Practivist of the Week - E. Amato

Practivist of the Week - E. Amato

[Editor's note: E. Amato would like you to know that she is the editor of Zestyverse in the interests of full disclosure!]

How old are you, if you don't mind?



What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest? 

The main focus of my practivism at this time is creating live performance events that promote diversity, sustainability, and connection. After over a decade of promoting and producing events, I have begun to percolate a formula that allows maximum connection with the audience and sustainability for artists, audience, organizers and community. As a promoter and producer, I have always made sure there is parity on my stages between genders, orientation, age, ability, ethnicity, etc. In my time promoting, I have seen this parity decrease elsewhere. The lack of women on festival stages this past season has been well-documented, for example. My practivism is refocused on this issue for my own events, as I find it has renewed importance.

In 2013, I did an event called Secret Door featuring poets and musicians. It was in a tiny space that we designed specifically for the event. The evening took on a life of its own - the barrier between artist and audience erased itself and collaborations formed. This model has wider applications and can be partnered with community needs to develop audiences, spaces and creative relationships in ways that are financially sustainable. In order to learn and experiment more, I've accepted a place in the MFA, Creative Producing program at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. In order to get there, I still need financial support, so I've begun a crowd fund to help.

What route did you take to get here?

The longest possible one! I began as a performer, who decided to direct. I've always written. I went into film production, which gave me a huge amount of down time between jobs as well as a strong sense of things being far too big and taking far too long. The combination of these led me - indirectly, of course - to get on stage and read some of my poems. I loved the immediacy and the audience being right in front of me instead of in a a darkened movie theatre 24 months from now. This led to a B-career as a performance poet. With the organizational skills I had from production and my voice as a poet, many encouraged me to start my own venue. My unpredictable work schedule made me start with one-off events that I knew I could actually attend! This led to hosting,then a monthly venue, and the Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, among other things. Now I had three full-time careers! I did this for about ten years. Then I fell. My body did not bounce back - my resilience was worn out. I had a vision of what I wanted to build, but I did not have the strength, focus, or resources. It was frustrating and even debilitating in its own right. Getting back on my feet was a lot of work - I'm not sure I'm even all the way there, yet.

But there was also inner work to do - did I still have the commitment to the vision I had before everything went so wrong? I knew that in order to achieve this goal of the MFA and building a creative entrepreneurship I need more than one  hundred percent commitment. I felt sparks, but I knew sparks weren't enough. I continued to self care and meditate, stretch and strengthen. 

Eventually a flashpoint showed up - that place where I had to commit or choose another path. I knew that this was not a dream I could let go. I embraced with the strength that I had, but I knew I'd need to create community support around me to fully enable this vision. 

This is a great way to start this journey, as I feel sustainable arts require community involvement and collective choice-making. The entertainment industry's practices lag far behind where we actually are in 2015. In order to move them into the world we are living in, we have to move away from a hierarchical and pedagogical model of taste and presentation and towards one that will engage people viscerally. People need strong engagement now to counter the large amounts of time we spend partially engaged through our devices or altogether disengaged. 


I hope I've answered the questions! i'm so used to being the one asking! If you're a Zesty fan, a fan of any of my work or just stopping by and like the sound of all this, you can support by donating, sharing or just sending great energy! Thank you!

Women You Should Know - Practivist Nafeesa Monroe

Women You Should Know:

Practivist Nafeesa Monroe

[Editor's note:  We've combined a Women You Should Know with a feature for our Practivist series. Practivism is pragmatic, proactive, promotable activism. Nafeesa Monroe certainly qualifies as a practivist, by taking her art, craft and training to the next level with the Classics in Color project. You can be a practivist, too, if you like her mission, you can support the project via Fractured Atlas.] 

How old are you, if you don’t mind? 

AAAAHHHH! The one thing I CAN'T SAY! I've been in the theatre for more than twenty years.

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest? 

Making theatrical classics (including Shakespeare and what might be considered other classic works for the stage) accessible and relatable to a culturally and ethnically rich community. It manifests itself through the creation of Classics in Color: A Theatre Company, which  is in its inaugural season and fundraising stage. 

