BeSpoke Groups are groups that collaborate, organise, and work together for social justice locally and network together. Working together building community, mutual support, and sharing resources there is so much more we can do together:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.
In African society, a person is first and foremost a member of the community and second an individual. A person’s life, therefore, is to be focused on the well-being of the community. This is summed up in one of the most significant African proverbs: ‘I am because we are; we are because I am.‘ “— Joseph G. Healey in Once Upon a Time in Africa
Be spoke groups Transitional system catalysts
Over the last 20 years, some people have been involved in their local communities and have been aware that there are countless social justice groups and community groups with parallel values to SPEAK. Some people have become increasingly aware of how they have the capacity to get those groups working together, (that is not just the capacity to start their own groups but the amount they can do when they co-network together). We have also been aware over the years of the work of transition https://transitionnetwork.org/about-the-movement/ towns transitioning to different economic models and looking at sustainability.
We are also inspired by groups like Enough in Scotland supporting what they call communing pods, https://www.enough.scot/commoning-pods/ expressing something of similar values to our parallel bespoke groups. We blogged about this and mutual aid groups that many Bespoke linked with during the pandemic here (LINK)
BeSpoke Groups Mutual Sharing
People in bespoke groups seek to network together for mutual support rather than the top-down direction of an organisation. We intend to have together quality and intentional conversations reflecting on how we can catalyse the shift to more socially just models of the economy locally. We also seek to reflect on how people can influence different spheres locally like health, education, and local trading with alternative models and being a positive influence on what is. We encourage dialogue on what a more social justice health and education system may look like compared to what we have at the moment.
We are now seeking to explore how we can catalyse local system change as well as campaign for changes in policy. Producing content written audio and visual that supports this process.
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
We are so much more powerful than we think we are. We are trained to think of ourselves as isolated individuals just working on our individual ‘careers’ inside the existing economic framework. But if each of us spent a few hours or weeks organising and gathering like-minded groups and individuals locally to us (or groups with shared interests trans-locally) the amount that the group could do together to remodel the economic system and work for justice locally is MASSIVE. We don’t even know how big that potential is yet!
People with a network community mindset realise that it’s not just about what we can do as individuals, but it’s groups of people, we could all bring together! The discussions and actions that we all have the capacity to catalyse are massive.
Sharing Windows of Your Journey For Inspiration For Others
If you are part of a BeSpoke group and want to blog about what action you are taking or share ideas we also welcome blogs that can inspire like-minded groups- don’t be shy to email admin@speak.org.uk. It can be as simple as going for coffee together after your local farmers market to share permaculture ideas and what you are doing to keep your plants alive on a balcony in your local city, (this was the last theme of the Holla-Away Holloway Road Bespoke group in London most recent November 2022 meeting) –
Currently, BeSpoke groups connect together mainly through online meet-ups and group chats. If you want to link with other BeSpoke groups and share resources and ideas please email admin@speak.org.uk historically we did have more in-person meetup points gatherings and training sessions for SPEAK groups as we re-grow our resources and volunteer capacity we want to look into re-initiating those again when the time is right.
Networking GroupsSPEAK also makes ways for people to form subnetworks of values that interest them like art music and campaigns. There have been chances to participate in our participatory structures (aka petals) at different points throughout our journey (see link). Keep watching our Facebook page www.facebook.com/thespeaknetwork and network emails for callouts of different support needed for working groups.
Balancing Individual and Collective Journeys
Supporting each other practically, creatively, and spiritually without eating up all our time is the balance we are trying to strike! Also, it’s about supporting each other in physical spiritual and emotional healing and working towards longevity by taking ourselves out of the processed food system (inspired by our Journey with the seeding change campaign).
Fullness of Life!!!
Campaigning for the fullness of life for others and supporting each other to live the fullness of life ourselves too! It is life-affirming not life-sucking.. is the aspiration of SPEAK groups and Be Spoke groups !!!! We aren’t just campaign machines or about building branded campaign machines we are about life in its multi-dimensional fullness!!!!
Intentional Community & Busy Lives
Many of us can find ourselves in this economic framework that demands a lot of time and energy from us just to survive. But there are other ways of doing the wonderful thing called LIFE but these ways are a narrow path and they are not easy to find that’s why we need collective solidarity. We also need to be intentionally building community.
SPEAK was talking about intentional community building years before all the marketers coined it as a phrase to sell branded products. We have reacted to this by going less branded community building over the last 5 years… but on balance, we are also aware of the following quote By Martin Luther King:
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
So now we are aware that we do need to regain the balance in intentionality and organisation in how we do our community life. We hope to learn from our past challenges:
“Grace is the light or electricity or juice or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.”— Anne Lamott in Traveling Mercies