everyday social democracy

KEEP YOUR COINS, WE WANT CHANGE!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 No Comments
Labels: developing ideas

A couple of friends and I have decided to organise a rather last-minute stunt to raise awareness about the Copenhagen talks on 6-18th Dec and The Wave march on Saturday 5th Dec.

We're calling on all buskers / musicians / street performers / out of work actors / photographers to take to streets in the lead-up, and instead of busking for money, to provide passers-by with entertainment and flyers to raise awareness. Hence the (borrowed) name, "Keep your coins, we want change!"

The aim is to try and inspire a decentralised thing where people can just go and do it in whichever town or city they live on whatever day they're free. However, we also want to gather a group of people in London on the weekend of 28/29 November and spend an hour or so busking and spreading the word.

Although we are particularly looking for musicians, we also need flyerers and photographers. So noone is free from the invite. ;-)

If you are interested in helping, here are a few things you can do:

Sign up to the Facebook event

Follow us on Twitter

Add to our collaborative Spotify playlist of busking songs

Let me know if you can make it on the 28th/29th Nov

Spread the word!

As you may have guessed, this is a bit of an experiment. However, it also feels like something that could just spark an interest in the wider public, something that The Wave, and climate discussions drastically needs.

So, if you wanna get on board, get in touch, or forward this to all your friends!

Many thanks,

Becky

Do you have a story to tell about how you're using exciting campaigning techniques to make a difference to the issue you care about? Let me know!

It's time to clean up the house, It's time to take back our democracy

Posted on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 No Comments
Labels: power2010

We say that young people aren't interested in politics, let alone democratic reform. If you asked them whether they were in favour of PR, the first thing that would come to their mind would be spin doctors not proportional representation.

They may not have known before what actually happens in the corridors of power, but they knew their voices weren't being heard, let alone represented. Let's be clear, the expenses crisis didn't create distrust between young people and MPs, it exacerbated it.

Young people don't listen any more to the rhetoric on local community that all parties bang on about, because what they see is supermarkets being allowed to crush any competition from local shops.

They don't listen any more to the rhetoric on fairness when what they see are fat cats bailed out once again lapping up the caviar and champagne from their bonuses, while young people are forced to lap up the rhetoric on the age of austerity and accept pay cuts and job cuts.

And they don't listen any more when faceless MPs who never rebel on our behalf just in case they get pushed off the greasy careerist pole, start rebelling to maintain their juicy perks.

When we get MPs who'd rather get a windfall payout than continue to represent their local constituents, we know that the game's up for the politics of greed and envy.

After all, why should MPs care about young people, when the only people they need to convince are "swing voters"?

We might not vote as much as other groups, but we'll certainly be voting for the MPs that pledge they will stand up for the issues we care about.

That's why Compass Youth teamed up with Power 2010 to hold a public debate on the change our democracy needs. Because we wanted to enable young people to be able to come together and come up with radical ideas on taking back our democracy. Because the ideas fed in through Power 2010 will go to a citizen's panel selected from across the country. Because the top five ideas will become the pledge that all candidates standing for the next elections will be asked to commit to. So we can see who's really progressive and who supports our politics.

And that's why the most popular idea at our session was to introduce a fairer voting system based on proportional representation. So that's why we are supporting the Vote for a Change campaign too.

So after touring London to film young people with Ed the Duck on what they would do if they were MP for a day, we dressed up as zombies for Halloween marching down Westminster as part of the Vote for a Change campaign.

Our democracy deserves better, we deserve better, let's change it.

Be scared, very scared

Posted on Saturday, November 14, 2009 No Comments
Labels: organising campaigns

We’ve been out and about. People often confuse exciting and gimmicky. There is nothing gimmicky about cleaning up politics and fighting for a fairer voting system. This would transform our democracy. But with such a complex issue, the only way to get people fired up is to tap into what makes them tick.

As Crazy Epic says "Gen Y are politically motivated, politically mobilised, and have the tools to spread their opinions. Events such as Zombie Walk show that they also have the creativity to make themselves heard."

