3. 1. Lobbied politicians in Albany, and New York City.
2. Participated at Dept of Ed. public hearings and town hall meetings.
(One issue: Governance of Department of education: Community vs. Mayor)
3. No one seemed upset about this farce of “democracy”.
Policy
4. Policy (continued)
Was in the policy making body at the United Federation of Teachers
(Mini-Congress: political parties + Permanent President)
Very few people were upset about the lack of democracy.
5. Usually Men at the topRecurrent pattern:
Started doing research.
Tried to make sense of the pretense of democracy.
Then I found a video that pointed a way beyond protest and policy.
Worker’s Union?
Democratic?
The Power Pyramid
6. (2 minutes)
Answer the following:
1. Introduce yourself and share what job you have.
2. What was one of the motivations influencing you to go into your field?
3. Does your job align with your motivations? Why or why not?
7. Intro to Video
What is Bio Diesel Fuel?
Bio Diesel Fuel Companies pay restaurants for used cooking oil.
They then recycle the oil and sell it as fuel, for a profit.
10. (2 minutes) (Half-room answers one set)
Set 1
1. What were some specific activities that the students probably had to
do to achieve their goals in the bio-diesel example?
2. Describe how these students responded differently from
protesting and pleading with politicians for policy changes?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Set 2
3. What are some possible lessons that you can learn from these
examples?
4. If there is a name that describes what they did, what is it?
11. Examples of Social Entrepreneurship or Social Enterprises
Tom’s Shoes
Indian surgery center that uses profits from
surgeries to give surgeries to the poor.
A company that makes a baby incubator
that even poor people can afford.
12. Mentors help form and maintain communities
Start with a small scale success and duplicate.
It is possible to start your own organization without
having many resources.
It is possible to work outside and “in between”
the power pyramids.
(No degree or experience).
Possible Lessons to be learned
18. Grameen Bank
Loans almost entirely to women
Some Women who couldn’t read, now read and run a business
These women now have bank retirement/savings plans
Women’s self-esteem and status in society increased
The bank mainly lost money only two years. (During Floods).
Ghana: Brings
Technology to farmers
Philipines: Small Shop Kenya: Started a dairy
business
23. Usually Men at the top
Recurrent pattern:
We can not do this in the USA
American Bank Grameen Bank
Boards of Directors
Board of directors Board of directors
24. Talk in your group for 2 minutes:
Share your reaction about Grameen Bank in your group.
What possible lessons can you learn from this example?
25. Possible Lessons Learned:
1. Have direct interaction with the people you want to help (not just
data, surveys, and research papers): Really listen…
2. The women’s development and success was fostered by
camaraderie and learning.
3. Get success on a small scale, then duplicate.
4. It’s good to own a bank!
26. What we have seen:
Social entreprises can form
business structures to help
alleviate social problems.
But can people form their own
government structures to
alleviate social problems?
30. Abdullah Öcalan
Leader of the Kurds
A middle eastern “terrorist”
Captured-Solitary confinement for life
Read many books
Murray Bookchin
Was a Jewish political activist (NYC)
He wrote about democracy, the
environment, and city planning.
(Ideas matter)
Influenced Öcalan
31. READ BOOKCHIN!
1. Created a system of local block councils. Repr
2. Councils must follow certain rules:
Equal power rule– one man, one women.
To start the meeting 40% of the attendees must be women.
3. When the Kurds move into a new area, they do not rule the new territory, they teach
people how to do democracy.
4. They welcome different ethnic groups into their councils
5. Neighborhood Councils send representatives to a council that represents a wider area.
6. Noteworthy changes for women: Honor killings and Female circumcision.
32. As a result, the Kurds decided that all new businesses would NOT follow the typical
pattern. New businesses have to be democratic.
One of Bookchin’s ideas is that organizations condition us:
Undemocratic organization will condition us to be submissive.
Important Idea from Bookchin:
33. 2 minutes talk in your group:
Share your reaction to the Kurds forming their own democratic
businesses, and government structures that includes women and
marginalized groups.
What are some possible lessons that you can learn from the Kurds?
34. Possible lesson to be learned:
Average citizens can set up their own community governing
organizations, and make their own rules of interaction.
