A Day in Maine to Get Organized and Energized to Sustain Local Economies

Our friends at Cooperative Maine are helping put together an inspiring one-day conference, "Creating and Sustaining Vibrant Local Economies in Maine" on March 22 (this Saturday), 9 AM-4 PM, Randall Student Center, Augusta. We like the goals for the day!

Goals for the Day

(1) What are Vibrant Local Economies in Maine now (find out what’s being done);
(2) What would vibrant local economies in Maine look like in the future (vision);
(3) Why is it important to have strong local economies?
(4) Learn the benefits of vibrant local economies;
(5) People leave at the end with action ideas/steps and energy to carry them out.

CDI staffperson Jessica Pooley will be in attendance to let people know about the work CDI is doing in Maine to strengthen local economies.

reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy, July 19-21, New York City

Announcing reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy

This summer join a diverse new generation of practitioners and organizers from across the US and Canada to share strategies, tools, and stories about our work creating a solidarity economy from the ground up in our communities and on our campuses. reRoute: Building Youth and Student Power for a New Economy will bring together under-40 activists dedicated to systemic change for three days, July 19-21 at New York University. 

The event is sliding scale and scholarships are available. Housing deadline is June 12th. You can learn more at www.neweconomicsinstitute/reroute or by emailing cheyennaweber@neweconomicsinstitute.org.

Full convergence program TBA but confirmed panels and workshops include:

*Pathways to a New Economy

with David Woods, Institute for Responsible Investment; Maliha Safiri, US Solidarity Economy Network; Alexa Bradley, On the Commons; Ed Whitfield, Fund for Democratic Communities, moderated by Atlee McFellin, Symcenter

*Making a Living in the New Economy

with Elandria Williams, Highlander Center; Farah Tanis, Black Women's Blueprint; Jessie Reilly, TimebanksNYC; Juliet Schor, Boston College, moderated by Joshua Stephens, NYC-based co-op developer

*Financing a New Economy

with Deyanira del Rio, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project; Steve Wong, the Working World; Lauren Ressler, Responsible Endowments Coalition, moderated by Kenneth Edusei, SolidarityNYC

*Teaching and Learning a New Economics

with Renaud Girac, University of Quebec; Brian Kelly, US Society for Ecological Economics; Olivia Geiger, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, moderated by Keith Harrington, New School

*Success Stories from the New Economics Institute Campus Network

with Sachie Hopkins Hayakawa, Swarthmore Mountain Justice; Marcie Hawkins-Smith, North Carolina Student New Economy Coalition; Joel Williams, the Oak Tree Spokane; David Porinchok, Northern Arizona University Action Research Program, moderated by Farhad Ebrahimi, The Chorus Foundation

Fossil Fuel Divestment and Beyond – Responsible Endowments Coalition

Possibilities For Participatory Budgeting – Participatory Budgeting Greensboro

Food Justice and The New Economy – CoFED and Mariposa Food Co-op

Building Political Power for a New Economy– SolidarityNYC/Philadelphia 

Co-op Alliance

Can The Economics Curriculum Be Reformed?  Lessons From Activists In France and Quebec – PEPS / Horizons Economiques

Universities As Anchors For A Sustainable And Just Food Economy – Real Food Challenge

Mapping The New Economy – Shareable/Data Commons Project/Solidarity NYC

How To Start A Worker Co-op – Cooperative Development Institute

Non-hierarchical Staffing Structures – North American Students Of Cooperation

Bringing Solidarity Home: creating alternative housing economies through 

cooperative living – NASCO

Timebanks From New York to California – Timebanks NYC/Bay Area Community Exchange

Cooperative and Democratic Leadership--AORTA

We'll also be offering solidarity economy tours of Brooklyn on Friday.

"Fixing the Future" documentary screenings July 18

In Fixing the Future, public media star David Brancaccio (of Marketplace and NOW on PBS) visits locations across America that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. By featuring communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal amidst economic collapse. The film highlights effective local practices such as: community banking, local business alliances, time banking/exchange, worker cooperatives and local currencies. Following the film will be an exclusive onscreen discussion panel featuring Bill McKibben, Majora Carter, Mike Brady and David Brancaccio.


In each screening location, local groups working on implementing grassroots solutions to the economic crisis will facilitate a discussion and brainstorming session. 


Screenings are being held on Wednesday, July 18 in:

• Worcester, MA, co-sponsored by Worcester Roots (buy tickets)
• New York, NY, sponsored by the NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives (buy tickets)
• Portland, ME, co-sponsored by Hour Exchange Portland, Local Sprouts Co-op, & others 

...and loads more locations throughout the Northeast and the U.S. Find a screening near you!

Empowering Economics: How Worker-Owned Cooperatives and TimeBanks Re-Value Labor and Community

University of Southern Maine Sociology Professor Ed Collom will be speaking at Local Sprouts Café on Thursday, May 31st at 2pm on “Empowering Economics: How Worker-Owned Cooperatives and TimeBanks Re-Value Labor and Community.” Other speakers include Jonah Fertig and Heather Blersch of Local Sprouts Cooperative, and Orion Breen of Hour Exchange Portland. The event is being presented by  the University of Southern Maine Student Sociology Association.

Ed Collom’s research focuses on community currency (an alternative to the mainstream economy), home schooling (an alternative to the public education system), and workplace democracy (an alternative to bureaucratic control structures). A book by Ed Collom with Judy Lasker of Lehigh and Corinne Kyriacou of Hofstra entitled Equal Time, Equal Value: Community Currencies and Time Banking in the USA will be published this August through Ashgate Publishing. http://www.usm.maine.edu/sociology/ed-collom

Hour Exchange Portland creates an alternative local economy of neighbors helping neighbors. Neighbors exchange service cash-free and tax-free based on the currency of time, where everyone’s time is equal no matter what the service being provided. Over the years Hour Exchange Portland members have exchanged over 150,000 hours of community service and provided over 25,000 hours of free health care. Anyone interested in finding out more or joining Hour Exchange Portland can visit their website www.HourExchangePortland.org<http://www.hourexchangeportland.org/>

Local Sprouts Cooperative is worker-owned cooperative that provides local and organic food and holistic learning through cooking food for our community. They have a Cafe on Congress St, provide local and organic catering and learning programs in collaboration with non-profits and schools in Portland. www.localsproutscooperative.com The United Nations has declared 2012 International Year of Cooperatives.

WHO: University of Southern Maine Sociology Professor Ed Collom, Jonah Fertig and Heather Blersch of Local Sprouts Cooperative, Orion Breen of Hour Exchange Portland, and USM’s Student Sociology Association
WHAT: Empowering Economics: How Worker-Owned Cooperatives and TimeBanks Re-Value Labor and Community
WHERE: Local Sprouts Café, 649 Congress Street, Portland, ME
WHEN: May 31st at 2pm

For more info contact hourexchangeportland@gmail.com of call 207-619-4437.
http://www.facebook.com/events/348463738554653/
Also mentioned in this Portland Daily Sun article:
http://portlanddailysun.me/index.php/opinion/columns/6881-maine-needs-a-healthy-head-start-or-we-will-fall-behind