(omdat we ons hele netwerk hiermee willen kunnen bereiken, is deze kalender in het Engels)
In the northern hemisphere, it’s getting cold outside, with shorter days and longer nights. But we’re also facing a figurative cold here, a fierce chill of far-right, authoritarian political forces that are mostly ‘anti transitions’. It is something that keeps coming up in work and conversation, both within our organisation and when in touch with our network. What to do, what to do?
So what if we made an advent calendar filled with bite-sized transition ideas and activities? This is the second instalment of that calendar, the first one you can find here.
#1 Studio Pinopotato makes art for fundamental change
Art can be a powerful way to engage with transitions, and it can provide some much needed humor and lightness in dark times. One artist we would like to spotlight is Pauline Wiersema, artist-designer at Studio Pinopotato. With her bold and playful campaigns and art installations, she tries to challenge the status quo and change people’s assumptions on what futures are possible. Recently she designed the “Mentaaldetector” (‘mental detector’) to scan people’s feelings about the future, organized a “Bruiloft der Dingen” (‘a wedding of things’ ) for celebrating the circular economy in Rotterdam and filmed “Heel Holland F#cked” (‘The Great Dutch F*ck-off‘ like the Great British Bake-off), questioning new Dutch government policies. You can check out her future projects on her website or follow her on instagram.
#2 ‘Regenesis’ and ‘The invisible Doctrine’ help put things in perspective
At the start of this year, The Guardian’s George Monbiot made an appearance on Dutch interview show ‘Wintergasten’ (Winter guests). Monbiot, a renowned journalist and environmental thinker, shared his perspective on some of the most pressing issues of our time—climate change, inequality, and our relationship with nature.Throughout the interview ran strands of hope and possibility, as he explored how to move beyond destructive systems to build a world rooted in connection and care. Sadly the show is not available online anymore due to rights issues.But fortunately, George is also a prolific writer. You can read the first few chapters of his 2022 book ‘Regenesis’ – on feeding the world without devouring the planet – via this free preview by his publisher. And this year’s ‘The Invisible Doctrine’, on the secret history of neoliberalism, is worth adding to your reading list as well.
#3 Mensa Mensa makes healthy food for everyone (in Rotterdam)
What if you don’t know how to prepare a healthy meal? Or you can’t afford it? The first location for food as a public good in the Netherlands has been established in Rotterdam: Mensa Mensa. “Why did we outsource our food system to commercial companies?” they wonder. Healthy food is a human right and a government responsibility. And as the state isn’t living up to their responsibility yet, they have already started. Everyone is welcome to join this canteen and kitchen for food and/or support. In this way, the community can take some power back. In transition terms, a great niche player if ever we saw one.
#4 Education opportunity for young transition makers and free future-thinkin course (in Dutch)
Working on fundamental change is becoming more important across domains like energy, finance and food. But let’s not just leave it to the senior colleagues and boardroom types to take care of this. With our (Dutch-language) Transitiemaker course, you can arm yourself with the skills and knowledge to shape sustainability and justice transitions at the start of your career.
And if that is too specific a program or too steep a price tag, we’re also partnering with De Nationale Toekomstcursus (‘The Dutch National Course for the Future’). This free and online course is a great way for you (yes you) to enter (or re-enter) a future-thinking mode.