That's why we toured London to film young people with Ed the Duck on what they would do if they were MP for a day and dressed up as zombies for Halloween marching down Westminster as part of the Vote for a Change campaign. Watch the video and be scared, very scared.

Drop outs or start ups? Next generation social entrepreneurs

Posted on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 No Comments
Labels: developing ideas

The more there will be people losing their jobs, the more there will be people with more time and less money.

What can young people do with their time and energy if they've got no job to go to? How can they spend their time more creatively? Can young people out of work be the next generation of social entrepreneurs?

We don't know...That's why we want you to come and tell us what ideas we should campaign on to tackle youth unemployment. That's why we want you to come to the first of a series of sessions focused on different ways young people out of work can develop their skills.

As well as being able to have your say in shaping our priority campaign for 2010, you'll be able to hear from an amazing trio of social entrepreneurs, David Floyd (Social Spider), Peter Ptashko (Young UnLtd) and Amisha Ghadiali (Amisha/The Hub) who'll share their stories.

COMPASS YOUTH GOES CLIMATE CHIC!

Posted on Saturday, October 03, 2009 No Comments
Labels: developing ideas

You told us about your "green" ideas, from carbon taxes, green jobs to school gardening. Do you want to have your say on how to campaign on climate change and do something about it with others where you are?

If so, come and join Compass Youth & Change is Coming (ChiC) at "SWaP your Story" on Monday 19th October 6.30-8.30 pm at the Railway Tavern, Liverpool St (London).

Tell us why the environment matters more than ever in the recession. Find out how you can make change happen where you are with other activists and groups. Try out exciting techniques so you can get other people involved in the environmental movement.

Don't miss out, book your place now!

This workshop is open to all activists, whether you want to share your environmental involvement or if you want to make their first steps. Sign up at http://swapyourstory.eventbrite.com

Any questions or want to find out more? Email us now! If you can't see the video below, click here.

The only change worth fighting...

We don’t just listen to what you care about, we work with you so you can do something about it together. Because I know if you give people an inch, they'll give you a mile. That’s why I invited one of our activists Becky to run our first ever session on the environment.

Becky runs Change is Coming (ChiC), which encourages increased recognition of the power and responsibility of individuals in responding to and initiating change, through the use of creative & collaborative action. ChiC's primary venture is EnviroWiki.org.uk - a collaborative mapping directory compiling activity & debate for the growing environmental movement.

...It's time to get ChiC

You may be concerned about the threat of climate change, but find it hard to communicate it in times of recession and financial uncertainty. You may want to get involved in the environmental movement, but feel unsure where to start. You may just want to find out more. Either way, come and join us at SWaP the Story!

Noel Hatch

National Chair

Compass Youth

www.twitter.com/compassyouth

www.compassyouth.org

stop the excess express

Posted on Saturday, September 05, 2009 No Comments
Labels: developing ideas

I watched Fox News for the first time last night. In a nutshell, along with occasional expert advice from our friend Dan Hannan, they try and make people believe that there’s a socialist conspiracy to take over the world. If only, I thought... And then something struck me maybe there is…

We had a Republican president going all socialist by providing around $1tn to bail out financial institutions so that the economy didn’t go bust.
We had Wall Street falling in love with nationalisation because it's all they had left.
We’ve got the Lord who runs the agency regulating financial services supporting the iconic Tobin Tax pledge of the anti globalisation movement.
And now we’ve got the conservative duo Sarkozy and Merkel making the running to tame excessive pay and bonuses in banks.

I never realised there were on our side! And then I realised they tried to convince us they were when they expalined how the excessive greed of the other “masters of the universe” was somehow contributing to the economy. “Yes we can” they all must have said when they gave themselves bigger and bigger bonuses, higher and higher pay.

So it does feel slightly strange that many people now applaud the Establishment for calling for policies which were deemed too radical when those less in thrawl to the City called for them?

As Jackie Ashley comments, “If everyone is a member of the soggy centrist consensus, serious thinking becomes flabby and the point of parliamentary politics declines…Who can now say that the iron discipline of New Labour MPs during the boom years was such a good thing? If it meant that there was very little probing of the City and banking practice, wasn't that a mistake?”

