One important point we discussed was that [...]]]> The last meeting was great and we made some progress with regards to how we might structure our meetings (trial runs and all subject to change ). The next meeting was agreed to be scheduled for Tuesday, 7 August, 7-9pm at the Norwich Playhouse meeting room.

One important point we discussed was that it would be beneficial to have an online presence along the lines of the norfolk-mailing website, however with a focus on progressive groups and individuals in and around Norwich. This will be a space where anyone can find information about the groups part of VfC, activities and events coming up, and contacts. The idea is that the site is structured in a way that each individual/group can update their own details. Volunteers have already done quite a bit of work on it, coming soon!

We had a round of talks about why we have come together at Visions for Change and agreed that meetings should include three aspects:

1 shout-outs about upcoming events and activities by groups and individuals
2 action networking, in other words connecting individuals to set up activities and support each other outside VFC
3 education on issues: have discussions on issues we feel need to be discussed in this space. We do not want to duplicate discussions and talks already taking place, but a number of us felt the need to educate ourselves in this informal round on progressive issues. Discussions will first take place in small groups of max. 7 people on the same issue. Then we have one person from each group sit in a fish-bowl format conversation and feedback and discuss the outcome of the groups.

The next meeting will be set up in the structure above. The first issue we agreed will be discussed is: ‘bracing ourselves for collapse’. This should not be a gloomy discussion, but instead seeing this point in time as an opportunity for positive and progressive change and how we can live that change. The topic chosen for the following meeting is ‘education’.

The fourth aspect we agreed VfC should be about is ‘socializing’, thus after our two hour meeting there is time for a drink in the pub! I am very much looking forward to our next meeting.

Nessa

The idea is that Visions for Change should be a communication platform between the numerous progressive thinking individuals and groups which exist in Norwich and Norfolk that are working for a just and ecologically sustainable world. [...]]]> Second Visions for Change meeting, Tuesday 26 June, 7-9pm, Playhouse meeting room (enter Playhouse, turn right), Norwich

The idea is that Visions for Change should be a communication platform between the numerous progressive thinking individuals and groups which exist in Norwich and Norfolk that are working for a just and ecologically sustainable world. It should be a space for the exchange of visions for change in this direction. The purpose of this second meeting is to refine the ideas developed so far about the role of the proposed Visions for Change and how to create and maintain it.

Visions for Change will not duplicate the substantive work of active individuals or groups, but will rather promote cross-fertilisation.

The meeting is announced on the Norfolk Mailing list as well as on facebook. Please spread the info to all who may be interested.

What do people need to live well? What are the resources that we wish to claim for the people? How should decisions be made in our communities?

… Occupy London has moved into [...]]]> “The time has come to choose the kind of society we want to live in.”
Ha-Joon Chang, June 2012

What do people need to live well? What are the resources that we wish to claim for the people? How should decisions be made in our communities?

… Occupy London has moved into a new phase and is focusing its amazing talent, energy and inspiration around the themes of community, commons and localism. Our task is to turn occupation into lasting change by imagining and building compelling, just and democratic alternatives to the current morally bankrupt system.

To achieve radical change we need to continue building a people’s movement, reaching out to different groups in society, forging strong alliances and mass-mobilising to bring about the more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible. Occupy London is therefore planning a series of general assemblies exploring the themes of community, commons and localism.

This series starts on Saturday 16th June and will continue until the end of August.

We invite individuals from grassroots organisations and community groups to get in touch with us to participate in these assemblies. We want you to spread the word about these assemblies as widely as possible. Together we can claim what has been taken from us and assert our rights as communities over the corporate state.

16th June / 2pm on the Steps of St Pauls Cathedral

Email: occupylondonga@gmail.com
Twitter: @occupylondonga

Invite all your friends! See you there!
FB Event : https://www.facebook.com/events/477327888950050/

http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2012/06/new-occupy-london-series-creating-alternatives/

We are pleased to invite you to an afternoon of discussion amongst a number of forward thinking groups and individuals from in and around Norwich. The idea is to use this special day to get to [...]]]> Occupy Norwich is organising “Visions for Change”, 1st of May 2012 , 3-5pm at the Playhouse.

We are pleased to invite you to an afternoon of discussion amongst a number of forward thinking groups and individuals from in and around Norwich. The idea is to use this special day to get to know each other and our visions as well as strengthen the Norwich civil society network. The detailed agenda is intentionally kept open, so as to encourage an open discussion of visions for the future of Norwich, Norfolk, the UK and/or globally in light of the current climate. Beyond mutual awareness, the outcome should be the creation and growth of ideas and of a network for potential joint activities. If we want to achieve change, we have to pool our resources and act together.

We are looking forward to meeting you on 1 May. Though the event is free and open to the public, spaces are limited and we therefore kindly request to register your interest with contact[at]occupynorwich.org or via facebook., if you have not already done so. Please feel free to forward the event to other interested groups and individuals, input and ideas are welcome from everybody.

