We have a great mix of online and in-person events planned and will issue them in bursts.
The First Batch of Events:
1. Bad Story Guru Medicine
2. [more coming]
Cost:
All events are pay-what-you-want/can. Why? There is enough for every person to thrive on this planet. To have food, shelter, transport, and for everyone to contribute with their unique talents and skills. The current economic system is based on false scarcity and says that only a small portion of contributions are valid. When hundreds of people apply for jobs and grants, and only one or a handful get through, it shows how the system is only working for the few. Let’s be clear about the problem. There is no scarcity of artists and projects for them to work on. While GenAI has shown that a small number of people want to dominate with a carefully worded prompt, it has also shown how many would work with artists, writers, filmmakers, and composers if there were no financial barrier. Universal basic services is one way to do this. If everyone has what they need to thrive, then we’re all free to make our contributions to the world. We already do it!
“Basic Services should be universally available to provide shelter, sustenance, health & care, education, local transport, information access, and legal & democracy support, at a level that enables every member of society to maintain their material safety, and embark on efforts to make their personal contribution to the rest of their society.”
— Andrew Percy
Check out his book, co-written with Anna Coote: The Case for Universal Basic Services
Check out a podcast with Andrew, interviewed by Rachel Donald: Liberating Social Contributions
Exploiters don’t want that, though, because it means they’ll lose their underpaid and poorly treated workers overnight. Amazon management will wake up and find no workers in their warehouses. Facebook management will find their workers are gone. Studio management will find that their talent is gone. Corporations wouldn’t last a day. I wonder what would bring the workers back? We should launch an investigation into why people won’t return to exploitative, debilitating, and uninspiring work.
I’m working towards a more sensible direction by prefiguring it in the present. For Next World Narrative, this means everyone has access to skills sharing, peer communities, and education. And, yes, I understand we’re in two worlds: the world that is dying and the world that is emerging. That is why I offer pay-what-you-want or free. For those that pay, it helps cover my costs & fund speakers, performers & venues, while also ensuring you can participate if money is tight! Money is not a sign of worth, your presence is gold.