Gifts of Degrowth
Fellow friends, lovers, defenders, and do-ers of degrowth!
We would love to hear from you.
We are gathering together diverse stories, reflections, impressions, and experiences of working with degrowth.
Whether that be on the land, in the streets, on the page, or in your dreams – interesting and vital things emerge when we work with others on creating lives liberated from the relentless pursuit of economic growth.
These might be moments, ideas, insights, or sensations that sprout from the world of degrowth principles and practices – anything that has stayed with you, or which continues to evolve, or just feel like it connects you with your understanding(s) of the world.
These are what we are calling the many different ‘gifts’ of degrowth – variously transformative, restorative, enlivening, or inspiring elements that fuel further work or which spark further ideas, visions or commitments.
In collecting and sharing these stories, we hope to connect with ever more people who are imagining and building more just, equitable, and convivial futures.
What is involved?
We ask you to respond to the following prompts – any or all of them, wherever there is a spark! – by completing this online form.
Alternatively, by making a 3-minute video and uploading it via our private link! Email us for the link at: giftsofdegrowth[at]pm[dot]me
…or feel free to do both text and video!
What drew you into degrowth? Did you have an ah-ha moment? Please describe what happened and how you felt.
What does degrowth carry for you? Or what does degrowth make room for?
Why does degrowth speak to you? How do you hear what it says?
What do you wish more people understood about degrowth?
How has degrowth impacted your everyday life? / How do you practice degrowth in your everyday life?
Over the years, we have had many conversations with people sharing how degrowth continues to shape different branches of being, doing, thinking, and relating. Together, these stories carry a powerful and life-affirming message of togetherness and possibility.
Hopefully doing this can be a moment to take a breath, to reflect, and to connect again with how degrowth has become part of the worlds you inhabit.
There are countless ways to explore these gifts – and all responses are welcome.
However you think about this, articulate these connections, or sense your way into some of the many worlds of degrowth, your contribution will be most gratefully received.
Why are we doing this?
We believe degrowth ideas and strategies are vital for confronting multiple, overlapping, systemic injustices – offering both critiques and strategies that help bring people together and foster collaborative, collective action.
We also believe that sharing our experiences openly and honestly is a powerful communication tool.
Rather than presenting blocks of information, or explaining theories and arguments, personal reflections bring these elements to life in ways that are rooted in connection.
Abstract ideas can feel distant, but someone saying “this has been my experience” is relatable – meaning the message lands closer to home and resonates for longer.
So this is about more than just describing degrowth (although that is important, especially since alternatives to the growth imperative are systematically sidelined and erased – and we want to consistently counter that dominant tendency which insists on framing degrowth negatively).
This is also about more than simply celebrating degrowth (even though that too is important – and joyous!).
Your words are an offering. This project is about sharing as an invitation: inviting others to participate, explore, and experience for themselves the kinds of possibilities that can be unleashed and made real. An invitation to everyone to join conversations, gatherings, and community projects – to feel less alone and to feel reminded that practicing care for others is a fundamental source of strength and conviviality.
What will happen next?
We will compile these videos, written responses, and contributions to form a living library on ‘Gifts of Degrowth’ – a web-based resource and set of references. With your consent (and anonymized, if that is preferred), this library will be used to amplify and share degrowth messages in further projects, beginning with a written summary that highlights key lessons and insights.
We work with degrowth in multiple ways, for example in writing and community-building (Sofia) and in activism and research (Tristan, with the NA Center for Post-Growth Research). We are keen to broaden conversations on degrowth and, like most projects, the impact is greater when there are more people involved.
We see this as an opportunity to collaborate with you – with many, many more folks – and so to keep amplifying degrowth goals, methods, and projects. Sharing something of ourselves is a way to connect with others, even with people we have never met and might never meet.