They obtained a small success in one place and then repeated
it.
35. What can be done if:
The schools in your neighborhood get less funds than other schools.
You and your neighbors can’t afford healthcare.
Some police in your neighborhood are shooting men with their hands
up.
Next Case Example:
37. Who are these men?
It does not look like they will be arrested. But they are carrying guns!
38. The event could have been described as follows:
Dr. Huey Newton, leader of the political party Black
Panthers For Self-Defense, inspired peaceful armed
men to protest for their right to defend themselves.
39.
40. Black Panthers Party for Self Defense
Clothing Assistance
Housing Assistance
Drug Addiction Education
Schools and after school programs
Free Medical Centers (13 cities)
Free School Breakfasts (and songs!)
The schools taught self-respect & pride
Feeding and caring
Teaching, Solidarity, Black History, Pride Providing Free Health Care
The
FBI
was
scared
of
this.
41. One of the teachings of the Black Panthers:
A tiny percent of people should not have the
power and control to give out jobs.
What if people, instead of pleading with others to give them jobs, or
threatening to take jobs, tried to create their own jobs?
42.
43. Mondragon
Virtually no lay-offs.
The workers elect their executives.
The workers, have:
-- a defined pension plan
-- some social security benefits
-- reasonable income equality among workers
-- healthcare
-- and they have councils that govern cooperation among companies.
-- They also practice democracy in school, especially college.
Why haven’t we been taught about this organization?
How did such an organization come into existence?
44. Quick Facts
About Co-ops
There are Worker Co-ops and Consumer Co-ops
There are over a 100 worker co-ops in NYC
NYC budgets 2+ million dollars per year to help people start more coops.
Mondragon is helping to increase the number of Coops in the U.S.
Cooperative Home Care Associates, is in the Bronx, owned by home health aides,
many whom are immigrants. Over 1700 workers.
Credit Unions are consumer co-ops
Green Bay Packers is a Consumer Co-op, owned by fans.
Publix Supermarket is worker-owned (Over 1500 workers. 80 years old. Never had lay-offs.)
Electric Utilities exist in the south (owned by the customers, have reduced rates)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A College Book Co-op started by college students, is one of Australia’s biggest book stores.
Some co-ops in Japan use their economic power to support politicians and policies.
In England, a major political party is trying to make a law that loans money to workers
to buy corporations that are up for sale, and turn them into cooperatives.
If passed, this could be a major change to democracy and economic justice.
45. Review: Today we saw people with minimal resources do amazing things:
We saw 5th graders coordinate a recycling program that practically runs itself.
Illiterate poor women now own businesses, and their own bank (and now have
retirement plans)
Kurds created their own democratic government and businesses.
Black Panthers created their own schools, health care, and other social
services.
The people of Mondragon created their own democratic corporations,
democratic schools, and democratic governing institutions.
All of these people had minimal resources
None of these people protested, or pleaded with policy makers to accomplish
what they did.
Does this inspire you to go beyond "protest and policy" to work with others to
directly make our society better?
47. Strategize?
Would it be possible to get agencies, corporations,
schools, associations etc. to try to coordinate with
each other to solve societal problems? How?
How could one person, or a small group of people, go
about getting organizations to participate?
48. Fell free to contact me with any comments/questions
or would like to get involved in going “beyond protest
and policy,” or you have a group of people to whom
you would like me to share this presentation:
glen1001@yahoo.com
50. Town needs garbage
pickup. The town is piling
up with garbage.
Doctor needs to be
paid for giving health
care.
Needs Recycling business
needs garbage, but can’t
pickup from each
household. But can pick
up from a central location
?Assets Can pay for garbageDoctor can provide
health care
COORDINATE!
(Asset Based Community Development)
52. Yes magazine
Shareable.net
Solutions Journalism
Popular Resistance.org
Alternet.org
Media Matters
Politifact
Charterize Privatize
Privatize Social Security
Privatize (charterize) Agencies
Privatize Prisons
Privatize government services
Prisons
Traffic tickets.
Bookchin + PDF
Truth out (black co-op book)
Enactus
How you can participate:
Mentor College Kids (Enactus)
Murray Bookchin pdf
