Course programme - 1-6 October

GROWL INTERNATIONAL COURSE “SOLIDARITY & COOPERATIVE ECONOMY”

1-6 OCTOBER 2014, THESSALONIKI, GREECE

WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER

ARRIVAL OF PARTICIPANTS

17.30 - 19.00: bus tour/ bike/ walk in Thessaloniki (participants should choose in advance)

19.00 – 20.30: Welcoming, personal introductions and Team Building Exercises

20.30: dinner at Hostel

THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER at Oikopolis

08.45 – 09.30: Breakfast

09.40 – 09.55: Ice breaker

10.00 – 11.00: Presentation of GROWL (by Gualter Baptista, GROWL coordinator).

11.00 – 12.30: Lecture: A theoretical framework of alternative economic and political spaces with Giorgos Gritzas (Ass. Professor AUTh) and Karolos Kavoulakos (Lecturer AUTh) members of People’s UnivSSE.

12.30 – 13.30: Simulation game on commons and solidarity economy, by Varvarousis Aggelos (PhD cand. ICTA UAB).

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch and presentation of Oikopolis social cente .

15.00 – 16.30: Discussion: Politics, ecology, local institutions and degrowth with Alekos Georgopoulos (Professor AUTh); Lefteris Ioannidis (Mayor of lignite and energy producing Kozani); Christos Adamidis (representative from Skouries movement against the extraction of gold in Chalkidiki).

16.30 – 18.00: Open debate: Growth, austerity and crisis, which way out? Introduced and moderated by Panos Petridis (Researcher SEC Vienna) and Giorgos Kallis (Professor ICTA UAB).

18.30 – 21.00: Public Event (in Greek with translation), “Degrowth and Solidarity Economy” with Giorgos Kallis, Giorgos Gritzas, Panos Petridis, Alekos Georgopoulos, Kostas Nikolaou, Karolos Kavoulakos. At Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki (10th floor, Pegagogical School, 3 Septemvriou St., room "LOGOU & TECHNIS").

21.00: dinner and Welcoming Party at Steki Metanaston (migrant social center).

FRIDAY 3 OCTOBER

08.45 – 09.30: Breakfast

09.30: Departure for PERKA urban farm (in abandoned military camp of Karatasios)

10.00 – 11.30: presentation of PERKA group (on urban farming).

11.30 – 13.00: bus to VIOME

13.00 – 14.30: Presentation and discussion about VIOME (self-managed factory www.viome.org) and light lunch.

14.30 – 15.30: Bus to Tagarades

17.00 - 19.00: Lecture and Discussion: Degrowth fundamentals (lite module) – with Filika Sekulova (Research and Degrowth).

19.00 – 20.00: GROWL Partner meeting

20.00: Dinner / screening of documentary “In transition 2.0” (Transition Network, 2012, 67')

SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER at Tagarades

08.30 – 09.30: Breakfast

09.40 – 09.55: stretching exercises

10.00 – 11.00: Lecture: Dialectical approach and delimitations of the social solidarity economy. Case: the political economy of the water cooperative management, by Kostas Nikolaou (Adj. Professor HOU and member of People's UnivSSE).

11.00 – 12.00: Discussion or Simulation Exercise with Kostas Nikolaou (Adj. Professor HOU and member of People's UnivSSE).

12.00 – 12.15: Break

12.15 – 13.30: Showcase: Producer- consumer networks and cooperatives with Lazaros Aggelou (President of Bios Coop and member of People’s UnivSSE), and Thomas Anemos Papamichos (Agronaftes CSA initiative) and presentation of selected case studies- best practices from participants' countries.

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch

15.00 – 16.30: Workshop: Cooperative economy- from theory to practice - how to set up a cooperative with Dimitris Kitsikopoulos (KAPA network on social economy)

16.30 – 17.20: Lecture: Social solidarity economy: Politics of prefiguration and social transformation, by Alexandros Kioupkiolis (Lecturer AUTh and member of People's UnivSS ).

17.20 – 17.30: Break

17.30 – 18.30: Simulation Exercise by Alexandros Kioupkiolis (Lecturer AUTh and member of People's UnivSSE).

18.30 – 20.00: Showcase: Cooperative working spaces (with representatives from “European Village“ - Akadimia Platona cooperative cafe and “Allos Tropos” social cooperative) and presentation of selected case studies- best practices from participants' countries.

20.30: Dinner / GROWL partner meeting

21.30: Screening of documentary “Another World” (iliosporoi network, 90', 2013)

SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER at Tagarades

08.30 – 09.30: Breakfast

09.40 – 09.55: Stretching exercises

10.00 – 11.45: Showcase: Barter exchange networks, Complementary currencies & Time banks (with representatives from Koino exchange of goods and services network, ARSIS Time Bank and ΤΕΜ Magnisias and presentation of selected case studies- best practices from participants' countries.

11.45 – 12.00: Break

12.00 – 13.30: Showcase: Eco-communities and self-resilient initiatives (with representatives from Free and Real, Spithari, Nea Gouinea ) and presentation of selected case studies- best practices from participants' countries.

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch

15.00 – 17.00: Visioning workshop – what kind of degrowth do we want? Facilitated by iliosporoi network

17.00 – 18.30: TTT module: Training the degrowth trainers (TTT theory, methods and tools (30 minutes presentation of material collected so far in GROWL) and presentation of GROWL future trainer exercises (1 hour).

18.30 – 18.40: Break

18.40 – 20.30: TTT module: Training the degrowth trainers (simulation exercise for all participants – preparing the assignments – Francois Gillet)

20.30: Dinner / screening of documentary “A new we” (Stefan Wolf, 2010, 116').

22.00: Farewell Party

MONDAY 6 OCTOBER

10.00 – 12.00: GROWL partner meeting

DEPARTURE OF PARTICIPANTS

Important Notes:

1. Throughout the seminar a dedicated Evaluation- Reflections Board will available for input on highs and lows from the participants, as well as, a board to display ideas for future projects.
2. Participant groups are required to present briefly (max 10 minutes), as input during showcases, some case studies- best practices from each country on the specific issues addressed (1. producer- consumer networks and cooperatives; 2. cooperative working spaces; 3. barter exchange networks, complementary currencies and time banks; 4. eco-communities and self-resilient initiatives).
3. Speakers are required to send prior to the seminar extended abstracts (1-2 pages in word format) of their presentation (or description of their collective), a Reader (including bibliography, published articles and other useful material) on their subject and a short bio (in word format) of their own. We will collect also the Powerpoints during the seminar and any other material you seem fit. All presentations will be videotaped and all the material gathered will be freely available through GROWL website.
4. Participant Trainees (potential GROWL trainers) that in Thessaloniki will attend their second GROWL seminar and wish to present their assignment in order to get certification, please let us know beforehand and prepare a 10-15 minutes presentation of your exercise in order to present it during the TTT module at the end of the seminar. Also please send us before the start of the seminar a brief summary of your assignment.