The city isn't for sale it's for living

On Friday July 11th, under the title "The city isn't for sale it's for living" the Trobada d'Arquitectures Col.lectives will spend the day at Can Masdeu.  

Arquitectures Col.lectives is an international, open and constantly growing network of people and groups interested in the participatory development of the urban environment. Every year since 2007 a meeting is held in a different city with the aim of strengthening the network and a way to consolidate a different view of the city from the official one: from people and for people.

In 2014, the annual meeting is in Barcelona from 6 to 13 July under the theme "The city is not for sale it's for living", a key concept today more than ever, especially in a city like Barcelona, ​​beset by multiple urban and human conflicts caused by global capital.

More information on the full program and how to join can be found here:
http://arquitecturascolectivas.net/bcn2014

Degrowth Summer School

The PIC is proud to host part of the Summer School on socially sustainable Degrowth organized by the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) (http://summerschool2014.degrowth.net/).

Amidst calls for restoring growth as a path out of the crisis, the intellectual and political degrowth movement exposes the impossibility to greening economic growth, or making it equitable. In theoretical terms degrowth implies a radical critique to the western notion of growth- and technology-led development as a single overarching path of organizing social and economic life. It implies revisiting the role of monetary and market-based transactions in society and searching for a way to bring back its human, emotional, non-utilitarian or gift-based traits. In practical terms degrowth requires multiple paths, from the reduction of the need for, and use of, non-renewable resources and related extractive infrastructure, to deepening democratic processes in society. Above all, degrowth brings forward the need for a debate on the political project of society, and especially on the need to break away from the technological and psychological lock-ins placed by the growth and capital accumulation imperative. From ICTA-UAB and Research & Degrowth we have been writing and working on degrowth for several years already, advancing it beyond the general theoretically-defined framework, and trying to foresee its implications for various fields and components of society and life.

The Summer School on Degrowth offers a range of perspectives located at the core of the concept, looking at its sources, dimensions and policy implications. For this purpose the school will bring together some of Europe’s leading academics in politics, philosophy, ecological economics, ecology and economics that work in the field of degrowth to teach to the next generation of researchers. On Saturday July 5th participants will spend the day at Can Masdeu for a day-long session full of presentations and debate.

VOICEBATH - 26th - 27th April, Krakow, Poland - To.Pole

To.Pole Association members - Mateusz Flak and Agata Bargiel - organised weekend session of voice work, held according to the method created by Hangfurdo choir from Budapest, Hungary. The aim of method is giving a soundmassage to invited guests and in this case 'sound' means human voices only. 

 

Hangfurdo choir's work is inspired by voice improvisation, yoga sivananda relaxation techniques, as well as humanistic psychology approach and Focusing method of Eugene Gendlin. Importance is given to such values like empathy, acceptation, transparency. Another part is getting into complete awareness of our temporary state, listening to the deep needs of our bodies and reacting to them. Receivers and doers are free to choose their most comfortable ways of producing and receiving sounds that can come out from/reach them. 

 

Participants of our workshop were students and working adults, voice awareness amateurs and professionals, living in Krakow. We practiced listening, harmonisation, improvisation games, giving sounds of different origin and meaning, did work with imagination and reacting to impulses given by partner. All elements we have been working with for two days led to final practice of voicemassage - firstly 

 

practiced in couples, with different focuses (giving attention to body parts, then to verbalised wishes of partner). Later we moved to group voicemassage, when group of people is giving common soundrelaxation to one receiver. We practiced the way of conducting such session and discussed inspired by our feedbacks.

 

All participants felt rise of energy in their bodies and growing peacefullness at the same time. The situation of giving light touch and singing for somebody while being close to them usually seems to happen only in love/family relation, at least in western culture. We experienced and discussed healing effect of such practice - when one person or a group gives soundrelaxation for introduced receiver, in completely aware way, with intention focused on real needs of the guest. It brought us to a conclusion how important and precious it would be for our communities, inhabitants of big city, to use this method in daily life, in order to release stress factor, bringing them closer to their bodies and empower them. Another value is that such practice helps to organise people, bring them closer to each other also and build supporting networks for society. 

Project was realised by To.pole Association in framework of Enough For Everybody For Ever funded by Grundtvig Program.

