This month, we’re talking about how to resist ICE in your community and demand corporate accountability; people-led assemblies reclaiming democracy and collective decision-making; international solidarity with Rojava as its autonomous project comes under attack; and communities in Patagonia organizing mutual aid and volunteer brigades amid climate denial and devastating wildfires. Across borders and struggles, these stories show people refusing to accept organized abandonment, defending one another, confronting state violence and extraction, and building collective alternatives.
PS: Love reading the Roundup? Make a gift today to help NEC meet this moment and keep the Roundup going strong.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
A mass mobilization of tens of thousands in solidarity during the “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom” protest. Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images
Assemblies for Just Democracy: As we witness the rise of authoritarianism and fascist forces, assemblies—gatherings where people come together to make decisions collectively—offer a tool for a just democracy and a reminder of the power communities have to reclaim control and shape their own futures. Around the world, assemblies take many forms, from movement-based gatherings to civic forums and citizens’ assemblies, giving everyday people a real voice in shaping policies and setting priorities. Explore People Powered’s summary of 19 key findings to understand, advocate for, and implement citizens’ assemblies, get the People’s Economy Lab’s report on the process and outcomes of Washington’s 2024 statewide community assemblies, and study global examples of assemblies building solidarity and challenging concentrated wealth.
How to stop ICE in your community: As ICE intensifies raids, terrorizes our communities, and continues to detain and murder our people, neighbors across the country are organizing to defend each other. From rapid-response networks and know-your-rights trainings to neighborhood defense teams, peaceful noise demonstrations, and ‘wide awakes’ at hotels where ICE has been confirmed to be staying, as well as workplace and international solidarity, communities are taking concrete steps to block ICE and defend our cities and territories. A key part of this work is going after ICE’s corporate collaborators & supporting local business. Below are concrete ways to stop ICE in your community and build solidarity wherever you are:
- Know your rights & prepare your community. Learn how to respond safely to ICE encounters, support neighbors during raids, and protect yourself and others:
Know Your Rights (National Immigration Law Center)
Legal Resources & Community Trainings
United We Dream DACA & Immigration Toolkit
Rapid Response hotlines
Individuals and non profits approached by ICE. - Research local ICE collaborators. Use investigative tools like this resource from Little Sis to uncover which corporations, landlords, and local agencies are working with ICE.
- Get involved in boycotts & demand corporate accountability.
Plug into campaigns targeting corporations that enable ICE, including Hilton, Enterprise, and Home Depot. Cut off ICE’s infrastructure: Sign up & get involved in the Sunrise Movement & start organizing in your town; Join 18 Million Rising’s call to mobilize with Minnesota & tell Enterprise: No Cars for ICE Cruelty! - Pressure businesses to refuse collaboration & reject contracts or cooperation with ICE, CBP, and other policing agencies, and make that stance visible to customers and the community. You can now download our new “We Don’t Do Business With I.C.E.” print.
- Report and track ICE activity using this map from ICE Out and support community-led efforts to document and share real-time information about immigration enforcement.
- Prepare for mass action & strike solidarity.
- Stand up together in a nationwide shutdown on Friday, January 30, a day of no school, no work, and no shopping. Get ready by checking out the Survival Guide for a General Strike.
P.S. We know there’s so much incredible work happening right now, and this list can’t capture it all. If there’s a resource, action, or tool you think should be included, write to us at comms@neweconomy.net, and we’ll add it to our Resource Library.
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Kurdish women braid their hair in solidarity with female fighters in Rojava during a demonstration in Erbil, January 23, 2026. Photo: Safin Hamid/AFP
Defend Rojava NOW: Rojava, the autonomous region in northern Syria, is facing escalating attacks by Syrian state forces, forcing Kurdish communities to flee amid widespread violence. Backed by Islamist armed factions, Syria’s interim government has intensified military operations in the region, while Western governments continue to support repression and enable the violence through silence and complicity. These assaults threaten a revolutionary project rooted in autonomy, self-defense, and collective governance. We call on social movements to act in solidarity & pressure Congress to condemn the violence. Read the emergency statement and call to action by the Emergency Committee of Rojava, & watch a webinar on Rojava’s autonomous project (Español | English).