WHAT: ‘Visions for Change’ – an afternoon of open discussion and networking
WHEN: 1 May, 3-5pm
WHERE: Playhouse meeting room (as you enter the foyer, turn right), 42 – 58 St. George’s Street, Norwich, NR3 1AB

From 15th October 2011 until 20th February 2012

The range of views covered by the group is vast, but united by an opposition to the growing disparity of wealth. We are not necessarily ‘anti-bank’; ‘anti-capitalist’; ‘anti-system’, despite the media’s [...]]]> Occupy Camp – Hay Hill – Norwich – Nr2 1QE

From 15th October 2011 until 20th February 2012

Welcome to OCCUPYNORWICH

The range of views covered by the group is vast, but united by an opposition to the growing disparity of wealth. We are not necessarily ‘anti-bank’; ‘anti-capitalist’; ‘anti-system’, despite the media’s characterisation of the whole Occupy movement as such. Some people taking part in the movement hold these views – but not all. We are also not necessarily ‘anti-rich’. The movement does not object to people being paid fairly for working hard and using their skills and time. The people we oppose are the extremely wealthy; those who wield a disproportionate amount of power over governments and resources, whether they be individuals or corporations.

Occupy Norwich, like the other Occupy movements within Britain (and the world) was inspired by Occupy Wall Street whose unifying aim is the use of nonviolent protest against corporate greed and corrupt politics.

“Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.”
As well as being inspired by these aims, for some of the group here in Norwich the environment is the main motivator. For others it’s exploitation of the developing world. There are also members from both left and right of the political spectrum, if indeed such a way of looking at politics is credible. Many protesters hope for evolution of our current system and some for revolution. We are united in not having a single answer – we are here to think, discuss, listen, share views and take appropriate action. And we are united in our determination that the status quo is no longer acceptable and does not represent true democracy.

Very brief history of the Occupy Movement

• 30 May 2011, the Spanish Indignants movement, inspired by the Arab Spring, made a call for a worldwide protest on October 15.
• July 2011 A group called ‘Adbusters’ issued a ‘call to action’, to ‘Occupy Wall Street’.
• 17 September 2011 In New York approximately 1000 people marched and 100-200 stayed overnight.
• Early October Approximately 15,000 people were involved with the protest in New York plus many others across America. Unions joined movement.
• 15 October 2011 Global Day of Action: over 1,500 protests were held in 82 countries across 7 continents.
• 16 October 2011 Occupy London Stock Exchange (Occupy LSX) issues an initial statement. This has not been agreed or discussed by Occupy Norwich but is included here as a general flavour of the Occupy Movement’s aims in the UK.

Occupy London’s initial statement:

At today’s assembly of over 500 people on the steps of St Paul’s, #occupylsx collectively agreed the initial statement below. Please note, like all forms of direct democracy, the statement will always be a work in progress.

• The current system is unsustainable. It is undemocratic and unjust. We need alternatives; this is where we work towards them.
• We are of all ethnicities, backgrounds, genders, generations, sexualities, dis/abilities and faiths. We stand together with occupations all over the world.
• We refuse to pay for the banks’ crisis.
• We do not accept the cuts as either necessary or inevitable. We demand an end to global tax injustice and our democracy representing corporations instead of the people.
• We want regulators to be genuinely independent of the industries they regulate.
• We support the strike on the 30th November and the student action on the 9th November, and actions to defend our health services, welfare, education and employment, and to stop wars and arms dealing.
• We want structural change towards authentic global equality. The world’s resources must go towards caring for people and the planet, not the military, corporate profits or the rich.
• We stand in solidarity with the global oppressed and we call for an end to the actions of our government and others in causing this oppression.
• This is what democracy looks like. Come and join us!

What can I do to support Occupy Norwich?

A few initial ideas… contact your local councillor and let them know you support the movement. TELL PEOPLE! Use twitter, facebook and any means possible. Use your power as a consumer – every penny you spend supports someone, make sure you use this power wisely.

The movement is mainstream, not extreme and needs everyone’s skills, ideas and support. Join our discussions in the Forum and on Facebook – you can find links at the top of the page. You are very welcome to come along on Saturdays at 2pm for the General Assembly.

I contact you with regards to the article in the EDP on the 14 March titled “Occupy protesters to be moved on from Norwich’s Castle Gardens”. We were surprised to read about the affiliation made between the camp in the castle gardens and Occupy Norwich.

During the last months of [...]]]> Dear Mr Bale,

I contact you with regards to the article in the EDP on the 14 March titled “Occupy protesters to be moved on from Norwich’s Castle Gardens”. We were surprised to read about the affiliation made between the camp in the castle gardens and Occupy Norwich.