Classics in Color focuses on producing vibrantly-cast classical works for the stage, expanding the perception of classical theatre. As a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic ensemble, Classics in Color embraces the theatre of inclusion, on stage and off, opening up and extending the understanding of classic tales. Classics in Color: classical theatre for all the people, by all the people.

Currently CIC is co-producing an ethnically diverse production of the play "Proof" by David Auburn. This shift in the ethnic background of the family in this play allows a different audience base to see themselves on the stage in this story. It also expands the conversation about women and math to include women of color and what challenges they face in math and other STEM programs.

We could use your help to make it happen. Your financial support is tax-deductible. Every little bit counts and makes a difference!

What route did you take to get here?

I have been performing on stage for more than 20 years. A few years ago, I received my MFA in Classical Acting from The Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University. This led to teaching Shakespeare primarily in public schools to young people who did not see themselves represented on the stages they attended. I decided to do something more pro-active, and thus created the theatre company. It's still growing, as am I and its mission. It's a challenge, but worth it.

Practivist of the Week - Adam Wedd

Adam Wedd

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

I'm 28 . but what's age in the context of eternity :P?


What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

2 things. To enable every person to shine like stars in their communities and to write songs that articulate the spiritual emotional journeys of people - and to have as much fun as possible along the way! We run music workshops and open mic nights at a drop in café that's open 5 nights a week in the basement of a theatre. The vision is for every young person to explore their voice, have it heard, understood and affirmed! We also run a youth magazine which is going to have 8000 physical copies printed next year reaching the schools of west Kent. We also record young artists for free and have just had a young persons song we recorded at the café played on BBC Kent radio, which is nice!


What route did you take to get here?

I've always walked the line between being a youth worker and song-writing tea drinking performing extrovert. I fell into youth work as a result of older wiser people pouring their wisdom and time into me and song-writing has been a way I've connected with the world on a daily basis since age 12. Though I don't feel like I've arrived anywhere, on a very long adventure! I started working for the YMCA London South West running a range of youth work projects, namely Music Room which is still going and is a space for young people to come and learn an instrument for free and to be able to explore performing, recording and other aspects of the art and craft.



You can check out the youth café here http://facebook.com/houseinthebasement

Editor's Note:  Adam has an amazing gig coming up on November 29th in London - it's a huge collaboration - check it out!

Practivism = Proactive, pragmatic, promotable activism.  

Are you a practivist?  Do you turn your talents and energy into helping community, sustainability, youth, equality?  Do you know a practivist?  If so, the Zestyverse wants to feature you - send a message!  

Pracitivists of the Week - A4DS!

ART FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

Well there are 6 of us active right now, and we range in age from mid 20s to mid 30s.


What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

We focus on the junction between art and politics, so we approach political issues from a cultural perspective, while at the same time we organize an art collaboration in a democratic way and use some grassroots political organizing techniques in our artworks, such as talking to strangers on the street, tabling, and polling. We don't tend to focus on any one political issue, but create different projects based on what's piquing our interest at the time. Generally, we try to create work that opens a space for participation as we want to create an analog for greater political participation in society. And by political participation, we're not aiming to get out the vote, but to reach past that and encourage people to take greater power back into their own hands by organizing themselves. We believe strongly that people do care but feel they have no outlet for their concerns and become disillusioned. Political struggle has been at such an ebb until recently, especially union organizing and protest, that we have no models for how to fight back. We hope that we can provide some models and some encouragement in the struggle.

What route did you take to get here?

Steve (my husband) and I co-founded A4DS in April 2007. Steve has been an activist for many years, and also is a talented illustrator and writer. I had just graduated from art school in Jewelry/Metal Arts, but was being pulled towards conceptual art and social practice due to my frustration with the art world as I saw it at the time. We wanted to reach people that might not be exposed to art, and people who could not afford to collect art. We weren't interested in creating art objects, but in creating situations that encouraged open dialogue and debate. For several years, we created projects alone. In early 2011, we submitted a proposal for a show at Southern Exposure called The Cries of SF, in which people were taking on the personas of town criers and street vendors. Our proposal involved building a cart, and neither of us were experienced builders. A friend of ours, Francois, who creates sculpture, joined us to help build the project and we liked working together, so he became a part of the organization. We also enlisted the help of our friend Sean, who is a gifted poet and actor, to write our "cries" and perform with us, and he has continued to work with us. Through the course of the project, we met two other artists, Jesse and Ethan, who were interested in what we were doing and wanted to join as well. Jesse is a printmaker and Ethan is a photographer, though they had both stretched into performance art and interactive work previously and were interested in social practice. We went from just the two of us to 6 of us (and a couple of non-active members) in the space of a few months!

