Call for papers (social-movements list, 1.12.98)

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

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

Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan
23rd - 25th April 1999
Ł15 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 seisiún: 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 IRŁ15 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 lcox@wit.ie

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.