| MORNING 11:00
Why do we grow? and Introduction to a Growing Revolution 12:00 Film: Grown in Detroit 1:00 – 2:00 LUNCH 2:00 LEGUP, Fairfield Farmhouse 4:00 Peoples Manifesto |
 Morning will be taken up by a discussion on the growing revolution and what is happening in detroit, by Don McKeen and Bob Hamilton Followed by the film “Grown in Detroit” that teaches young pregnant girls farming. After lunch looking at the work of LEGUP community garden and the Fairfield Farmhouse Trust in Govan who are exploring new ways of setting up garden projects using common good and educational templates that could be used elsewhere. Other projects input welcome. The Village Square is a project being set up at the Pearce Institute for collecting and distributing information and coordinating events and much more. The Peoples Manifesto is what it says on the tin. What is it exactly that we want and how do we go about representing and articulating what we want? More details below |
Using the experience of a trip to the city farms in Detroit to reflect what is happening here in Glasgow or Scotland in the business of growing and activism. What lessons can we learn, share, expand on.
The Garden
The garden is an excellent medium for exploration in organisation. Tending the soil creates awareness of a whole range of activities and considerations of time, temperature, the weather, how and when to do things, rotation of plant life, light and shade, soil types, science, ecology, biology, physics, geography, are part of the great variety of elements that come in to play, to mention a few, that when we work our garden we may not even be aware of.
LEGUP and Fairfield Farmhouse Trust
The “Linthouse Elder park and Govan Urban Planters” garden, situated in Elder Park, Govan. We work towards creating a learning environment with gardening at its centre. We also recognise the process of learning in the garden can be carried to other aspects of community and public life. The rebuilding of the Fairfield Farmhouse situated in the grounds of the gardens will be carried out under the same ethos of education and community participation. This is part of our ideas to build a template that others can help to develop and use, not just to help change society, but to build a new society with its roots in humanity and a common good.
What is the Common Good (in Scotland)
This is the question. In some places, the common good is “The air we breath” – “The sky above us” and such like. But in Scotland it is very unique. Because, our Common Good is actually protected by laws and consists of lots of valuable assets, such as land, property, art, jewels and the like—and all the things we get into free—that is part of our common good to. So we (the public) own these valuables in perpetuity so our kids and their kids can get the benefit of them to.
We must cultivate our gardens Voltaire
Voltaire overwhelming evidence that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds. What, then, is the best course for an intelligent and humane person to follow? Voltaire put his answer in the mouth of Candide who, at the end of the story, remarks, “We must cultivate our gardens.” This encapsulates the philosophy of life that Voltaire adopted: let us do what we can to make our part of the world better.
Heart hand and head Patric Geddes
Geddes’s theory of education cannot be separated from his concept of the garden. Nor can these two strands be separated from his overall vision of Life Insurgent. In all he advocated a holism based on the equal emphasis on the hand (physical/manual), heart (compassion/political) and head (learning /psycological /analytical).
Peoples Manifesto
The Peoples Manifesto is a work in progress in collecting and compiling a series of ideas that can form a basis that different folk and organisations can work around. The creation of the manifesto will form a series of community workshops that will set out what structure and form the Manifesto should take.
All of the above goes towards the idea. That when we are nurturing things which we are familiar with or involved in we must also be aware of our potential to effect and change the things which are happening around us. The potential for reconnecting community interests and expanding the possibilities of implement radical change through collective activities and interests. These are the ideas we will explore in this workshop and to look at the vehicles that could move these ideas forward.
Electron Club CCA
Access to the space and the equipment in it.
The space can be booked in advance to be used for meetings, seminars, workshops, or to work on individual projects. There are different sets of guidelines for different activities. For the most part, you can do what you want here, as long as it’s not illegal, you don’t interfere with other’s ability to use the space and you don’t engage in primarily commercial activity. Because the space is particularly suited for playing with electronics, computers and other bits of technology, preference will be given to people dealing with any of these areas. Any sort of “hacking” activity is especially encouraged.
Feel free to email Suggestions or if you need more information. See home page for email link. Bob
Glasgow Detroit Film website
The Village Square
Mapping our space video
Open Street map Introduction Video
Open Source computing Audio
LEGUP
Fairfield Farmhouse Trust
Common Good Awareness Project
Electron club