So, where is At the grassroots going?

We put up this post towards the end of last year: Networking and where is At the Grassroots going? 17.12.24. It was a bit of a ranty, bearing our soul post to be honest, as you can see from this excerpt:

It would be tempting after years of trying to simply say sod it, bin this blog and any pretence at networking, and just get on with the rest of our lives. We’ll be honest and say that there have been a number of occasions where we very nearly did just that. The only thing that has pulled us back from the brink has been the amount of work that has been put into The Directory https://atthegrassroots.substack.com/p/the-directory and the fact that with it, we have the basis for something that could be a very useful resource if other people got involved with helping us. It’s the hope that this may happen in 2025 that’s keeping us going.

Suffice to say, we’re not going to bin this project. That’s simply because there’s too much at stake in a world that’s going to hell in a handbasket. You don’t need us to tell you that the world we live in is becoming ever more dysfunctional and dystopian. That’s why it’s more important than ever that neighbourhood level grassroots projects are given as much support as possible.

The real change that’s needed to create a more just, equitable, sane and sustainable world will not come from the top down. Even if top down change puts on radical clothing, it’s still top down change that will leave the vast majority of us disempowered and looking to those who presume to rule over us to meet our needs and make us safe. History has shown time and again that the elites and their vassals do not have the interests of the majority of us at heart.

Real change can only come about from the grassroots upwards. It can come about by us creating neighbourhood level projects that meet our needs rather than us relying on the state or the corporations they ultimately serve. That means the hard graft of building parallel systems that will not only meet our needs but also, will empower us as well. The good news is that certainly in the region we operate in, there are plenty of neighbourhood level projects, that each in their own way, are already making a difference to people’s lives.

This is why we created this page so we could at least make a start in listing them: The Directory. This lists grassroots projects in Bristol, Bath and the wider Avon region. It’s a work in progress. If you’re involved with a grassroots project in the region we cover, please feel free to contact us with the details of what you do, and we’ll put in an entry for you.

If there’s any way anyone in the Avon region can help out with researching and collating suitable projects, it really would help to grow The Directory. Any workable suggestions on how it could be improved will also be more than welcome. What we want for The Directory is for it to eventually be a collaborative project. That’s what we’re aiming to move towards by the end of this year. Funding and support permitting, we’d love to be able to bring out a printed edition of it as well. That will only happen once At the grassroots has become a fully collaborative project.

We’ve said this before with At the grassroots and a number of earlier incarnations such as Alternative Estuary - what we would like is for at least some of the grassroots activists across the Avon region to contribute the occasional piece about their projects, what has and hasn’t worked and most importantly, what lessons have been learned from any failures. If that could happen, then At the grassroots would be on its way to becoming a collaborative project. When this happens, then perhaps we could entertain the idea of bringing out a paper, knowing that we’ll have collaborators on hand to help with the production and distribution.

As mentioned at the start of this post, the world we live in is becoming ever more dysfunctional and dystopian. Now more than ever, action is needed at the grassroots, not just to build projects that will bring about real change, but also to rebuild neighbourhood solidarity and cohesion. Because make no mistake, the divide and rule merchants are already having a field day this year and, if we’re going to be able to build the future we want, they have to be stopped, once and for all. So, this could be a pivotal year...