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WHAT IS THE FORUM?

The forum is an experience and an exceptional social and political human process that was born in January 2001 in Porto Alegre (Brazil). It is a process of dialogic intercommunication between people and civil society organizations that work to create "another world".

The World Social Forum of Transformative Economies is the first thematic World Social Forum on this issue, respecting its Charter of Principles. It is a process of convergence and encounters of different local and international movements from the alternative economy, which we call “transformative economies.” The Forum promotes participation and commitment from those alternatives around the world that seek to put life at the center and give alternatives to the currently predominant neoliberal economic system. 

We wish to guarantee the diversity of the participants in this process of the  WSFTE which will take place from June 25th to 28th 2020 in Barcelona (Spain).

CONTEXT

The idea of making a thematic forum of transformative economies emerged in August 2016 in the Montreal WSF, and was presented in 2018 in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). In July 2019, the Coordinating Committee was created, composed of 23 international organizations and networks and the convergence of Barcelona that seek to work according to each region’s needs. 

In the spirit of previous World Social Forum and in conformance with its principles, WSFTE participants intend to carry the goals of grassroots social movements to public services (above all at a municipal and regional/subnational level), aiming at developing public policies which strengthen ethical and sustainable ways of understanding the economy. 

The decision to undertake this process in Barcelona is not coincidental: Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, is a worldwide reference for cooperativism and the solidarity economy, with a history defined by social struggles. Once more, the country will stand out on the world scene for its social commitment and its desire to build a better world.

WHAT IS THE GOAL?

The goal of the Forum is to build alliances and common strategies as well as building up a global inclusive agenda. Doing so by bringing together social movements, practices and community initiatives that put life, people and the environment at the centre of the economy; that promote systemic change and a transition towards resilient and collaborative societies, building and reinforcing alliances and common strategic actions.

The Forum seeks to ensure public visibility and recognition of transformative economy projects and provide alternatives to the current system. We wish to unite forces among existing practices by working on bottom-up processes that build up a new world from the base and the local initiatives towards a global agenda. 

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

1. Register to the Forum process: as an individual, organisation, collective or institution to take part in the process and stay updated: 

[When open]: You will be able to register by (mid/late?) December:  [https://join.transformadora.org]

By registering you will be declaring your intention to participate in the process towards the Forum, you will receive the newsletter and be able to be in touch with other participants in your territory that work in similar fields 

2. Propose an activity, announce an initiative: we invite you to share your transformative economy initiative and participate in the official Forum event (25-28 June)! 

You can submit your proposal here: [insert link to platform]

3. International Online Meetings to inform new organizations and groups of the process. You are welcome to join them.

January - 2nd International Online Meeting 

February - 3rd International Online Meeting 

March - 4th International Online Meeting 

Follow the link for further information on the IOM:

[https://transformadora.org/en/international-online-meetings-iom-towards-world-social-forum-transformative-economies-wsfte]

Follow the link and register for the upcoming International Online Meetings:

[https://framaforms.org/encuentros-internacionales-virtuales-eiv-virtual-international-meetings-vim-rencontres-1568122121]

4. Translate basic information about the WSFTE into your mother language 

(If your mother tongue is other than one of our official languages: Catalan, English, French and Spanish)

We understand that millions of people who practice transformative economies in the world neither speak nor understand any of our official languages, and yet we want to include everyone within the WSFTE.  Therefore, we invite people like you, who both understand English and your mother language, to help us connect those grassroot people in your country with the process. 

We will be providing you with a series of basic material: documents, newsletters and similars that we would very much appreciate you translate into the languages you speak.

If you would like to volunteer, get in touch with us, letting us know your availability at : int

5. Supporting and encouraging local and thematic convergences as well as transformative economies movements.

Convergence: Local and thematic convergences are spaces where people gather by geographical or sectorial affinity to focus on specific topics.  Convergences are actually working groups for such purposes, and they can evolve into permanent networks (such as XES in Catalonia (www.xes.cat ) and Brazilian Solidarity Economy Forum (www.fbes.org.br ) for local ones, and INAISE (www.inaise.org ) and URGENCI (https://urgenci.net/ ) for sectorial ones to go on keeping such efforts.

Transformative economies: catch-all concept for ideas for socio-economic transformation that take this same direction. There are four ‘movements of movements’, interconnected with each other and with other schools of thought, which are the heart of virtuous circle of the transformative economies: The social and solidarity economy, economy based on the commons or pro-commons, the feminist economies,  the agroecology and food sovereignty movements.

