The Firedoglake Writers' Foundation has put together a fellowship program called Ocuppy Exchange. Three fellows from Occupy Buffalo have already been selected: Samantha Colon, Robert Albini and John Washington. They have been chosen for their "local activism on education, mass transit and foreclosure mills (which) has been a model for other occupations across the country". They will be visiting Occupy Little Rock, which has distinguished itself for taking its camp off the grid with "solar panels, wind turbines, a grey water system and an urban greenhouse". Good stuff. Fellows are selected not only for their commitment and achievements but also for having demonstrated real-world skills to pursue and effect change within Occupy communities for their own development and the education of the world around them.
As anyone paying attention can see, these are the kind of experiments in sustainable living that must take place to combat both the class war and climate change. They don't have to take place entirely within the confines of occupations, but certainly occupations can play an important role bceaue they are community efforts and they are numerous, legion even. Not only will the government not be providing leadership in these areas, it will fight tooth and nail to prevent substantive change from happening. Because the government ownership opposes this change, which threatens existing revenue streams. And because the ownership, the .government, virtually all Republicans and even the vast majority of moderates, including those who vote as Democrats, don't really believe the class war or climate change are significant threats.
Just read the comments of many moderates right here on DK and you can see that they simply are not concerned. People will adapt, they say. Yeah, millions will adapt by dying. Millions more will adapt by tumbling into poverty. Millions will be set adrift searching for food, water and healthcare. They'll adapt alright. Either the moderates don't get it or they just don't care; in the end, it doesn't matter, because either way we are on our own to deal with the mess they contribute to.
Fellowships are available to Occupiers with skills and experience in the following areas:
• Event Organizing
• Dealing with Media
• Nonviolence Training
• Shareholder Activism
• Tactical Mobility
• Project Management
• Online Organizing
• Meeting Facilitation
• Money and Accounting
• Video Production & Livestreaming
• Student Organizing
• Consumer Debt
• Mobile Kitchens
• Foreclosure Activism
• Security
• Renewable Energy
• Strategic Planning
• Homelessness
• Group-building
• First Aid
• Conflict resolution
• Citizen Journalism
• Networking with Community Groups
After their trips, fellows will be writing up their experiences to share knowledge with the rest of the worldwide movement.
Please share this information with anyone you know who may interested in the Occupy Exchange Fellowship Program. Here's the link to request an application.
If you are part of an occupation or know of an occupation that would be interested in taking in fellows to share knowledge and skills in these areas (or another not listed), you can make a request here.
A message from Firedoglake:
We all grow frustrated that there’s no accountability for the oligarch class that continues to pillage the world economy with impunity. That makes it all the more critical that we support these visionary individuals who are rising up out of blighted communities, refusing to be snared by the partisan traps that crippled previous generations of activists. They are uncompromising in their commitment to creating models of a world they want to live in. They are our hope for the future.
Last, of course, if you recognize the value of the Occupy Movement and wish to see it flourish over the coming seasons, you can make a
tax deductible donation to the Firedoglake Writers’ Foundation’s Occupy Exchange program. As soon as I post this diary, that's what I am going to do.
Note: I realize that FDL is not well-liked in large segments of the DK community, but most of the people who demonize FDL are not terribly helpful in fighting these wars anyway, so I'm not gonna waste any sleep over it.