Rules are not as fixed as we usually think
Are you allowed to have a bonfire on the beach? Well yes, and perhaps no. It’s allowed in most places. But you need to ask permission. Though it may be banned under a bye-law. You may have a bonfire, as long as it is after dusk… A set of norms to navigate for the simple joy of a fire by the lapping waves of the sea. And a small act of liberation that a group of us happened across in Hastings one evening last month. It’s also an example of how rules are rarely outlined in black and white. And it’s the interpretation at the fuzzy edges of these rules that can unlock new possibilities and demonstrate that the ‘rules’ and the ‘system’ are not as fixed as we sometimes think.
Our role in building foundations for a world beyond extraction and inequity
PG Collective is a diverse network of collaborators that bring technical and practical experience to work together in solidarity with those seeking to build an alternative future. We held an associate away-day recently, co-hosted alongside our pioneering partners Hastings Commons and Partisan.
In a predominant economic system that is extractive and exploitative, creating deep inequity and leading us to planetary collapse, we believe in highly practical action as the basis for radical change. As consultants, we work across many different organisations, playing different roles. We gain unique insights into the realities of reshaping norms in a world that is exceptionally resistant and resilient to any kind of fundamental change.
After, collectively, many lifetimes of work in environmental and social justice, we have been thinking together about what role we can play more carefully. Alongside the practical support we offer, we also want to use our collective voice – and our power – to spotlight the pioneering work of our partners, who like Hastings Commons and Partisan are each boldly pushing at the edges of current systems and building the foundations for a world beyond extraction and inequity.
This work of creating new organisational and governance models, new ways of being and organising, can however put our partners in the spotlight in ways that are often uncomfortable. We, as collaborators, are generally shielded from this scrutiny. So it’s time to use our power to learn out loud and shine a light on the challenges of working within the norms of current systems whilst bridging towards new ones.
Growing the pockets of resistance
We all have bills to pay, and all have to exist within the confines of the current, dominant systems. But part of creating change is talking about new possibilities – and as we have the joy of working alongside and inside the organisations making the new world, we see pockets of resistance – of a collectively held “no!” to the current ways of doing things, which we want to help spread more widely.
We want to resist systems that oppress and divide. Whether that’s through open-sourcing quietly creative, pragmatic financial models, standing loudly in solidarity with a changemaker navigating challenges, or journeying alongside organisations sitting with the discomfort of pushing at the edges of boundaries.
Being the change (yes that old chestnut!)
There are inherent tensions in this work as privilege and power play out across our lived and learned experience, and the personal and professional roles that we play. We are part of the system we want to change and so how we show up, how we uphold or disrupt patterns of behaviour is an embodiment of what becomes possible.
As we push at boundaries, we might find they’re not as fixed as we think. And sharing what we learn as we push creates ripples. We don’t always need the permission we think we do to light that bonfire on the beach. We want to light more fires that illuminate how another world, another way of working together, might be possible.
We are planning to share a short series of blogs that unpack some of the key themes we’re working on, from regenerative leadership to boundaries and risk, to governance and finance. We’ll be sharing some of the practices of our partners and how they are showing up as dreamers, disruptors and builders of a new world. We are seeing these almost as beacons, bonfires on the beach to act as rallying calls for others who are also making change.
Bring whatever’s in your hands – and join us round the fire!
At the close of our away day, another member of our collective shared the Turkish phrase “elinden gelen” meaning “bring whatever’s already in your hands”. It’s a reminder that we don’t always have to invent new things, there is wisdom within us all, and there is power and hope in making this work ordinary. In our role as bridge builders between old and new systems, we can unlock possibility by making this work more visible.
Click here to follow us on LinkedIn – and come and join us around the fire!