Working with Local Networks

In addition to key value propositions already listed:

• Route to building better connected and more inclusive local activity, with MC functioning as a bridging network

• Focus point for a wider programme of discussions to connect local groups with emerging platform coop/new economy initiatives – not just as users, but as active participants in the development process

• Closing the gap between language and practice

• Building a basis for ongoing cooperative, community-led, problem solving innovation

• Developing a process that can be used in other towns, by anyone (whether they’re currently involved in open coop/new economy debates or not).

Local areas are very different and for me, at the moment, the most important things are to do with the how, rather than the why. The Council recently ran a regeneration initiative, including a very positive Meanwhile uses programme, but the way it was done set local groups against one another and split existing groups. Frome and Totnes are celebrated for their initiatives but those same initiatives are also resented locally. So, questions about process and inclusion, for example:

• How do we ensure that people who are currently involved in local initiatives (politically, professionally or personally) are included from the outset?

• How do we identify and reach all sectors of the business community?

• How do we support the establishment of local governance?

In terms of my role, I am acting more as connector/facilitator than convenor and am not planning to take an active ongoing role running a local network.

very good points about identification / inclusion. Ultimately, we're only offering a way to trade that has benefits in a healthy economy, and looks pretty essential when there's no money. don't want to tread on anyone's toes.

Hi all

Following on from our phone conversation Graham, here's an overview of something I’m thinking – which addresses Simon’s concerns about building a completely new economy, rather than try to build good things in this one. The time is now I think, as the old economy is shutting down. Let me know what you think.

For Alison and Simon – can’t remember if you know any of this, but Graham is starting a social care co-op in Kirlees, and has built a step-by-step guide to starting a social care co-op in any community. He’s talking with Kirleses and Preston councils. He calls it ‘Replicate and Federate’.

1. We work with you to build a step-by-step guide to starting and running a mutual credit network in your communites.

   (By the way, can I see the step-by-step guide to starting a social care co-op?)

2. Combine it with the social care step-by-step guide in a package consisting of the two essentials of a post-corona world – a means of taking care of each other and a means of exchange.
   (These are possibly the two biggest ‘cracks in capitalism’, into which we can drive wedges, and aim to transcend it).

3. Put this package to local authorities, funders and mutual aid groups (and Transition groups).

4. Invite others in:

• Unicorn – have toolkit for starting a co-operative grocery store

• CSA Network – have a guide to starting a CSA scheme

• Sharenergy – want to start making guides for community energy schemes

• Bread Matters – (I hear) they’ve got a guide to starting a co-op bakery

• Radical Routes – have guides on starting housing co-ops

• CLT Network – I’m sure have guides on CLTs

• Lowimpact have a network of trainers in 200+ topics, from natural building and renewables installation to food production and craft skills. We can produce guides to self-employment / starting a co-op in all of these topics).

• and so on
  (A community can pick and choose from the package, but social care and the exchange medium are essential – the ‘glue’ that holds it all together)

  5 . Make links between the step-by-step guides – e.g. Co-op grocery, step 12: join the local mutual credit network, step 13: get your veg from local CSA etc.

  6. Website / name / co-op of co-ops:

• step-by-step guides

• blog – contributions from various sectors / news

• can move my youtube interviews here – they’d suit this site better. Plus other people can conduct interviews, plus group discussions etc.

• forum / advice

• theory of change

• name? (Tom Greco say.s we should steer clear of any -isms, because it will get you enemies - which means not being overtly anti-capitalist. I think he’s right.)

  7. Partner with CLES, Stir, NEF, Co-ops UK and usual suspects.

  (inc. NonCorporate.org – when we’ve fixed the score form – for customers).

  8. Replicate and Federate – marketing: together, members and partners have a huge audience, and influence. Let's do it in every community.

Absolutely agree. Not only does a suite of approaches help provide credibility and build critical mass, when each initiative is amplifying the others it makes local conversations much easier. I've been thinking for a while about something along the lines of Drupal's pitch deck - https://www.drupal.org/community/agency-marketing/pitch-deck. Clear, concise project descriptions would be really useful as it can be difficult to see where projects in development overlap and where they differ, and while simple, understandable language is important, so I think is accompanying rigourous analysis of approach and process - moving from early adopters within a community to engage with a whole community and deliver at scale is one of the biggest challenges every project faces. Can I make a plea for the site you describe to be built as a platform, in Drupal, rather than WordPress. I have lots of good reasons for suggesting this - as well as my own personal prejudice! Can I also suggest we consider a collaborative approach to building the plaform and the suite of guides - maybe using mutual credit to provide cash flow for the skills needed to build something exceptional, something that will support the promotion of a whole range of initiatives.

But just to add: this is for the future - if any of that is going to work, first we need a working model of a local mutual credit network!

Watching from afar, but wanted to express appreciation for the focus on building local networks (that will also be able to federate eventually), and for the comments about helping people start local production and service co-ops to fill gaps and to create supply chains (P6) which can then relate to each other through mutual credit. ❤️