-R model
- Creation of own lesson
- Feedback & learning
- Life after GROWL


Own Lesson 1 - Degrowth for Beginners

Aim: 1) to initiate critical thinking about current system
2) to show them alternatives (degrowth)

E:

T-graph - what is good and bad about nowadays world?
Agreement Scale - using answers from T-graph

R:

Simple Images
- look at pictures - describe
- raise questions how to change it

R:

Presentation (PPT or video) - space for questions and answers


Own Lesson 2 - Introduction to the Degrowth Political Proposal

Aim: What kind of political proposals fit into degrowth and what is the link between them?

E:
- brainstorm of existing degrowth political proposals (bridge with local context, what is a political proposal?)
- small groups write the proposals on papers and put them on the wall

R:
- physically assign the proposals on the wall into different categories
- find out the linkage (by physically putting a rope from one to another, to another)
- the lecturers explain the narratives

R:
- group create TV spots of their own degrowth proposal (perhaps TV spot is too big assignment)
- presentation to the others

Where:

Aims:
- next steps
- networking
- common plans


I. why this group?
70% local / 30% global
networking and follow-up fundamental for making sense of international meetings

II. examples
- Sylvia establishing a regional community farm (educational), exchange of know-how, best practices, etc.
- Marketa interviewing Sylvia about WIR in Austria
- Anna founding a CSA in Ostrava with help of Jan Valeska

III. next steps
- Wojtek digitizes notes
- share Valec GROWL documentation
- share feedback/notes/recommendations/links
- Francoisse will collect notes/feedback on peer reading text

Where:

METHODOLOGY - TTT MODULE


What is degrowth and where does it come from?

Aims:
1) to get to know 6 sources of degrowth
2) to see existing possible definitions of degrowth & formulate own ones

Trunk & Roots (+ questions)
What degrowth means according to you?

Peer reading (summary & questions)

Peer teaching - text: Demaria et al. (expert groups & home groups)

5 Definitions of degrowth
- Which sources the definitions accent?
- Which sources are missing?

Writing own definition of degrowth

Comments/suggestions:
- Anonymous summaries of your familiarity with degrowth for beginners to adapt to knowledge level
- Disliked being given other definitions which we ended ’copying’ to create our own - ended up dissatisfied with own
- For a broad subject would be good to collect ’cloud’ of words associated with Degrowth; maybe order them ’most degrowth’ -> ’least degrowth’
- Didn’t like unguided expl..... [text missing on photo]
- Make own clear definitions (1/2 sentences) of degrowth at beginning of day to compare to end
- Bring own definitions, texts on degrowth in advance


Thursday Afternoon

Aim:
To understand & train to use arguments for & against degrowth

Trunk & Roots:
What are the most convincing arguments against degrowth

T-graph: for & against:
Degrowth is the only possibility for sustainable living (taking arguments for & against statement, adding to t-graph)

Pair reading - text: Victor

Guided debate
- group preparation of arguments
- change of position (+/-)
- debate

Circle:
How was the debate?

Comments/suggestions:
- Obligatory reading before the course
- Different types of texts (academic, sci-fi, newspaper, etc)
- More time for developing arguments in the group
- Send a reader in advance


How degrowth (can) looks like in practice - Friday morning

Aims:
1) get to know concrete practices of degrowth / local economic alternatives
2) understand them through the perspective of degrowth

Trunk & Roots:
What is the best degrowth project you know? Why?

Small groups: (3-6 people, own table):
Formulate criteria of a good degrowth project
(Latouche: Strategies of degrowth)

Presentations:
WWOOF
CSA

Table of criteria:
Which aspects/criteria of degrowth you see in presented projects?

Comments/suggestions:
- Instruction to presenters to focus on degrowth
- Discuss the criteria of degrowth with speakers
- Connect (link) two activities
- More space for discussion after presentation


Space for own topics - Friday afternoon

Aims:
1) Create space for remaining questions / issues
2) To develop / support concrete ideas / projects for future

Open localism (Francoisse)

Open Space + harvesting

Pro-Action Cafe + harvesting

Comments/suggestions:
- Missing feedback for projects in pro-action cafe -> suggestions from all the group
- Other topic than morning -> missing continuity of the day
- Big gap between passive PPT and active Open Space
- Guiding questions for Open Space?
- Open space too short (not open:)
- Connect explicitly the Open Space topics to the morning (CSA, WWOOF, Open Localism)
- Too much different instructions & activities
- Missing cultural aspects of degrowth
- Missing basic economics concepts (every day:)



SUNDAY MORNING SESSION


Aims: 1) learn from the experience of being participant for own future training practice
2) to understand the E-R-R model & practice it
- Reflection on the structure of the course
- E-R-R model
- Creation of own lesson
- Feedback & learning
- Life after GROWL


Own Lesson 1 - Degrowth for Beginners

Aim: 1) to initiate critical thinking about current system
2) to show them alternatives (degrowth)

E: T-graph - what is good and bad about nowadays world?
Agreement Scale - using answers from T-graph
R: Simple Images
- look at pictures - describe
- raise questions how to change it
Presentation (PPT or video) - space for questions and answers


Own Lesson 2 - Introduction to the Degrowth Political Proposal

Aim: What kind of political proposals fit into degrowth and what is the link between them?

E:
- brainstorm of existing degrowth political proposals (bridge with local context, what is a political proposal?)
- small groups write the proposals on papers and put them on the wall

R:
- physically assign the proposals on the wall into different categories
- find out the linkage (by physically putting a rope from one to another, to another)
- the lecturers explain the narratives

R:
- group create TV spots of their own degrowth proposal (perhaps TV spot is too big assignment)
- presentation to the others

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