Nitrogen Valley workspace community is organizing a discussion series about nurture as the starting point for social change.
Peace and environmental activist Satish Kumar says we are a one-soil community where souls and ecosystems intertwine. The actions we take on ourselves, other people and the soil always cross-affect each other. Therefore, the goal of social, influential action should be to reduce suffering at all three levels. How?
In the four-part Circles of care -series, we study the fostering of well-being of the individual, society and the soil through nurture. For the first three times, awareness is raised about each circle of care: Soul discusses self-care as well as the importance of the care mentality in promoting social change. At Society, we discuss the pathways and structures of care in society; an example is the crisis in the care sector and the potential for solidarity with care workers. In Soil, we will consider soil care and the possibilities of promoting more nurturing agriculture on different scales. In the fourth time, we will bring together the ideas that have arisen on the first three times and reach towards practice in a workshop on social dreaming.
The Circles of care -series seeks to evoke perspectives on care and caring in social influencing. It is an initiative based on the organizers’ interest in nurturing as the starting point and goal of political action. We dream of a more caring attitude towards ourselves and all kinds of others, we believe in the possibilities of developing a more caring society and institutions, and we hope that it is possible to learn better inter-species care.
The Circles of care -series is facilitated by Aliisa Talja and Samuli Laine in collaboration with Nitrogen Valley (Typpilaakso) and Dodo’s waste food dinner. Speeches will also be heard from thematic visitors. The series is designed to be in four parts. Participation is possible either as a whole or for individual events.
Events
The events will be held at Dodo ry’s office (Pasila’s old locomotive stables, Veturitallinkuja G) as part of the Urban Dinner waste food dinners. Dinner will be prepared together from about 17:00 to 19:00 and the discussion will start at 19:30. To participate in the event, it is enough to have interest in listening to the discussion on the topic. Participation does not require production of material, participation in a joint discussion or exercise. Sign up to the event through this form.
SOUL, 12th of April at 19:30 – 21
How to practice soulful activism? Is there room in our culture for the soul; to pay attention to it? And how do soul and care relate to one another? Is caring part of my values and thinking? And what does self-care consist of? Is it an individualistic and neoliberal pursuit of self-interest? Or what would a care-based social activity look like?
In this Circles of care: Soul -event, we prepare and enjoy a waste food dinner, hear conceptual and practical perspectives on self-care, and reflect on the above questions independently or with other participants. We will end the evening together with a Metta meditation exercise.
The speakers of the evening are facilitators of the event series Aliisa Talja and Samuli Laine. Aliisa is a multi-diciplinary artist and facilitator who deals with issues of relations, intimacy and nurture in her work. Aliisa has years of experience in collective action, organizing workshops, researching and developing feminist practices. Samuli is a scenographer, performer and a member of the W A U H A U S collective and the Reality Research Center. Recently, Samuli has been interested in utopias, economics and gardening.
You can find the recording of the event here.
SOCIETY 24th of May at 19:30 – 21
What happened to the social care sector? What is the value of care for us – and how is it reflected in practice? How is caring responsibility distributed and do we play our part? And how to talk about care considering all the dimensions of its relevance? And by what means to create and maintain a more caring society in practice?
At Circles of care – SOCIETY we discuss the importance, appreciation, and structures of care in society. We are approaching the issue through the crisis in the care sector: we are gaining perspectives on its backgrounds as well as on care work in practice. Together we discuss our relationship to care; what should happen in our thoughts and actions, in public debate, and in political decision-making, to create a more caring society. We will end the evening with a joint facilitated discussion.
The evening is facilitated by Aliisa Talja and Samuli Laine. Visiting speakers at the event will be social policy researcher Lina Van Aerschot and early childhood education teacher Aino Talja. Due to the locality and topicality of the topic, the language of the speeches and discussion is Finnish.
Lina Van Aershot works as a postdoctoral researcher in the Center of Aging and Nursing Research. She examines poverty in care and inadequacy of aid.
Aino Talja is an early childhood education teacher living in Gothenburg who is interested in the social and societal dimensions of education. In her work, it is important for Aino to meet children as fellow human beings and to explore together how it would be good to live this life. Aino wrote about the importance of touch in early childhood education.
SOIL 21th of June at 19:30 – 21
How is the soil? What is our relationship with the soil? Do we understand our dependence on the soil – its role as a sustainer of our lives? Do we have reciprocal compassion and care for diverse others – what does that look like? What is nurturing agriculture like and in what ways can we practically contribute to its development and spread on different scales? How to extend care to the soil?
At the Circles of Care – Soil event, we discuss the care for soil and the lack of it. We approach the topic conceptually and practically: we are in contact with soil, we hear speeches about the thought patterns behind soil impoverishment and their alternatives, and how to practice more nurturing agriculture. The speeches invite us to think about our possibilities to influence; what should happen in our thoughts and actions, in public debate and in political decision-making, so that the soil would be taken better care of?
The opening speech will be given by doctoral researcher Saana Hokkanen (she/her). Saana does her research at the University of Helsinki in the subject of Global Development Studies. In her research, she examines the destruction of biodiversity and multi-species existences in Europe, in the context of industrial agriculture and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In addition to her work as a researcher, Saana makes ceramics, rides bike, and tries to grow vegetables in her garden. Saana was born and raised on a farm in the countryside of central Finland.
Our second speaker is Susann Rännäri, executive director of Luomuliito. Luomuliitto is a cooperative organization of organic producers, consisting of twelve organic associations, through which more than 1,500 organic producers are members of the union. Luomuliitto publishes a trade journal aimed at organic producers, provides advice and does advocacy work, the goal of which is to secure the operating environment of organic producers. Susann lives on a biodynamic farm in Majvik, where vegetables are produced for the capital region. Her passion is free dance and ice swimming.
You can find the recording of the event here.
Typpilaakso presents discussion series is the result of conversations on lunch breaks and evening parties, which have discussed the global, organization and organization of social change in a multidisciplinary manner. Typpilaakso is a coworking-space community at Pasila Locomotive stables.