Community Organisers in Conversation

Staying alive: Self-organising for survival

How does a community organise itself to survive in the face of state violence and neglect? In this episode we discuss how asylum seekers and refugees are directly creating the things they need to survive.
We talk about how mutual aid builds political power, the significance of self-organisation, and how those most affected by oppression come to lead their own struggles. We discuss the role of art and culture in survival and resistance, the tension between reform and abolition, and what it means to fight through everyday survival for a world without borders.
With Loraine Mponela from Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group, Mariam Yusuf from Women Asylum Seekers Together, and Olivia Namutebi from Women for Refugee Women.

102: Abolish the organiser!

In the 2nd episode of this 2-part conversation, we talk more about the political questions involved in community organising, from sharing power to dealing with conflict and harm. We discuss the role of the organiser, the new wave of British abolitionism, and what it means to have an abolitionist approach.
With Amardeep Dhillon from We Keep Us Safe Lewisham and Lesbians & Support the Migrants; Shiri Shalmy from Cooperation Town; and Mea Aitken from Kids of Colour and the No Police in Schools campaign.

101: Where are the factory gates?

In episode 1 of this 2-part conversation, we discuss what community organising is, and the argument for it as a political approach. We talk about the growing forms of community organising happening in Britain, how people are attempting to politicise everyday life, and the infrastructure we need for a community to exist.
With Amardeep Dhillon from We Keep Us Safe Lewisham and Lesbians & Support the Migrants; Shiri Shalmy from Cooperation Town; and Mea Aitken from Kids of Colour and No Police in Schools.