During the last months of the occupation of Haymarket, we established a good contact with the Archant Community Media Ltd. I discussed the developments of the camp with your colleague Richard Wheeler over the phone and I also expressed the challenges Occupy Norwich, like many other occupations, were faced with (see also eveningnews). A number of homeless people meet at Haymarket, where a charity hands out soup at night. The Occupy Movement means a great deal of hope to many people who do not have all that much. The Occupy Movement camps were, and in many towns still are, one of the only places that did not close their doors to them. At the same time, we are not educated to offer the support needed and do not have the resources to provide solutions in a professional way – as much as we try and would like to. This is not a problem of Occupy Norwich or indeed the Occupy Movement as such. Instead the challenges we are faced with are a reflection of the society and its problems we live in. The fact that there are homeless people who do not have anywhere to go, who cannot find their place in our society, speaks for itself. Some of these people are broken souls who just need some attention to their specific situation, or they just do not fit into the society we have created, but many have just simply been affected by poverty. Homeless people remain invisible to many, and now with new legislation, housing cuts, and cuts in benefits, jobs, and wages more and more people are without homes (see in relation to this a press release by OLSX). To put it on other words: The challenges we are faced with are precisely the very problems the Occupy Movement is trying to raise awareness about.

As announced in our press release on the 21 February 2012, Occupy Norwich de-camped and has moved on to a new phase of wider community and direct actions, educational projects, and a continued public forum for discussion. By such means as these, Occupy Norwich will continue to raise awareness of the global problems that urgently need addressing: Inequality, unsustainability and dysfunctional democracy. The previous camp at Mousehold Heath as well as the one in the castle gardens now have nothing to do with Occupy Norwich, but have been organised by a separate group of homeless people. Although we welcome people helping each other, the encampment at the castle gardens, which is right on the stage of the Whiffler Theatre, does not have our support. We wish to put a message across and it is not in line with our thinking to occupy a public space that is there for people to use freely for artistic and other purposes.

In the spirit of the Occupy movement in Norwich and throughout the world, we remain committed to open dialogue and will seek to continue that dialogue with the people of Norwich, but also with the council and the media. We appreciate the good contact we have had with the Archant Media recently and would like to ask you to rectify the content of the article mentioned above. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with us in future should you be publishing about Occupy Norwich in order to confirm facts and details.

With best wishes,

Vanessa Buth

By Vanessa Buth

I read through the articles posted on the One World Column, I read the news, blogs, listen to talks and lectures, get involved in debates. Problems are raised, [...]]]> PUBLISHED IN One World Column - Peace, Environment, Sustainability and Anti-War Voices in the UK Eastern Region

By Vanessa Buth

I read through the articles posted on the One World Column, I read the news, blogs, listen to talks and lectures, get involved in debates. Problems are raised, things that are wrong are pointed out. On the bottom of this page I read “No one has had any answers”.

Since the 15th of October 2011 I have been involved in Occupy, first listening, than increasingly getting active and engaged. What I have learnt from this movement, from Occupy Norwich that is in particular, is more than I would have ever thought. No actually, it is not just more, it is completely different to what I expected.

I joined, because I could no longer sit still and watch a small number of people destroy our society and planet, whilst the victims are numbed with unawareness and apathy or – as Rupert Read points out – not even born yet. I could not face the injustice and neither could I close my eyes. I did not go into this thinking ‘I can change the world’, but I knew that doing something stands more chance to cause some change than doing nothing. That is obvious.

What I did not realize was the change it would bring about, and believe me it has done so big time. No matter what the Occupy movement will achieve in the big, yes global scheme of things, with regards to tackling inequality of wealth or indeed the definition of wealth, it has already started a journey. And this journey is the goal. I do not believe that the change will come about directly, that finding the answers to our questions, to the problems, new policies, is what we need. The change is coming about by process. A journey that instigates changes in the minds of people, in perceptions, in their skills – which will ultimately be the change we want to see, the goal.

The whole occupy movement is built on consensus. Consensus does not require the agreement of each individual that whatever is decided is the only way, but it requires people to accept the collective will, because they believe in the cause and trust the collective wisdom. Consensus does not ignore any individuals’ view raised out of many, instead it requires all views to be voiced and discussed. In fact one view could change the collective will – or the collective one might change yours. The process of consensus encourages people to want, to actually make a real effort, to understand each other to move forward together, because no one can ‘win’ an argument for the cause. It teaches to be responsible, to understand that you play an important part in the whole. It lies in your hands to play that part, but you can only do so if you respect the views and feelings of others and if you make sure this is the case for all of you.

In the process of consensus, I did not only get to know the other Occupiers – a bunch of strangers connected by their passion for the cause, exercising endless patience, showing immense goodwill to move forward together and opening their incredibly great hearts towards each other. I have also learnt about myself, my own strengths and my own weaknesses. I realized how pre-formed my perceptions of people are, even though I always thought I was so open. Occupy has made me see these things in other people, which before I was blind to, because my perception was – and of course still is – so biased by the society we live in. And I realized how wrong these perceptions shaped by our society are, not only because they are not true, but also because they are the obstacle in our journey. We fail to understand each other, to want to understand each other, because we believe we already know.

The Occupy movement has taught me otherwise. I have learnt respect, to take responsibility, to care, to self-reflect, to fight, to hope, to believe, to feel, to see beyond fake fences. Occupy Norwich, with all its different people and all their unique indispensable characters, has given me a little insight into what the world has already started to look like, in over 1000 places across over 90 countries. We are in the process of learning the trades of the journey. In fact, maybe this is what the world does look like, we just have to open our eyes and let it happen.