To find out more about A4DS CLICK HERE!

So What's A Practivist?

Someone who practises practivism!

Practivism = Proactive, pragmatic, promotable activism.  

I think I made up the term; maybe not.  The Zestyverse has been featuring practivists for over a year now.  Some recent profiles include:

• Helping Kcymaerxthaere with it's Abilene project which is going on now!
• Open Mike Eagle who is getting ready for the Uganda project!
• Tara Hardy whose medical fund overflowed it's goals!

Are you a practivist?  Do you turn your talents and energy into helping community, sustainability, youth, equality?  Do you know a practivist?  If so, the Zestyverse wants to feature you - send a message!  

Practivist of the Week - YOU Helping Ingrid

Ingrid

The campaign for Tara Hardy's health care was fulfilled with a speed and intensity that made many of us feel reinvested in the values of our community.

Health and wellness seem to be recurring themes.  Our health care infrastructure needs attention, and has begun demanding it.

This week I'm hoping you can help contribute to making a short life a happier one, and one with precious memories for her family.  Baby Ingrid was diagnosed with brain cancer about 6 months ago.  Currently she is 20 months.  Her cancer has returned and the doctors do not feel that further treatment will not impede the progress of the disease.  They have given her a prognosis of only 3-5 months to live.  This means she might not see her second birthday.

Her parents would like to make the rest of her time with her family sweet and memorable.

Ingrid is too young to be considered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation program, so they are dedicating themselves to fundraising to make her wishes come true.

To donate to Ingrid's Travel Fund, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE!!!!!  Baby Ingrid's Travel Fund has now surpassed its goal!  But please feel free to keep on giving!

Practivist of the Week - Update on Mark Walton

It was  exactly eleven months ago when I started featuring Practivists on my blog. I have pretty much taken the summer off, but decided I really missed this feature. What better way to start it back up than by going back to our first ever Practivist - Mark Walton? He's had quite an amazing time of it...

Mark at POPse!

I"ve asked him a new set of questions - here's a link to his original interview if you want to catch up!

In the time since you filled out your Practivist Questionnaire, what goals have you reached or surpassed?

The first phase of The Waterways Project was completed in May 2011 when we submitted our response to the government’s public consultation on the new waterways charity.

Whilst many aspects of the original project plan were changed I think we can say that we achieved our primary objectives. These were: to rapidly establish The Waterways Project as a key player in the consultation with the ability to influence both British Waterways and the government and, to ensure that the voices of social enterprises and community organisations were brought into the consultation process.

We have now seen the Government’s response to the consultation and there have been some significant changes, including the explicit recognition of the need for the new charity to deliver benefits to the communities that live on and around the waterways. We have also seen the first moves by British Waterways to explore the possibility of supporting the development of a new social enterprise to manage and develop some of their assets.

The project has attracted significant interest from other public bodies, charities and community organisations who are interested in increasing community use of other environmental assets such as woodlands and green spaces.

What obstacles - expected or unexpected - did you encounter and overcome to get here?

For various reasons outside of our control the work took longer than our funding would cover so the last couple of months were undertaken on a wing a prayer. Other than that, however, there were no real obstacles. Ben and I decided early on that we would take an emergent approach to the work – never trying to see beyond the next step and meeting regularly to reflect and assess our progress and decide our next move. This was not always a comfortable way to work – the temptation is to try and plan ahead – but it worked well for us and enabled us to use our limited resources to best effect.

A totally unexpected development was that during the course of this work British Waterways proposed a change to the rules relating to where residential boats could moor in London and for how long. As I live on a boat in the area this impacted on me directly and posed a significant threat to the community that I live in. In addition to my role as a ‘practivist’, working alongside British Waterways, I also became a community activist campaigning against one of their policies. This obviously created tensions both in my professional relationship with them and with other members of my community. Whilst this was deeply uncomfortable at times I think it is significant that not only did organised opposition force British Waterways to withdraw their proposals but they are now discussing with the London boating community how they can set up a social enterprise in order to manage and develop new moorings and facilities.


