Changing the Climate: (r)Evolution for social and environmental justice
A convergence hosted by Ecosocialist Horizons
Troy, New York: March 22-24
Economic crises are deepening the world over, and ecosystems are in rapid decline. But massive social movements all over the world demonstrate that these are times of not only peril but possibility. The climate is changing in more ways than one: The old order is falling apart and new worlds are struggling to build themselves from the wreckage. Join us on the horizon where all our movements for a better world converge!
For three days in Troy, New York, at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, a diverse and multi-generational group of activists, educators, and artists will come together to discuss, plan and act around the most difficult and important questions of our times: How can we connect the local to the global? How can diverse movements and organizations work together toward common goals? What is our collective long-term vision for our activism and organizing? What are the connections between economic and ecological crisis? What democratic alternatives to capitalism can we build and how? What are the obstacles to this vision and how can we overcome them without making the mistakes of the past?
Ecosocialists choose the path of revolution, to bring about a free and cooperative society in harmony with nature, across the globe. On this path we see dawn on many horizons: We move toward them, work to realize them, and come together to seek transformation. We call this process of coming together a convergence. A convergence is an exchange of ideas, strategies and skills, planned and spontaneous, grounded in a site of ecosocialist production and creativity – a skeleton for collective evolution toward an ecosocialist horizon.
Troy is a city with a proud history; a former economic center that played a major role in the anti-slavery struggles leading to the Civil War. Now, much of the city lies in ruins, gutted by a chronic economic crisis. But zones of resistance and renewal are rising, notably The Sanctuary for Independent Media. Here, a new world is being built in the shell of the old, and you are invited to join that transformation: from communities to continents, to reclaim the commons, and put the evolution back in revolution. All ages welcome, and childcare is provided.
RSVP required for food and lodging, at prefiguration@gmail.com
Please provide us with your contact information and your areas of interest and expertise.
For more information, visit:
www.mediasanctuary.org
www.ecosocialisthorizons.com
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PROGRAM FOR THE CONVERGENCE:
Friday, March 22nd
1-4pm: Arrivals and Check in [Sanctuary Cafe]
430pm: Convocation: Convergence begins! [Sanctuary Cafe]
5pm: Connecting with the Land: Exhibit Opening and Reception: Agricultural Stewardship Association, with the Produce Project [Sanctuary Cafe and Kitchen]
6pm: Dinner [Missing Link Church]
7-9pm: Exodus! Russell Maroon Shoatz and breaking out of the prison industrial complex: A book launch event featuring Colia Clark, Theresa Shoatz, and Milk Not Jails [Sanctuary Stage]
Saturday March 23
8am: Breakfast [Missing Link]
9am: Call for Convergence: the planetary crisis and opportunity, capitalism and the ecosocialist alternative [Sanctuary stage]
10am: Horizons of Hope: introducing the different tracks:
Track 1. Growing a new world: soil science, permaculture, local agriculture, community gardens, etc
Track 2. Re-imagining Troy: local activism for social and environmental transformation
Track 3. Vision/Theory: exploring ecosocialism, ecofeminism, and the vision and theory which unite our practice
Track 4. Independent Media: Be the Media! workshop series
Track 5. Youth: games, seed starting, art, etc.
[locations will depend on size of groups]
1030am: Tracks begin
12pm: Lunch [Missing Link]
1pm: Tracks begin again
430pm: Weaving the threads together: All tracks meet together. [Cafe]
6pm: Community Potluck Meal [Cafe]
7-9pm: Sanctuary Soul Session: Weaving the Circle of Culture for Planetary Transformation: Ben Barson and the Eco-liberation Orchestra featuring Craig Harris, Seth Tobocman with Spoken Word Comic Art, and the poetry of Susan Deer Cloud [Sanctuary stage]
Sunday March 24
9am: Breakfast [Cafe]
10am-12pm: Convergence Crescendo: Connecting the dots with strategic vision, and planning for the immediate and long term future, locally, regionally and globally. [Cafe]
12pm: Lunch catered by Food Not Bombs! [Cafe] and check out!
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TRANSPORT:
The convergence is located at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, just outside downtown Troy, New York. Troy is accessible by bus and train. If you require transport from the bus or train station to The Sanctuary for Independent Media, please contact us at “prefiguration@gmail.com”. If you are driving and have extra space in your vehicle, please contact us as soon as possible for carpooling information. You can also use the facebook event page as a place to look for rides. More detailed directions to The Sanctuary for Independent Media are available on their website here: http://www.mediasanctuary.org/directions
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LODGING
There are several options for lodging if you will be coming from out of town.
We can subsidize a limited amount of lodging expenses. If you are in need of this, please contact us as soon as possible at prefiguration@gmail.com.
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COST:
We will do our best to organize the financial aspects of this convergence along the original communist lines: “from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs.” No one will be turned away for lack of money. In order to cover a fraction of our own expenses, we will be asking for a base rate on a sliding scale, from $30 to $70 from each attendant, which will cover all your food. If this is not possible for you, simply let us know what you can and can’t do. We can also to some extent (depending on our ability and your need) subsidize your transportation. If you require this assistance, please contact us as soon as possible at prefiguration@gmail.com. If you would like to support the work of Ecosocialist Horizons with a larger donation, that is very welcome! (Note: Ecosocialist Horizons is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible.)
