Community Development Credit Unions have long been working for racial justice and innovating in economic justice. Part of the larger community development finance institution (CDFI) movement, these institutions are today boldly lending to undocumented immigrants, fighting predatory lending, preserving historic Black and farmworker CUs, financing worker coops and land trusts, and building partnerships to fund the new economy. Part history lesson, part show and tell, and part participatory debate, three practitioners from the field lead a session to engage participants in how they might access, build, challenge and partner with CDFIs in their own geographies to sustain the new economy.
Resources
What Do We Mean by Energy Democracy?
This is an "Energy Democracy for Beginners" session from CommonBound 2016 in which a few panelists draw out the vision and political framework of Energy Democracy and what it means in their respective communities and organizing work. They each provide an example project and briefly share their perspectives on strategies for Democratizing Energy and building the energy democracy movement.
Taking Our Visions to Scale: Lessons From Abroad
Outside of the US, there are a number of powerful examples of new economies at scale. This CommonBound 2016 plenary panel looks at a few of those international stories as we explore what economic democracy can look like at the level of a city, state, region, nation — and world. From Italy and Quebec to Cuba and El Salvador.
The History and Future of the Community Development Finance Movement
Community Development Credit Unions have long been working for racial justice and innovating in economic justice. Part of the larger community development finance institution (CDFI) movement, these institutions are today boldly lending to undocumented immigrants, fighting predatory lending, preserving historic Black and farmworker CUs, financing worker coops and land trusts, and building partnerships to fund the new economy. Part history lesson, part show and tell, and part participatory debate, three practitioners from the field lead a session to engage participants in how they might access, build, challenge and partner with CDFIs in their own geographies to sustain the new economy.
Updating Cuba’s Economic Model: The Role for Social and Solidarity Economy Practices
Cuba has been transforming its economic model since 2011, and re-established relations with the U.S. in 2014. By engaging in an active question and answer format this CommonBound 2014 workshop explores what these profound changes mean for a socialist economy and the challenges of protecting the social gains of the Cuban revolution while creating a more robust, efficient economy.
Taking Our Visions to Scale: Lessons From Abroad
Outside of the US, there are a number of powerful examples of new economies at scale. This CommonBound 2016 plenary panel looks at a few of those international stories as we explore what economic democracy can look like at the level of a city, state, region, nation — and world. From Italy and Quebec to Cuba and El Salvador.
Decolonizing the Economy from the Ground Up: Case Study Boston Ujima Project
What will an anti-imperialist, economy look like? What will it take to decolonize economic structures in pursuit of liberation? After introducing frameworks for building a movement for sustainable business, community and worker ownership, workplace democracy, and thriving family businesses, we go local. We hear lessons from Boston, where grassroots organizations, small businesses and investors are working together to model an alternative to the capitalist economy at a local level. Participants learn from leaders of the Boston Ujima Project about their efforts to fight poverty and displacement through the formation of a community capital fund, a Good Business Certification, and an alternative local currency. Participants learn about Boston's unique new economy project and engage in the opportunities and limits of this community development strategy.
Achieving Self-Determination and Sovereignty for Our Communities
This CommonBound 2014 opening plenary panel explores what it means for our movements to “win.” Grounding us in a framework of decolonization, community self-determination and sovereignty, we dive deep into why we do this work. Each of the panelists share their perspective on what is unique about this moment in history — from the political and economic level, to the cultural and ecological.
The Internet of Ownership: Cooperative Platforms for the Online Economy
As the online "sharing economy" devolves into poor labor conditions and monopolistic practices, the concept of "platform cooperativism" offers a hopeful vision for a more democratic online economy. This new wave of entrepreneurs, investors, and business developers are merging offline cooperative economics with the Internet in creative ways. In this CommonBound 2016 workshop, leaders discuss how far this emergent movement has come, and explore some of the challenges it faces in the struggle for the future of the online platforms we increasingly depend on.
New Systems: Possibilities and Proposals
Want to understand the alternatives to business as usual? We know the current system does exactly what it was designed to do: line corporate pockets at the expense of real people’s health and livelihoods, destroying the environment while fueling the war machine. But we also know that another world is possible. Many models for radically different, sustainable, inclusive and democratic societies exist and this CommonBound workshop features a few of their proponents to present their ideas, debate the options and answer questions about what a better world looks like in detail.
NEC NEWSLETTER
GET THE ROUNDUP
Sign up below to receive our bi-weekly New Economy Roundups highlighting the work of our 200+ members and many other building just and sustainable economies around the world.