At the online forum you will find the currently existing ones, that you are welcome to join and actively engage:

 

• Local convergences: Where people gather by geographical affinity (city, region, country).  

You can find the existing ones in the WSF website and join them: 

https://forum.transformadora.org/assemblies/confluencias?locale=en 

Or ask to create a new space in the Online Forum:

1. Fill in the following form : https://decidim-barcelona-organizations-production.s3.amazonaws.com/decidim-bcn-organizations/uploads/decidim/attachment/file/2227/Ficha_creaci%C3%B3n_de_espacios_FV.odt  

2. Send it to int and virtual i

• Thematic convergences: Where people gather by sectorial affinity 

- Co-constructing Public Policies

- Education, Training and Research

You can find the existing ones in the WSF website and join them: 

https://forum.transformadora.org/assemblies/contem?locale=en

Or ask to create a new space in the Online Forum:

3. Fill in the following form : https://decidim-barcelona-organizations-production.s3.amazonaws.com/decidim-bcn-organizations/uploads/decidim/attachment/file/2227/Ficha_creaci%C3%B3n_de_espacios_FV.odt  

4. Send it to int and vritual 

• Transformative Economies Movements

- Feminist Economies and gender perspective.

- Agroecological and Food Sovereignty Movements.

- The Commons (natural, urban and digital).

- The Social and Solidarity Economy (including fair trade, cooperativism and ethical finance).

You can find the existing ones in the WSF website and join them:

https://forum.transformadora.org/assemblies/transeco?locale=en

The aim is to facilitate meeting spaces where the participants in convergences and movements decide how to organize in order to achieve a sustainability of those spaces that can remain beyond the WSF, as well as having the power to influence local, national and international decision-making. 

Therefore, we encourage initiatives, networks and organizations to self-organize in their territories and internationally, encouraging groups to engage in the different movements and convergences. This way the articulations in the event will be a culmination of dynamics already that have already started. 

At the same time and in accordance with WSF principles and practices, the activities and initiatives  in the event will be self organized and prepared or promoted under the responsibility of a specific coalition of participating organizations.  A coalition that can be widened through participation of those organizations in convergences and movements spaces.

6. Join the commissions, which are working spaces were participants meet physically or virtually in order to prepare and organize the event of the WSF. 

People who want to contribute within the commissions should be part of the organizations that are within the Coordinator Committee or be part of a thematic/local convergence. If you wish to become a part of the Coordination Committee, please fill the following form: [insert link to form here] 

To join the commissions, You can get in touch with them via the following e-mails: and ask to join:

• Communication Commission: com

• Economic and Funding Commission: fund

• Content Commission: local

• International mobilization: int

• Local Mobilization Commission: local

• Virtual mobilization Commission: virtual

• Mapping Commission: int

• Care Commission:  care

Find out more about them in the Online Forum (under Assemblies):

 https://forum.transformadora.org/assemblies

7. Contribute to our Crowdfunding campaign:

We have opened a crowdfunding campaign with Goteo’s support. We invite all organizations and people involved in the journey towards the WSFTE to make donations, from 10 to 1.000 euros!

8. Become a volunteer before and during the event!

If you are planning on coming during the days of the event and would like to contribute get in touch with: 

event@transformadora.com

MAIN TOOL TO ORGANIZE THE PARTICIPATION 

The Online  Forum as an open space where anyone can engage: [forum.transformadora.org]

In order to facilitate active participation anywhere in the world, the Forum provides the space for coalitions of organizations, networks and initiatives to support organize face-to-face meetings that take place in the different territories as well as online ones. 

 

The aim is to keep adding more initiatives from all over the world and promote the connection  of organizations using convergence spaces that favour the strengthening of territorial networks around transformative economies as well as international connections. 

You are welcome to use the Online Forum in case you want to join a convergence or a movement, create a new one, or make visible a coalition of organizations that prepare an activity for WSFTE or promote an initiative in the field of Transformative economies.

To open a space in the Online Forum, please fill in this form and send it to the following emails. We will give you a hand setting it up and providing guidelines on how to use the Forum:

Virtual mobilization - virtual

International mobilization int -

Further questions or proposals addressed to the technical team based in Barcelona:

Funding - fund

Logistics - log

Local mobilization -locla

Virtual mobilization - virtual

International mobilization int

Other inquiries : hola