Solidarity Economy St. Louis is a coalition of social justice organizations, small businesses, and individuals striving to build and grow a “solidarity economy”; that is, an economy that embodies the values of social justice, ecological sustainability, mutualism, cooperation, democracy, and innovation while resisting the notion of “every person for themselves.” The work of our pilot site consists of three components: coalition and base building, campaign work, and capacity building to support the work of individual members. We aim to support each other in the following ways:
- Grassroots fundraising for core members
- Encourage members to become active in The Cowry Collective Time Bank
- Expanding the scope of The Cowry Collective Time Bank to include other solidarity economy practices such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), internal credit circles, and the incorporation of businesses and organizations
- Host regular social events and skillshares
- Develop social justice campaigns that win policy changes or significant resources to grow the solidarity economy
- Establish collective resources such as a library or a physical community center
- Ongoing mentorship within the network to help establish new institutions and initiatives
From this pilot site the first conventional media mention of a MAN has recently been published, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Project Steward: Julia Ho