There was (is?) as much iron discipline by MPs towards the City as there was towards their party whips. From all sides of the house. While we warned that the excessive greed of the fat cats probably affects social cohesion more than a teenager spraying graffiti on your wall, the government are still giving out ASBOs to kids and letting bankers at government-controlled banks give themselves bonuses.

But let's move beyond the "we told you so" (we did…he did even earlier) and look at how we can get out of this mess.

There are many proposals around proposing maximum wage ratios or bonus taxation. Of course these all need to be considered and the thread that brings these all together is the urgent need to review excessive pay across the board.

Now that doesn't sound too radical does it? Well…no actually, as 65% of the public polled here agree we need a High Pay Commission that would do exactly that. OK, so surely all those people must have been socialists? Well…no, as 66% of Labour voters are up for it, but so are 63% of Tories and 75% of Lib Dems.

So are we going to wait for other “masters of the universe” to tell us what to think or are we going to start rocking the boat for the right reasons?

Posted on Friday, August 14, 2009 No Comments
Labels: about me, developing ideas

why I'm (re)standing for compass youth

Posted on Monday, July 13, 2009 comments (1)
Labels: about me

I'm always amazed by the passion of members I meet and your energy in making change happen, from Sam & Dan for running Compass Youth, my comrades on the committee to those who've just joined - that's why I want to say thanks to all of you!

Young people are changing the world around them - fighting fascism, lobbying for a living wage, reclaiming the night or campaigning against climate change. What really motivates me to be involved in Compass Youth is supporting people to make change happen on the issue that matter to them. Because I know if you give people an inch, they'll give you a mile.

That's why I want Compass Youth to be a space where you can do all the things you didn't think possible before, knowing we will trust and support you:

So you can debate the issues you care about, like I've done by enabling you to promote your ideas through our blog and video and discuss them at workshops like Progressive London and TUC Young Members.

I would launch a listening tour (like this and that) to find out what issues are really affecting young people - like unemployment, debt and inequality - not just in London but across the country, hand in hand with trade & student unions, community groups and others. With this coalition, we would then work with you on your campuses or local areas to develop campaigns on these issues.

So you can learn how to create campaigns with the best organisers, which I've started by organising Creative Campaigns Camp (see here http://snurl.com/n2gly). I won't only bring the best organisers to develop campaigns camps on issues that matter to you, I want all of you to develop this programme together.

So you can campaign for progressive politics - like I've done helping run Sam Tarry's campaign for YoungLabourChair.

So we can help promote your local campaigns too, like I've done helping Love Difference in London, Bristol & Northampton, Pin The Pits in Doncaster and the Yes Congestion Charge campaign in Manchester. I've also made sure Compass Youth took part in campaigns on political reform, migrants rights and ending poverty, as well as organising campaign exchanges abroad.

I want to make sure this year we give a stronger platform to all our members, especially women, disabled, BME, LGBT and working class so you can make Compass Youth more diverse and more accountable.

I also want you to develop together a leadership training programme with the "movers and shakers" in the progressive movement, so that you can be the next leaders in your student clubs, trade unions and your campaigns.

To cut a long story short, I want to make sure that for each of you, Compass Youth can be exciting and rewarding. I want you to be able to have your say and do something about it with others where you are.

To find out more, contact me at noel.hatch1@gmail.com or www.twitter.com/noelito.

creative campaigns camp - next steps

Posted on Saturday, June 27, 2009 No Comments
Labels: building skills, campaigncamp, creativecampaigns, organising campaigns, telling stories

Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to take part in Creative Campaigns Camp. It was a chance for all of us to step back from what we know and try out new ways to campaign using creative techniques.

Sign up for our next session

Thanks for the feedback about how practical the workshops were, how organically things came together for you to learn new skills and create campaigns and how we might improve.

Do you want to meet up so we can work out together what we can do next? Sign up here for our next session on Thursday 9th July at the amazing Whitechapel Gallery.

We can talk about how we can take forward the campaigns you developed, how you might like to contribute to our activities or even organise a Campaigns Camp where you are.