How have you been surprised or delighted in the process of pursuing your Practivism?

I have been surprised at how quickly The Waterways Project gained real traction, not only with British Waterways and the Government but with local community organisations and with other organisations managing environmental assets.

I’ve been delighted by the fact that the work has been picked up by other people working on other environmental assets and is seen by them as exciting and transferable to their situation. In May I took part in POPse!, the world’s first pop-up social enterprise think tank, and had an exhilarating week of really testing and discussing our ideas with others in the wider social enterprise sector. I emerged from POPse! certain that our work has the potential to deliver significant social change.

What's next?

We are in the process of applying for further funding for The Waterways Project and have the full commitment of British Waterways and the emerging new waterways charity. Our proposals are for a two year project to support the development of three new community led social enterprise activities on the waterways.

We are also in the process of founding a new non-profit organisation, Shared Assets. Shared Assets will share the learning from The Waterways Project and start to work with others undertaking similar work in relation to woodlands and other environmental assets. Our vision is the creation of a 21st century commons, ensuring that communities have the right to use land and waterways, whoever may own them, in order to deliver sustainable public benefits such as food, low impact housing and renewable energy.

Practivist of the Week - YOU! Helping Jayne Trimble!

Part 2 of getting you involved in grassroots projects...

Jayne Trimble is an extraordinary singer.  After she got her Masters in Drama, she began playing guitar, singing, writing with friends.  She has blossomed into a voice resonant beyond her years.  Having known Jayne for a while now, there is no question in my mind that her voice is her gift from the Universe.

Her dream is to create an EP of her music and to get to Nashville - no easy feat for a Northern Irelander living in London.

She's got almost 70% of her funding in place with ONLY ONE WEEK left for her project on We Fund.  In her eternal optimism and forward energy, Jayne has written to me:




"...all I need is 33 people to invest 20 quid and I'm there, got 2-3 gigs in the next week so I'll be pluggin it -- it's not impossible if I just really go for it!"

To donate 20 or more or less, CLICK HERE.

Practivist of the Week - YOU! Helping Kevin Sandbloom!

So here we go...

I know of some great projects you can get involved in just by clicking and donating.  Easy.  As much or as little as you are moved to give.

Tireless troubadour Kevin Sandbloom has been pounding the pavements of our souls for some time now.  He's more than put in his 10,000 hours and perfected his craft as a singer, songwriter, and interpreter of songs closest to our hearts.  Besides massively moving songs like "Sweetness" off his new album Under Pink and Bourbon Skies, he is known for killer covers of songs from Sade's "Is It A Crime," to Al Green and Marvin Gaye.

When I heard he planned to record Joni Mitchell's album Blue in its entirety, I couldn't have been more thrilled.  The pairing of Sandbloom's vocals and guitars with Joni's lyrics and melodies, the idea of reclaiming this still dangerous and raw material and giving it out to another cultural generation and crossing it over to new audiences captivated me.


Says Sandbloom:

The idea of covering a whole album has been germinating with me for a long time. Joni Mitchell's Blue is one of those special records that hold a lot memories and feelings for so many and it's probably her most soulful work. In the end it seemed like the perfect choice. The fact that it's starting to unfold into reality is really exciting and I think it will be a landmark project for me.

Where do you fit in?

You can check out Sandbloom and Joni, for sure, and you can wait for the album to surface, but you can also help make it a reality.

Sandbloom has started an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money to complete the project.  IndieGoGo specializes in micro-funding of projects - people have a project and they put it out there, and hope that all the $5, $10 and occasional $100 donation will add up to them getting their project out in the world.  Donations go to a non-profit, and the artist or producer receives the money once the project is fully funded.  Based on the microfinancing models so successful in helping families out of poverty with small business loans across the world, it is empowering artists to take their careers in their own hands, and enabling them to bring you their true visions.

I think it does have potential to be his biggest project yet, and is certainly worth doing well.  Click this link to DONATE!

And if you know Joni, I'm thinking she should paint the cover...just saying.  ; )

Practivist of the Week - Jordan Ehrlich

JORDAN EHRLICH

How old are you, if you don't mind? 

I just turned 33 years old on 1/11/11.  (I am sure it means something, I just don't know what yet.) 