The Laboratory Body Awareness - To.Pole

To.pole Association initiated a meeting of three somatic approaches to body – inspired by Body Mind Centering, Lowen and vinysana krama yoga. The Laboratory Body Awareness brought out a lot of questions about 3 subjects on which we focused : grounding, enlivenment and the presence. The following methods are a base for both individual work with body and an interesting group approach in any kind of work. They evoke questions wich will not appear in any different context. We focused on how to apply the knowledge in daily life and at work as well. The chosen topics are present in different ways in BMC, yoga and Lowen approaches. The Labolatory was a small experiment on how the layers of particular methods overlap each other. The 12 participants came with diverse backgrounds: physiotherapists fizjoterapia, yoga teachers, academic teachers, trainers, students. That enriched the Labolatory. Each practice part we finished with a speaking part. The project bridges the gaps in informall eduacation of adults in a body awerness field. We asked how to use our individual body experience in working with groups? How to work with groups and in our jobs with body approach? And sometimes we need to accept that body experience brings more questions than answers and only time will tell an answer. Labolatory appeared as an important part of research about this questions. It was created to rise a quality of the conscious life of each participant. The project was realised by To.pole Association in framework Enought for Everybody Forever Project funded by Grundtvig Program.

Cabane dans les arbres

https://www.facebook.com/Ecovoyageurscom/posts/607867189292924:0

Free skills training in bio-construction

The Interaction point of Collserola (PIC), together with Permacultura Barcelona organized two week-long training workshops on bio-construcción techniques and sustainable rehabilitation. The objective of which were to integrate ecological thinking into the development of the social movement in Barcelona as a tool for cultural sustainability and to provide sustainable skills training to those without full-time employment.

These workshops took place during the summer of 2012 and 2013 and attracted more than thirty participants. The groups consisted mostly of women (60%) and was focussed especially on those individuals who were living or had lived in a precarious economic or social situation.

The workshops were mostly practical in nature and were offered free of charge to anyone who wanted to join. Furthermore participants who were willing to join for the full length of the training were given free room and board for the duration of the course.

Here is a link to the first workshop held in September 2012 in Can Masdeu. During those 8 days wood working experts shared their knowledge and skills to help build a “Timber Frame". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNK7bMYD6HY

The second phase of the training was carried out a year later in October 2013. Here experts in bio-construcción provided the participants with theoretical and practical guidance in the construction of a passive house on top of the timber frame using recycled wood and adobe.

Self employment and organic bread....

During the summer of 2013, the PIC cultural association organized a 2 month long workshop for unemployed adults (25-40yrs) to construct a wood-fired bread oven at Can Masdeu in Barcelona. Under guidance of a two experts in the field of bio-construction and wood-fired ovens and using locally found clay over 15 people, from Barcelona and without full-time employment participated in the building process. The workshop was a big success and resulted in a novel design prototype consisting of a double baking chamber furnace with capacity for 70 breads, built on a central metal structure covered with adobe.

From the initial workshop participants a core group of 4-6 peoplse went on to set up a small business centred around the collective use of the new bread oven. "La Pana" currently offers 7 consumer cooperatives in Barcelona, artisenal, organic and local breads and pastries, on a weekly basis.

Their sustainable business model follows the principles of more direct relations between consumers and producers, and use of sustainable modes of transport such as the bicycle and the use of renewable energy (wood) to bake the bread. "La Pana" further provides self-employment and a collective economy for the people who participate in it. “La Pana” and their newly constructed oven further play and active role in spreading the knowledge of ecological and handmade bread production through workshops in the PIC social centre (www.canmasdeu.net).

Immigant women of Barcelona

 

Last weekend (26-27 Oct) the PIC assisted, for the first time, the Mujeres Pa-Lante (MPL) feminist collective for women from immigrant families. Mujeres Pa-Lante which freely translates into "women go forward" has been fighting for womens' rights within the immigrant communities in  Barcelona for over 7 years and the PIC wanted to help them spread their message and raise funds for the social and educational activities that they offer to those women who them selves or their family left their home country to settle in Spain.





The collaboration was a big success with a large number of both women and men from the immigrant communities of Nou Barris and Barcelona coming up to visit our social centre to learn about the different strategies the MPL women employ to cultivate independence and equality and social integration amongst those with different ethnical and cultural backgrounds. Not only were the educational activities well visited at the end of the day the MPL collective also managed to raise enough funds through the running of our bar and soup kitchen to cover their running costs for the coming months.