Sign up for our new website

We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. It was amazing at how you all bonded and worked with each other so well.

Do you want to relive the different journeys of your campaigns as well as your experiences of the day? Sign up here for our new Creative Campaigns website where we’ll show all the videos we filmed of the day.

This will also give you the opportunity to not just find out about upcoming activities but tell us about projects you may be involved in, to upload your experiences and stories of campaigns and issues that matter to you.

If you have any queries or would like to chat further, feel free to contact us!

Noel and Ffiona

What will you pledge?

Sign up for our next session

Sign up for our new website

Forward this email to a friend

stop agonising, start organising

Posted on Friday, June 19, 2009 No Comments
Labels: about me, building skills, creativecampaigns, developing ideas, organising campaigns, telling stories

You might think that things couldn't get any worse after finding out politicians claiming to represent us are using taxpayers' money to build houses for ducks rather than homes for people and a government preferring to attack each other than attack the recession. With Big Brother back on our screens, it's like going from one reality show to another.

But in the real world, people are getting sacked, evicted and left on the scrapheap of the recession. And young people are getting hit the hardest, with unemployment rates much higher than other age group in "last to join, first to leave" jobs. These aren't just passing concerns but "permanent scars" even going as far as damaging their physical and mental health.

So rather than choose which sides to take in the political football games going on in Westminster village, isn't it time to stop agonising and start organising? To choose to campaign to fight the recession where we are, whether that's neighbourhoods, our campuses or our workplaces?

You may have set up an online group because you were getting ripped off. You may have invited people to a campaign session so people can live better off. You may have written to your MP to support the campaign you care about the most. You may have pitched up your tent to prevent the world turning to toast.

You may have stayed at a shelter to help the homeless. You may have gone down the beach to clean up the mess. You may have taken part in a flashmob to show people how exploitation of young people at work just isn't right. You may have marched through the streets to reclaim the night.

You may have been a street captain spreading hope not hate, you may have interviewed the wild and wonderful to instigate debate. You may have got into a bath of baked beans to raise money for comic relief...Or you may not have got involved with any of these.

Whether you've been involved in organizing before or not, you're might be curious about how to campaign and who knows even fired up about an issue you'd like to campaign on. There is no right or wrong way on how to turn an issue you care about into a campaign - just look at the examples above and you can see all the different and exciting ways people have gone about it.

So just imagine if you could bring together people who are campaigning in their communities, people that are getting their voice heard in the media and those using new and creative tools to put this in action.

Just imagine if you could work with each other to develop exciting ways to campaign, finding out how others are organising and creating the spaces where activists with different skills involved in different groups can affect real change together.

We have all been to conferences where most of the time the only way we have ever got input into our events is over a drink down the pub. Don't get me wrong, I'm still keen on having those sideline chats at the end of the bar, but there are probably other ways which are just as exciting.

That's why we've joined up with TUC Young Members and Toynbee Hall to launch a weekend to fight back against the recession. On Saturday 20th June, you'll be able to get together into groups to discuss what impacts the recession is having on young people and what the Government should be doing in response. You'll then be able to put forward ideas on how we might more effectively organise and campaign for the rights of young people in and out of work.

On Sunday 21st June, we'll share grassroots stories from local campaigners, get together with facilitators so you can develop your skills on new campaigning techniques. You'll be able to get involved with other young people in trying these out to create new campaigns together to fight the recession. We want the workshops to be driven as much by the people taking part as the speakers facilitating, as much by the intensity of developing a campaign in such a short space of time as the excitement of activists with such a diversity of experiences - working together to tackle issues which matter to you.

We do want to produce something at the end of the day however and although it will be intense, ultimately you'll have developed a campaign that you can take away together and take forward across your networks.

So let's dive right in, get our hands dirty and start campaigns - let's help people create change for themselves, from the grassroots up.

It's time to take back our future, it's time for you to take back your communities.

Noël Hatch, National Chair, Compass Youth

To take part and find out more about our activities next weekend, please go to www.compassyouth.org or contact noel.hatch1@gmail.com