When a crisis hits, we look for systems of support & collaboration that go beyond the status quo.
Dear friends,
As the weeks and months of 2020 tick on, we are coming to grips with the new normal and the changes that the pandemic has forced upon society. In many ways this year has become that of the ‘unplannable’.
At Edgeryders we have always believed there is strength in the collective and the journeys our members take together can help pave a way out of this unwieldy time.
To discover and learn about approaches supporting economic recovery and regeneration, we are hosting a Resilient Livelihoods Summit during 14-31 October 2020.
This is a work in progress where all the virtual sessions are shaped by the community. To prepare, we are hosting pre-summit early sessions:
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On the 21st of July, we are holding a virtual event to discuss how the coworking sector can recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic. We have invited seven experts from all over the world who will be discussing their experiences and solutions on how to form a new route. The conversation kicks off with this story:
Nacho Rodriguez - Founder, Coliving Canary Islands & NomadCity Conference
If you want to participate, tell us in a comment, and while at it, introduce yourself to the others joining! Participation is free of charge.
Read more about the event and discover all the guests. -
September webinar: Relational goods, stocks over flows, systems over networks: a webinar on the strange economy of the Messina district in South Italy. Messina has become a thriving ecosystem where communities, foundations and market players all work together: they re-built their local economy, they developed their own economic thinking, with concepts such as “relational goods”, “stocks as autonomy”, and “systems, not networks”. Even their innovation is weird: solar panels made out of the pulp of waste oranges? A People’s Energy Company?
This webinar is part of the Science Fiction Economics Lab started by Edgeryders in 2019 where we imagine new and radical economic systems.
Read more about the event and the Messina story, and register by leaving a comment.
How you can get involved in the Summit
If you participated at a Living On The Edge (un)conference in 2012, 2013, 2015 or at the OpenVillage festival in 2017, you know that all Edgeryders events are participatory. All of us attending coordinate to organise a meaningful event. We are continuously looking for lecture and workshop organisers on topics they/you care about. How it works: you propose the topic, tell us what you are developing at the moment, and the Edgeryders team mobilises a global network to provide feedback or support you to build a sustainable initiative. If you are interested to become an active host, or help with anything you can, get in touch! Leave a comment here.
Other ongoing discussions
How are food projects rebuilding after the lockdown? Can networks of suppliers, food services and consumers make it forward together?
We are learning what the struggles are from up close and agree: ‘‘For small food producers, there is a lot the problem of scalability if you want to be fair, to have good products, good transport.’’ Do you know of initiatives which pave the way forward? Can Brussels learn from your city, and viceversa? Join Noemi, Yannick, Angelo, Puja and others in conversation here.
Universities have also been hit hard by the crisis. In many ways they were an already broken system prior to the pandemic, with researchers and academics faced with unpredictability, a lack of job security, and a system with inbuilt inequality and biases.
A new conversation has ignited around this, specifically in relation to German universities now hosting a number of ‘academic refugees’, and imagine new ways in which universities can be funded and operate. Are you also navigating the illiberal 21th century Academia? Leave a comment with your experience and connect with others.
Technology in the aftermath of #Covid19: Our community has also been discussing a route that many countries have taken in recent months to stop the spread of the virus.
From tracing apps that infringe on people’s liberties and basic human rights, to recent research that has found that in the Asia-Pacific region states that are inclined towards authoritarianism increased surveillance throughout the pandemic. What is the path forward? Join this conversation.
How a new internet could be developed - one that’s open source and free of big tech interest?
You can help. If there’s anything you want us to raise for an honest community discussion:
Get in touch. Edgeryders can support the work of changemakers in more than 80 countries because people like yourself support us with knowledge, contacts and resources.