If you would like more information about the MPL you can visit their website www.mujerespalante.org or call (+34-93 263 37 65) or email (mujerespalantebcn@yahoo.es)


For those of you who speak Catalan here is what The Mujere Pa-Lante have to say about themselves:

Les dones decidim creuar oceans, fronteres, explorar el món i les seves moltes possibilitats per múltiples raons. Mujeres Pa'lante som un col · lectiu que va sorgir a partir d'un grup de dones migrades que construïm un espai d'acollida a altres dones des de fa 7 anys. Actualment som voluntàries de diferents procedències que impulsem aquest espai de trobada, suport i informació per a dones migrades i autòctones sobre Orientació psicològica, sociolaboral i legal

Prevenció de violència de gènere, tallers de creixement personal i monitores de salut, Cursos de català, castellà, informàtica i alfabetització Campanyes de convivència i solidaritat en els nostres barris.

Apostem per la solidaritat entre dones, perquè sabem de la importància de les xarxes de suport, entenem que la forma de deconstruir la xenofòbia és coneixent-nos, interactuant, i valorant la diversitat de cultures que convivim a Catalunya. Creiem que les dones hem de compartir eines que ens permetin ser autònomes, empoderar-i trencar els cercles de violència (de gènere i institucional) que vivim. Anem teixint xarxes de suport i afecte, anem filant espais comuns per compartir i créixer juntes.

Consumopedia

The Interaction Point Collserola (PIC) is collaborating with the Centre for Information and Research on Consumption (CRIC), editors of the ethical consumption magazine Opcions. Together we are creating a new web based platform called Consumpedia. Here people can freely access practical information in order to change their consumption patterns.

The web site has different sections:
- Participatory map: people will find 2000 alternative consumer initiatives all over Spain and could add form the computer more initiatives to complete the map
- Resources bank: people can find different materials (videos, presentations, books,...) related to alternative consumption useful for outreach, education, advocacy... purposes
- Blog: a weekly updated blog with reflection, news, etc. related to alternative consumption the perfect channel to stay up to date on the latest in the world of sustainable consumption.
- Product information: summarized information from the Opcions magazine on different consumer categories and products, practical information ready to be applied.

currently only the old version of the Consumopedia can be publicly accessed (www.consumpedia.org)

Promoting Food Autonomy

From December 14th to 16th 2012 the I Seminar on Local Agroecological Promotion, organized through the PIC and supported by Grundtvig Lifelong Learning Programme, took place in Barcelona. More than 80 people participated in it, mainly from Catalunya but also from other regions of Spain (Galícia, Euskal Herria, Canarias, Andalucía, Extremadura, Madrid...). The attendees were mainly experienced people, engaged in different kinds of Agroecological projects, who showed high affinity with the conceptual and methodological framework proposed for the seminar. The event quickly turned into a hard working atmosphere, in which everyone was highly self-motivated, sharing their experiences, learning from each other and networking for their project. This created a high level of exchange between inputs and discussions, allowing us to build a common ground of how to further promote Agroecological practices in our local communities.

Although the objectives and methodology proposed were very ambitious, the general evaluation of the seminar gave a highly positive response from the participants. The working-by-projects approach, and the hands-on methodology based on in-depth participatory techniques, allowed us to deal with different and innovative methodologies, and at the same time opened different discussions related to the complexity of Agroecology diffusion in our de-farmed postindustrial countryside. Working on three real case studies presented by their creators and representatives built up an emotional atmosphere in which we all got deeply involved in discussing the different realities. Participants and organizers of the three selected projects were highly satisfied with the outcomes of the seminar, in terms of both the methodological and strategic contents of each case study. At the end, everyone asked for a second edition of this seminar, to take place in one of the locations of the three projects we worked on during the seminar.

From May 2013 we have worked on the conclusions of the seminar, which will be published in an online document as a “Guide for Local Agroecological Promotion”. This Guide will compile every document and participatory piece of knowledge produced and collected during the seminar. Hopefully we will be able to edit some audiovisual documents with the most interesting outcomes of the seminar, such as the main talks, concluding remarks and some interviews of participants and speakers. For these documents, which will be posted in our open-access blog, we arranged a crowd-funding campaign in order to allow us to manage the technical and compilation work needed to analyze the results, and communicate the outcomes.