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

Simply said...  to utilize the power of the media for good and not evil.  

I have always been fascinated with the far-reaching power that both film and television have to captivate and impact mass audiences.  The profound potential of these two mediums to improve societal conditions has inspired my life’s ambition to confront, explore, and spread awareness of social issues I consider significant by creating and distributing my own independent documentary work. 

My latest venture, CaveLight Films, is an all-purpose production house creating projects that both inform and entertain. We push the envelope with cutting edge media aimed at having a positive social impact.  We have been tackling a wide array of projects that deal with tough issues from a 17-part documentary series about orphans in India to our film following a young basketball player who dropped out of high school to play professionally overseas and the challenges he has faced on the way to achieving his goal of playing in the NBA . 

Our latest project Cost of Construction (a passion project of mine for the past two years) investigates a string of controversial deaths that happened on the most expensive commercial construction project in the US, all taking place on the Las Vegas Strip. Ultimately, it is an expose on the failures of corporate and government agencies to keep American workers safe.   

We are hoping to raise enough money for this venture to make a good enough film that can have a real impact on political policy in this country to keep workers safe. 

What route did you take to get here?

Since college I have been interested in merging my love for TV with my desire to help people.  And luckily, focusing in on documentary work has taken me all kinds of places on my journey to where I am today. From a maximum security jail cell interviewing a man in solitary confinement awaiting his murder trial to talking with leper victims deep in the rural countryside of India to flying in a helicopter high above the Las Vegas CityCenter construction site... it's been a great ride and I hope lots of people will watch, learn and enjoy the stuff I help to create. 

Practivist of the Week - Dean Atta

DEAN ATTA

Photo by Naomi Waddis

Practivist Questionnaire

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

I'm 26 and proud! I'm technically no longer a 'young person', I'm a man. I'm a man with a plan.

A lot of people think I'm younger than I am, I have a young energy and people think I'm in my late teens or early twenties, but if you do your homework or ask around or even Google me you'll see that I've been around for quite a while.

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

I speak for change and I don't write without a reason.   I  produce events to raise awareness for a cause or to support a specific community.

Recently I was commissioned by The Damilola Taylor Trust to write a tribute poem to mark 10 years since his death.  I performed the piece  at the Spirit of London Awards. As the only poet in the line-up of artists including chart-toppers Labrinth, Alexandra Burke, Roll Deep and Daley, I am reaching mainstream audiences in big venues. It was great to be back at the Spirit of London Awards as a performer as I was there last year picking up the award for Achievement through the Arts. 

Earlier this year I produced an event called 'Gay Africa' to bring together artists and activists to discuss LGBT rights and equality in Africa, as well as the need for support from, and asylum in the UK.  Before the last General Election, I launched the  'Silence Is Not Golden' (SING) campaign to get more young people engaged with politics.  SING is an on going movement to give a voice to marginalized and disenfranchised people using music, poetry, drama, and lively debate. 

I'm a member of poetry collective Point Blank Poets (PBP) which includes the talents of Sabrina Mahfouz, Deanna Rodger, Chimene Suleyman, Bridget Minamore and others. Our first project was Rhymes Won't Wait,  funded by the Ideas Tap.  Since then, we have collaborated with charities and socially conscious organizations such as Fairtrade, TRAID, Object Against Female Objectification, English PEN and Love Music Hate Racism to help further the reach of their message. In 2011, we will represent the UK at the next International Young Artists Biennale in Morocco.

Next up, I will be launching a brand new project called Recycled Tunes, to educate young people about recycling and sustainability through recording music made from recyclable objects, and writing lyrics about sustainability to make credible tunes with a positive message. This project has already gained support from the BBC, Recycled for London, Sound Connections and Veolia waste management services, and has the potential to be a London-wide, Nationwide and International project.

What route did you take to get here?

I always follow my heart and my conscience and try to do things that will make my mum proud.

Practivist of the Week - Catherine Brogan

CATHERINE BROGAN

Catherine Brogan

Practivist Questionnaire


How old are you, if you don’t mind?

25 (nearly 26)


What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

Feminism, FairTrade, some green stuff, squatting, performing, organisng events and fundraisers linked with poetry.

I live in a squatted house so I can be artistic and not strangled by bills.

