When: 26 March · 11:30 - 15:30
Where: London
Meeting point: Victoria Embankment Gardens
Nearest tube station: Embankment (District and Circle lines)
Meandering from Embankment to Hyde Park
_______________________________
Babies and buggy boarders, spread the word... kids against cuts being seen
and
heard!
Joining the myriads to oppose the squandering of our future.
For details of the day visit marchforthealternative.org.uk
Showing posts with label Radical Childcare Collective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Radical Childcare Collective. Show all posts
Friday, 25 March 2011
Monday, 24 August 2009
London Radical Childcare Collective
Hello! From the Radical Childcare Collective.
We are an autonomous collective of anti-capitalist people (men, women, children, parents, educators and also including those who have no personal childcare responsibilities). We are dedicated activists in various fields (social and environmental justice groups, anarchist and feminist groups, anti-poverty and anti-deportation groups, radical education and home education groups, to name but a few). We meet regularly in a child-friendly space in Hackney, East London.
The group came together out of concern about the lack of enthusiasm in our activist scenes around providing space, resources, support and time for kids and their parents/carers to be involved in their scenes. The Radical Childcare Collective acknowledges the political importance of children, carers and childcare both in mainstream society, and in our own alternative movements.
We want to spread this movement of ours, yet we don’t make our activism accessible to parents, carers and children. Parents are often left out because of lack of childcare, meetings being held in inaccessible locations at inaccessible times and also because they can be devalued by members of our 'activist' communities. Many of the women in this country are mothers, yet groups don’t prioritise or always provide childcare at meetings. Maybe a meeting isn’t the most suitable place for children, but if parents are going to be there then we need to accept that children will be too, and sort out ways to deal with it, and there are many positive ways that this can be done.
We also believe that other parents shouldn’t be the only people interested in childcare- it should be an integral part of our community, as important as all the actions, as important as providing disabled access to events, and as important as banning other discriminatory behaviour (sexism, racism) from our groups.
Children should both be seen and heard! They have played a crucial role in social movements around the world from anti-apartheid to squatting and traveller movements, from environmental protests to Zapatista social justice resistances. Children can be vibrant, creative, inspiring and clever. They should be involved in decision-making and respected as part of this community, with valuable insights and energy. Children are a vital part of our movement, yet are often not included in our organising.
We need to consider the many benefits children gain from being involved with activism, and –in return- what we gain from them being involved. Why are we social, environmental, and political activists if not for future generations? Involve children in your activism! They are the future, you are their inspiration, and together we must fight for a better world.
Mainstream society and schooling does not provide our children with the education that they need or deserve. For kids to actually be involved in environmental groups/events/actions, to be organising alongside positive adult role-models, and to be understanding alternative ways of working and socialising together- it privileges and reaches them on a much deeper level. For example, much more than hearing mainstream adults or school geography classes that just pay lip service to ‘eco-living’.
The Radical Childcare Collective hopes to be one step towards the more child, parent and carer-friendly world that we all deserve to live in. We are interested in not only providing childcare for meetings and events, but more importantly we are dedicated to the process of actively including children in our social, political and environmental movements, and bringing awareness of these issues to other positive activist groups in these fields.
Please contact londonradicalkidscollective@aktivix.org for more information and for details of the next meeting.
We are an autonomous collective of anti-capitalist people (men, women, children, parents, educators and also including those who have no personal childcare responsibilities). We are dedicated activists in various fields (social and environmental justice groups, anarchist and feminist groups, anti-poverty and anti-deportation groups, radical education and home education groups, to name but a few). We meet regularly in a child-friendly space in Hackney, East London.
The group came together out of concern about the lack of enthusiasm in our activist scenes around providing space, resources, support and time for kids and their parents/carers to be involved in their scenes. The Radical Childcare Collective acknowledges the political importance of children, carers and childcare both in mainstream society, and in our own alternative movements.
We want to spread this movement of ours, yet we don’t make our activism accessible to parents, carers and children. Parents are often left out because of lack of childcare, meetings being held in inaccessible locations at inaccessible times and also because they can be devalued by members of our 'activist' communities. Many of the women in this country are mothers, yet groups don’t prioritise or always provide childcare at meetings. Maybe a meeting isn’t the most suitable place for children, but if parents are going to be there then we need to accept that children will be too, and sort out ways to deal with it, and there are many positive ways that this can be done.
We also believe that other parents shouldn’t be the only people interested in childcare- it should be an integral part of our community, as important as all the actions, as important as providing disabled access to events, and as important as banning other discriminatory behaviour (sexism, racism) from our groups.
Children should both be seen and heard! They have played a crucial role in social movements around the world from anti-apartheid to squatting and traveller movements, from environmental protests to Zapatista social justice resistances. Children can be vibrant, creative, inspiring and clever. They should be involved in decision-making and respected as part of this community, with valuable insights and energy. Children are a vital part of our movement, yet are often not included in our organising.
We need to consider the many benefits children gain from being involved with activism, and –in return- what we gain from them being involved. Why are we social, environmental, and political activists if not for future generations? Involve children in your activism! They are the future, you are their inspiration, and together we must fight for a better world.
Mainstream society and schooling does not provide our children with the education that they need or deserve. For kids to actually be involved in environmental groups/events/actions, to be organising alongside positive adult role-models, and to be understanding alternative ways of working and socialising together- it privileges and reaches them on a much deeper level. For example, much more than hearing mainstream adults or school geography classes that just pay lip service to ‘eco-living’.
The Radical Childcare Collective hopes to be one step towards the more child, parent and carer-friendly world that we all deserve to live in. We are interested in not only providing childcare for meetings and events, but more importantly we are dedicated to the process of actively including children in our social, political and environmental movements, and bringing awareness of these issues to other positive activist groups in these fields.
Please contact londonradicalkidscollective@aktivix.org for more information and for details of the next meeting.
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