Hollingdean Hedge School
A series of four fortnightly sessions to re-frame and empower our understanding of 'economy' and workshop ways to survive and thrive better together.
Wednesdays 28 January, 11 and 25 February, and 11 March 4:15-5:30pm
From the hedge schools in Ireland under colonialism, to the Pan African Saturday school Akala often speaks about in interviews, ordinary people have always created their own spaces of learning when the dominant system has shut them out.
Inspired by these and other traditions, we're running a series of sessions aiming to share knowledge and frameworks we can use to understand the world, our place in it, and move towards more freedom together. The sessions will focus on themes related to 'economy' - how we organise our lives and meet our needs. These will not be academic sessions but will be based on discussion, practice, and mini presentations. No education, experience, or background is needed. You're welcome to attend all the sessions or just drop in and out. Everyone welcome.
28 January - Whose economy? Our economy!
What is 'economy'? What would a liberatory economy be like? This first session introduces ideas like the 'solidarity economy' and ways people around the world are organising to meet their own needs and build community power together.
11 February - Community and textile colour - winter red with madder root dyeing
Textile production is a lens into community structure throughout the ages. Together in this workshop you’ll get hands on pre industrial cottage industry style experience dyeing ribbons in Brighton grown madder root.
25th February - Land, enclosure and the food system
Vegetable grower and landworkers’ union member Rahma will share current issues in food production and agriculture in the UK. She will explore history of how we got here, and what a system less dependent on exploitation of worker and the land might look like and how we might get there.
11 March - Mutual aid
Mutual aid can be defined as collective coordination to meet each other’s needs, recognising that the current systems we rely on, whether governmental or nonprofit, are designed to leave many of us behind. What can we take forward in our own lives and communities to support each other and build a better world together here and now?
This session builds on what we've explored in the previous ones, but don't worry if you missed the others, everyone is welcome.