Amazing squat!

I attend demos.

Make my own clothes.


What route did you take to get here?

Degree politics and English focusing on international relations.

2 summers in Kenya.

Worked in various FairTrade jobs.

After lots of job redundancies and poetry success have decided poetry can't be resisted any more.

Practivist of the Week - Julie Titus

JULIE TITUS

Julie Titus in Guatemala

Practivism Questionnaire

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

 28

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

My practivism stems from the absolute truth that serving others is how we truly serve ourselves. The more healing and practical/sustainable solutions we offer each other, the more we connect with our own fears, disconnectedness, shallowness, and judgements. When we force ourselves to face the pain and suffering of others, we break through new barriers in our psyches and evolve into more courageous and outspoken people than we've ever imagined. So in short my humanitarianism is a completely self serving endeavor (j/k).

What route did you take to get here?

There are dozens of experiences and dreams that have lead me to this current stage of hunger to serve and travel. From watching the History Channel as a child, to being humiliated at a party I catered, to looking into the face of my daughter and striving to give her both the childhood I never had as well an understanding of the world that I was never exposed to, the result has been a fairly new birth for me; the birth of Global Mother.

Global Mother is my multi-faceted and multi-intentional business directed at serving other non-profits, serving the people they serve in the most humble and enthusiastic capacity, and serving the locally disadvantaged by giving them the gift of travel.

So far I've joined a team of amazing single moms who have managed to individually and collectively raise the money and awareness to travel Guatemala this past summer. While there, we served the women and children of Guatemala city who live in the trash dump community surrounding the 40-acre municipal trash dump.  Domestic violence, poor education, exposure to toxic chemicals, and extreme poverty are just a few of the issues affecting the everyday lives of these people.

What I believe is most important to remember, is that for each and every one of these lives, there is a face, a name, a dream and a story.

Mirna, is a single mother of 7 and grandmother of 2 who attends the literacy program of Safe Passage and generates income by making earth-conscious jewelry. She has an amazing presence and beautiful smile, although you can see the years of hard work and pain in her hands.

Ariste, is a bright, rambunctious seven year-old boy who loves to play, fight, give hugs and be held. He needs sponsors to afford the nutritional and educational program that Safe Passage provides. more importantly he needs to feel cared about and motivated to continue his education passed the 6th grade education that Guatemala can provide.

The trip we took changed the lives of the women and children we spent time with. They changed us too. They made us more grateful, more loving, more brave women. We pass this to our children and now we feel equipped to raise a generation of Americans who give a damn about what goes on in the world outside their borders of Disney, McDonalds, and American Idol.

Guatemala is just one trip taken so far, but the vision remains so much greater! We plan to serve Uganda, Bali, Thailand, Korea, Mexico, and .... south central Los Angeles!  My deepest passion is PEOPLE; healing, touching, serving, giving hope and life. In turn, I receive those benefits too. So call me today. I look forward to partnering with you and nurturing the world... one village at a time.

If you are interested in joining us, sponsoring us, leading a trip, or just learning more about whats on the map, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Practivist of the Week - Michele D'Acosta

MICHELE D'ACOSTA

Michele D'Acosta

Practivism Questionnaire


How old are you, if you don’t mind?

 I was born in January 1965!

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

The main focus of my practivism at this time is creating artwork and making documentary films as a catalyst for positive social change. The way that this aim manifests itself at this time is that I am working with an organisation called The Peace Project which is an international collaborative art competition and exhibition created to connect peace-minded individuals everywhere. All net proceeds from sales of The Peace Project artwork and related products will be used in Sierra Leone to provide healthcare, education and other services and infrastructure designed to help people sustain themselves and their families long term.

What route did you take to get here?

Well my practivism journey began, in earnest, in 1989 when I started working in the Press Office of the UK branch of Amnesty International. At that time, I was writing articles about Amnesty's Prisoners of Conscience campaign, and their anti-death penalty campaign, and had the honor of meeting a nun called Sister Helen Prejean who was based in New Orleans and campaigned tirelessly on behalf of men on Death Row in Louisiana, many of whom were innocent or, had been sentenced as minors, to the death penalty.