#LaPatagoniaArde: Climate denial and government neglect have left communities in Patagonia, Argentina, exposed to some of the worst wildfires in decades. Residents face extreme heat and prolonged drought, while budget cuts and inaction have stretched resources thin. Locals are taking matters into their own hands, forming volunteer brigades with chainsaws, rakes, and motor pumps to protect farms, forests, and neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the government continues to prioritize profit and land speculation over climate safety. Learn more about Just Recovery and Climate Justice, and how these frameworks confront the root causes of environmental racism, climate chaos, and inequality. Speak out, donate supplies, and stand in solidarity with those on the front lines.
MOVEMENT NEWS
How to Block ICE In Your City
Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators.
Minneapolis’s 2020 Uprising Laid an Abolitionist Groundwork for ICE Resistance
Power, Not Panic: Why Organizers Must Engage with AI to Build the Future We Deserve. Assemblies: A Path to Co-Governance and Democratic Renewal.
The Land Question.
A New Loan Product Is Helping Power Brooklyn’s Coops
Every Design Studio Should Be a Worker-Owned Studio.
A Community Land Trust Movement Rises in New York City: Leadership Lessons.
How Can Artists Show Up for Minneapolis?
The Guardian Launches Building Power, a Landmark Reporting Series on Civic Action.
Data Centers Hide Behind NDAs and Secrets to Settle in Latin America.
Venezuelan Oil Brought to the U.S. Would Be Refined in Black Gulf Coast Communities.
FEATURE
Join this global week of action: Reclaim the Economy Week brings together 95 events across 27 countries to demand an economy that puts people and planet first. From in-person gatherings to online workshops, there are many ways to take part. Find an event near you on the map, browse by date in the spreadsheet, and sign the petition!
Within Reclaim The Economy Week: How Artists Are Reclaiming the Economy.
ART.COOP is hosting a webinar bringing together artists and cultural workers from across the Western Hemisphere who are actively reshaping the economy through cooperatives and solidarity economy models. Join us Thursday, January 29 at 3:30 PM ET to hear from nine groundbreaking projects working at the intersection of art, culture, and economic transformation.
RESOURCE LIBRARY
PODCASTS & VIDEO
Now live! New Economics 4 Emancipation videos on Inflation & Movement Finance | Learn about finance, its historical roots and evolution, and its role in shaping society’s future.
NEC Member Motherful – When Mothers Lead: Matriarchy Now | Hear first-hand stories that highlight the importance of building a matriarchal future!
The Role of Philanthropy in This Moment.
Why the Future Is Post-Growth: Donnie Maclurcan on Life Beyond Capitalism.
TOOLKITS & RESOURCES
Billionaires Are Fueling Authoritarianism | A global inequality report by Oxfam.
Electric Cooperative Organizing Toolkit | A guide from the Rural Power Coalition that introduces the basics of rural electric cooperatives, how they operate, and ways community members can get involved to build democratic, community-controlled energy systems.
Digital Marketplace Tools to Incentivize Conservation | A resource from NEC member Croatan Institute exploring how digital marketplace tools can incentivize conservation practices that improve food quality, support public health, and strengthen climate resilience.
Narrative Power Today for a Radical Tomorrow | A series by The Forge & Rad Comms.
