Feel free to use the below when communicating OPENandChange. Check that each link corresponds to the story before publishing please. Edit this wiki to add more themes and stories!
General call
Care is a tricky topic. We often mean different things when we talk about it. Here’s a quick test for if OPENandChange is for you:
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Does your initiative already exist?
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Are people already using/engaging with it?
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Does it contribute towards one or more dimensions of wellbeing?
If the answer is yes to 2/3 questions then sign up for the workshop here: http://bit.ly/29BmwxP
Some "best practice" examples of community-led care
Helliniko Metropolitan Community Clinic, dispensing free health care to the many Greeks who, having lost their job, also lost their access to public health care.
The Urban Shepherd of Stockholm, inducing your neighborhood to come together by re-introducing husbandry to urban environments.
Cytostatic Network to provide cancer patients with life-saving drugs unavailable in Romania.
NightScout project, contributing code or schematics to the open source, DIY insulin pump freeing up the lives of Type 1 diabetes patients.
Localized communication and narratives for key aspects of care (emerging)
*** They should be broad enough to invite projects from different fields - migrant work, medical healthcare, DIY and opensource technology, model organisations, design and research frameworks, …
Community Resilience through Food | \#Thessaloniki
At OPENandChange we are meeting to share projects which take a local challenge fully on. What do you see that’s broken and what are you doing about it? Some of us care about food. A story of a produce and how it travels through our food system can change the way we consume and eat, or so we think. Let us know your thoughts and we’ll get in touch with an invitation to the workshop on xx Sept: http://bit.ly/29K0Dbk
We care to fix the economy but can we do it by cutting traditional economic chains and valuing all local? Can we turn greece crisis into an opportunity for relaunching our food heritage? Let’s talk about this and your project at OPENandChange - join in by leaving a comment http://bit.ly/29j0yNh
How can different food cultures interact and make communities come together? If you like eating rituals, innovative kitchens or new kinds of food enterprises, then this is for you. Join the online conversation and come share ideas at our OPENandChange workshop: http://bit.ly/1WpdhzG
Are you involved in a community for healthy nutrition? Caring for one another goes a long way, look at this idea in the Netherlands! Trying to complement cancer treatment with food advice by communities: bit.ly/2atHIQV
Intergenerational or Multicultural Care | \#Brussels
If you’re living in Brussels for a while, you’re part of the Europe versus Others ugly debate. Many of us have needed support at one point in our lives, while moving in or out of countries, so let’s shed light on what it means to really care for newcomers. How do you build a support network, in a city where you don’t know anyone? Alberto made this into a personal project and experiment of co-living. Share your story as a response to this post and get an invitation to the workshop xx September! http://bit.ly/2acani3
How to create spaces which make urban life more livable? A test case right here in Brussels is Huis VDH, which is building a home for projects and organisations needing an anchor. We do this through sustainable design and open source thinking - learn more about it by joining us for OPENandChange workshop! Share your story in response and we’ll send you an invite: http://bit.ly/2aFSweK
The ways you can make a difference in your neighborhood or city can be quirky and strange in the beginning, but at OPENandChange workshop we will be sharing exactly that. This guy in Stockholm did it by breeding chickens in an apartment and actually got people together as carers. How do you care in Brussels? Tell us and don’t forget to register for the xx September. http://bit.ly/2b7a5r7
Luisa, Natalia, Alberto, Jasen have all witnessed judgement and broken bridges between cultures: “People who believe in cultural purity after the age of 18? I am afraid they are a lost cause.” How do you or people you know create encounters which are based on sympathy and mutual exchange? http://bit.ly/1WBzzP9
(video in German: The Newcomer App supporting refugees to explore the city in a playful way https://vimeo.com/177993823)
A hackerspace in England provides a safe space and a sense of identity to the members, many of whom are unemployed, or disabled, or homeless. How to build inclusive community spaces helping people rebuild their lives? Do you have a project or know someone who is trying to solve this? Get in touch by leaving a comment, this is the type of project we’re looking for OPENandChange! http://bit.ly/2aJzytL More info: http://openandchange.care
Caring for the Carers | \#Berlin
When dealing with complex and often rigid political and social institutions, community activists have to become self-trained experts in finances, public relations, lobbying, community-organizing. During our work at Prinzessinnengarten over the past years we learned a thing or two about how informal meetups can become spaces for mutual trust and recreation, and look forward to sharing them in the upcoming OPENandChange workshop. A preview and invitation to join the conversation before we meet: http://bit.ly/1UatoCC
Some of us involved in community initiatives are wondering how to create care structures without dependency on governments or NGOs? Alex reported from Calais and testifies that self-organisation can go far in providing services in refugee camps. How do you get things done yourself? http://bit.ly/1MwxuBD
They say institutions are the hardest to change. Yet it seems “evasive entrepreneurs” work around them. When there are large uncertainties, they can serve as an educational source for policy makers, demonstrating on a smaller scale what works and what does not. Do you know someone like that? Are you involved in a disruptive project and need allies to move forward? OPENandChange is where you can meet them, start here: http://buff.ly/29J8ZDq
There will always be people willing to contribute in any way to the wellbeing of others, and in this story they are willing to smuggle medicine across the border. Sabina was part of an informal support network although she was receiving medical care herself. Know of initiatives dealing with a malfunctioning healthcare system? Join our conversation ahead of OPENandChange: http://bit.ly/2aGTDNj