Fast forward to 2010, where the most recent leg of my practivism journey is currently in progress....! I am a member of an LA-based online artists community called The Whole 9 which was founded by Lisa Schultz about four years ago.  I found The Whole 9 via Google in 2009, and that's how I got involved with my current practivist project, which is The Peace Project.

*Note from Michele - Sister Helen Prejean's work was the subject of the Tim Robbins-directed film Dead Man Walking starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon.

Practivist of the Week - Mark Walton

Well - here it is - the first pracitivist feature!  He's answered my "Practivism Questionnaire" and here are the responses.

Mark Walton

Practivism Questionnaire

Name:  Mark Walton

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

I’m 41 – and even if I did mind there wouldn’t be much I could do about that.

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

The main focus of my practivism is currently The Waterways Project @ CIVA. It’s a new project that I set up with a friend in August this year to explore the potential for the development of community assets and social enterprise on and around Britain’s canal system.

British Waterways, the public body that manages the 2,200 miles of canals in Britain, is about to be transformed into a charity. We want to ensure that as many communities as possible benefit from this change. We believe that the canal system, as well as being a magnificent piece of industrial heritage, also has the potential to be the biggest piece of sustainable infrastructure in the UK. Think about New York’s 1.5 mile High Line then multiply by about 1,500...

 
What route did you take to get here?

When the government first started to publicly consult on the idea of turning British Waterways into a charitable body, my mind started racing with ideas at how this could open up opportunities for communities living on and around the canals. But the canals have a long history and some long-standing user groups and so there was also a fear that only those people already interested would get involved in thinking about this new opportunity.

I racked my brains for someone to talk to about it and thought of my friend Ben Metz. We used to work together in community recycling organisations many moons ago and we get fired up about the same kind of issues. We met up for beers a few times over a number of months and our excitement grew. We sketched out an idea for a big conference to bring people together and went to a funder to ask them to back it. They liked our idea but sent us away and told us to come back with a bigger project. So we did.

The Waterways Project will run for about six months. We have two paid part-time workers, a couple of interns and we are busy seeking pro bono help and approaching business schools to see if we can get some of their students working on projects for us.

The transformation of British Waterways into a charity was confirmed by the government in the last couple of weeks and we only have a few months to influence how it happens, what it ends up looking like, and to excite a whole load of new people into thinking differently about our waterways.

We believe there are opportunities to develop new social enterprises in the fields of housing, energy generation, food growing and a range of other sectors that could provide new income for the charity as well as jobs and other benefits for local communities. We’ve created an online map so that local canal users can get involved by suggesting ideas in their area. More generally we are also developing a business case for each of the sectors we are exploring.


What makes this practivism?

The government in the UK is currently looking to offload a whole range of assets from public into private / charity / community ownership. We could have just thrown our hands up in horror and complained about it. We could have never taken it beyond the pub, or Twitter, or Facebook.

Instead we looked at what was happening and asked ourselves how we could turn this to the advantage of social entrepreneurs and communities. We looked at our own knowledge and connections and skills and decided how we could best use them. Then we convinced someone else that it was worth funding us to do it. 

From here, where?


Who knows? This project is focused on one particular case of an asset being moved from the public sector into charitable ownership. But there will be others.  We are looking to see where we can apply the lessons we are learning in this project and how we can develop our approach to create genuine new opportunities to involve communities in the management of our commonly held assets.

the birth of practivism?

Practivism:  proactive, pragmatic, promotable activism.

As far as I know, I just came up with this word or contraction.  Maybe I should google it.

It's been a strange week - an explosive pub owner, and a full moon on the rise -- I've been witnessing a lot of rants, even more than usual even for a spoken word artist.

(I have just googled.  It appears Canadian designers are using the term.  Canadian + designer = double progressives.)

Rants are good chest-clearers, but they can lead to hating.  And we all know being a hater is not where it's at. 

Is going to rallies and marches being an activist?

So many people in the grassroots community refer to themselves as activists, that it makes me wonder sometimes what we think that term means.

Tweeting that you are upset about a jury verdict in a police brutality case - does that make you an activist?

Does just having, holding, and perhaps occasionally speaking an alternative opinion to public policy make you an activist?

I say no.

I say working solidly within your community to build it to a better place makes you a practivist.

So now I'm thinking I might highlight some practivists every so often.  Lucky for me, I know quite a few.

: )