Co-Creating Alternative Futures in a Time of Unraveling | Post Growth Institute
JOBS
Breaking News Writing Fellow, Truthout
Controller, Proteus Fund
Community Stewardship & Property Manager, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
Future Leaders Program Fellowships, Aldo Leopold Foundation
Graphic Design & Digital Content Associate, Sudanese Diaspora Network
Lead Community Organizer, Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice
Mobile Market Outreach Manager, Massachusetts Avenue Project
Mobile Market Procurement Manager, Massachusetts Avenue Project
William Rivers Pitt Fellowship for Emerging Writers, Truthout
If you’re hiring, consider submitting to The Roundup. For more opportunities, check out this job board from NEC member Post Growth Institute and this one from the U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops!
EVENTS
Organizing for Energy Affordability & Resiliency, Free Training Series | Rural Power Coalition
This training includes four weekly 1-hour sessions plus two office hours for deeper discussion and peer learning. Participants will build skills in community outreach, electric co-op organizing, power mapping, media strategy, and coalition-building to advance energy affordability and resilience. (Sessions run Thursdays from January 22 to February 12 at 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT).
Building Power with Visuals | Social Movement Technologies Global Community
A 4-week step-by-step intensive on using imagery in campaigns to project power and drive action. (Thursdays, Jan 29 – Feb 19, 2026).
Digital Security for Cooperatives | Collective Diaspora
Learn practical strategies to protect your cooperative’s online operations, improve digital hygiene, and reduce security risks. Accessible for cooperatives at all stages and part of Collective Diaspora’s work to build resilient, secure cooperative ecosystems.
Crash Course on Facilitating Decision Making | AORTA
A 2-hour online training designed to help groups make collective decisions quickly and effectively. Learn practical tools and frameworks for guiding decision-making, sharing power, narrowing options, and cultivating principled disagreement, essential skills for organizers, volunteers, and community groups resisting rising authoritarianism. Hosted in collaboration with About Face: Veterans Against the War, Climate Justice Alliance, No Tech for Apartheid, and Freedom Side School. (February 24, 4:00–6:00 PM PST – Virtual)
Patronage in Worker Cooperatives | A Bookkeeping Cooperative Workshop
Join a 2-hour Zoom workshop to deepen your understanding of key financial practices for worker cooperatives. Participants will explore terms like internal capital accounts, member equity, and patronage, learn how these are calculated, and discuss ways to share these concepts with other members to support full participation in cooperative governance. (Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM PT / 1:00–3:00 PM ET – Virtual)
Financial Foundations Series | A Bookkeeping Cooperative Workshop
A beginner-friendly, 4-week workshop covering essential financial terms and the four core financial reports—budget, cash flow, profit & loss, and balance sheet, as tools to support your group’s goals. Sessions are 2 hours each and offered on a sliding scale ($100–$1,920). Upcoming series: February (Thursdays), March (Wednesdays), May (Thursdays).
Training for Trainers
An intensive fundamentals workshop for anyone using training and group facilitation in social justice movement building. Designed for organizers, political educators, and facilitators at all experience levels, the training builds practical skills for leading groups and strengthening collective learning. (March 30 and June 5 – Virtual)
Elements for Regional Solidarity Economy Organizing Cohort Training | People’s HUB
A five-month training cohort for groups working to build Solidarity Economy ecosystems in their local regions. The program supports participants in connecting movement theory, values, and skills to regional contexts, with the goal of establishing functioning ecosystems that meet community needs. March-July 2026
Finance Fundamentals: Financial Analysis for New Cooperatives | Cooperation Works
A virtual training offering hands-on experience assessing the feasibility of start-up cooperatives through financial analysis and modeling. Participants will build a financial workbook, learn to interpret financial statements, and conduct market research. Registration is open with an early bird discount until February 6, 2026 (March 10–April 2, 2026 – Virtual).
Introduction to Story-based Strategy Trainings 2026 | Center for Story-based Strategy
A four introductory trainings designed to strengthen radical imagination and collective power. Participants will learn to identify dominant narratives that uphold injustice, envision liberatory alternatives, and turn stories into lasting political power. These trainings are designed for organizers and cultural movement workers, but all are welcome to apply (March 31, April 16, May 7, and June 4 – Virtual).