Fight Milburn – join the N20 international youth walkouts

Action, All Posts, Disability Activism, Disability Rights, Europe, Events, international, PIP, Universal Credit, welfare cuts, Welfare reforms No Responses »

Nov 122026

The Milburn report is set to recommend cutting incapacity and disability benefits for young people, alongside increased conditionality and sanctions – being forced into unsuitable work or training under the threat of absolute poverty.

The report was completely predetermined. Government ministers have been quite candid about wanting these cuts, even if the proposals were dishonestly hidden from public consultations.

At an official Timms Review workshop, attendees confronted the issue and unanimously voted to oppose youth disability cuts. In meetings with Mr. Timms, we also made it clear to his face: this is a red line. We won’t let the Government attack young disabled people to pay for war.

Across Europe, on November 20th, young people are walking out under the slogan “fight for our future, not their wars.”

In the UK, there will be more than 250 walkouts and 50 rallies (find your nearest here).

It is being supported by several education and teaching unions including the National Union of Students.

Disabled people should take part where we are able. We can appeal for support to fight the continuing cuts and demonisation of young disabled people. We can also bring a message of hope: last year, disabled people fought the Government and won, and we intend to do it again.

Young people are demanding:

1. An end to militarisation, rearmament, and austerity imposed in the name of war. Investments in welfare, public education, healthcare, and youth instead of weapons and militaries.

2. The abolition of all forms of conscription. Schools and universities must be spaces of critical thinking and liberation, not instruments of military recruitment or the war industry.

3. Freedom, justice, and solidarity for all oppressed peoples. An end to imperialism, colonialism, occupation, apartheid, and genocide, as well as to our governments’ complicity in them, starting with the cut of all ties with genocidal states (such as Israel).

4. Climate and social justice for all. End fossil capitalism, extractivism, climate and environmental destruction.

5. Radical system change against authoritarianism and repression, and in defense of our democratic rights. For the end of racism and patriarchy, and for the defeat of the far right in all countries.

So We Stand – Summer Activism School – Introduction to Community Organising and Social Change 2012

Action, All Posts, Disability Rights, Politics, Welfare reforms No Responses »

May 162012

July 7th to 14th – at sites across London
Applications due Monday, June 11th

If you are aged 16 – 30 and see injustice, pollution, racism, poverty in your community and want support in how to effectively tackle these issues, or know someone who is, then read on! ‘So We Stand’ Summer School is an intensive 1-week introduction to community organizing and social change.

The School exists to harness our anger at economic, environmental, racial and social oppression. The School exists to catalyse self-organisation + self-mobilisation into building strength in our communities to defend and confront oppression over the coming years. The School is chiefly dedicated to building the skills of young women, young people of colour, working class people, and queer people and those with different mental and physical abilities as the next generation of leaders in the social justice movement. Limited places welcome to people all across the UK – please email sowestand@gmail.com for an application form ASAP.

The School aspires to turn marginalisation and isolation into politically powerful support systems, ideas for actions and long term strategic organising. We will be challenged with new ways of thinking, provocative speakers, inspiring mentors and fascinating guests with a deep understanding of engaging with the head, heart and hand. Youth affected by economic inequality understand oppression because it is daily life – you don’t need to read it in a textbook. The School exists to harness our anger at oppression and turn our anger into political organising against it. The School exists to encourage self-determination and self-mobilisation into building positive communities who can defend and confront oppression over the coming years. We’re looking for advice or involvement in any of those areas. Join us for a week of experiences and ideas, and help us change things.

SWS provides a transformative framework to develop your organising skills, methods for empowerment and political education. SWS Summer School is organised around 3 pillars:

1. COMMUNITY ORGANISING + EMPOWERMENT LEARNING – to deepen the context of power and resistance in the UK. The educational tools will strengthen knowledge for our community based projects work within working class communities and communities of colour, fighting alongside people for their rights along with examples for global fights for hands on, effective community power. We shall look into how to turn marginalisation and isolation into politically powerful support systems, ideas for actions and long term strategic visions. Participants will be challenged with new ways of thinking, provocative speakers, inspiring mentors and fascinating guests from a range of communities facing injustice. Together, we will develop ideas for hands-on, effective, community projects.

2. EMPOWERMENT ORGANISING MENTORS – to build long-term relationships with those who participate, through mentoring with activist elders, peer support, more frequent workshops and through participation in events within the local community, at youth centres and social nights to deepen the practice of critical community organising. The mentor programme will continue relationship building between front-line activists and supporters to deepen transformative possibilities for greater positive change and strategic visioning for movement building today.

3. SKILLS TRAINING – to learn the tools to build power and excitement in your community to tackle injustice. The trainings will be a building block to deepen within your organising internships. You will develop skills such as popular education, storytelling, building connections across cultures, radical education, direct action, monitoring police brutality, reclaiming space, spoken word and creating conscious music, anti-oppression organising, anti-racist and environmental justice training.

SWS Summer School is ideally a week-long full-time commitment. You’ll spend at least 25 hours in the week in our political education + skills training sessions. SWS intends to provide practical support you may need and expenses will be covered. Everyone involved in the School – organisers, volunteers, attendees, speakers and facilitators – are active participants and will build the curriculum to sort all our needs.

In the meantime we need mass involvement to enable the School to reach its full power. If you have a little or a lot of time and want to gain experience in organising empowering and action orientated education programmes for our people on the frontline of injustice then please simply email sowestand@gmail.com or call 0044 (0) 7514326539. If you have further questions about SWS Summer School into social justice and community organising, please get in contact ASAP.

So We Stand – stand shoulder to shoulder with communities on the front-lines of social, racial and environmental injustice.

By dan glass
15th May 2012

reposted from: https://www.campaigncentral.org.uk/opinion/so-we-stand-summer-activism-school-introduction-community-organising-and-social-change-2012