avisitattrasholdofnewworld - restart.utopia.sk
Restart your life: a visit at the threshold of a new world
Arkadiusz WierzbaThe economic model based on exponential growth and individual careers has long hit the wall. In the face of the climate crisis, the dominating neoliberal paradigm contributes to the escalation of problems and destabilization of societies. The main goal of the Restart Your Life project is to support the development of local, ecologically sustainable social economy. The project attempts to answer the question of how to create a foothold for a new world and re-arrange our life, while at the same time taking care of the common good.
We were looking for answers together with our partners from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, so we were in a good Visegrad company. During our study visit to Budapest, we could see how the local organizations and cooperatives implement the assumptions of social economy in practice and, thus, support the local community. Those were incredibly inspiring days, which, themselves implemented the idea of taking care of the common good. Different languages, different generations, different countries. But common values, common work and common plans for the future.
The project involves the cooperation of 4 organizations: Polish Fundacja EkoRozwoju (the Eco-Development Foundation), Slovak Utopia, Czech association Ekumenická akademie and Hungarian Profilantrop Egyesület. All the events during our study trip to Budapest were organized by the Hungarian partners.
During the study visit to Budapest we were accompanied by Tomasz Rudziński from Fundacja Dom Pokoju (the House of Peace Foundation). The Foundation’s mission is to build civil society that is open to dialogue and actively participates in the life of both local community and the wider world. The House of Peace Foundation is also the founder of the center: Łokietka 5 - Nadodrze Infopunkt.
We first visited the Gólya (which in Hungarian means stork) Cooperative. This community managed to establish a multifunctional social economy center, basing only on their own means and not using any public funds, Gergő Birtala showed us around their place. The building managed by the cooperative houses numerous workshops that contribute to the maintenance costs and participate in the decision-making process. The cooperative also runs a television (!) and internet radio. There is even a kindergarten for the children of the people involved in the cooperative and a professional training room. The scale of this undertaking is impressive. The members of the Gólya cooperative work hard every day to change the balance of power and support their local community.
Some rooms in the building managed by the Gólya cooperative are still undergoing renovation. Further initiatives may soon join. Anyone who wants to participate in the cooperative needs to pay a small initial fee, which is a contribution to the common budget. The idea of a solidarity contribution comes from the conviction that “it is common work in progress”. Gólya is also an important spot on the cultural map of the city, since it runs a bar and a concert hall. Pre-paid receipts are available to those who cannot afford coffee, tea or beer. In this "business", it is the feeling of community that brings the greatest satisfaction.
The next item on our agenda was a visit to the Filantrópia Adománybolt store, run by Profilantrop Egyesület, where we met volunteers from the EVS program working as shop assistants. The charity shop offers items brought by donors, such as clothes, books, jewellery, gifts etc. They have been used, repaired if necessary and they are still useful and nice. The items are unique and much cheaper than in any other shop. The money earned from the sales goes to the association's budget.
Profilantrop Egyesület association has been operating since 2006. It is engaged in social mediations, promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, fight against energy poverty and environmental education and other issues. It also produces and distributes organic hemp oil.
Among the members of the Profilantrop Egyesület association are sociologists and cultural anthropologists. They put their knowledge into practice on daily basis, creating an amazing cultural enclave in the surrounding consumer madness.
At the end we visited the Szatyorbolt shop, which is also run by the cooperative. Its mission is to promote conscious consumption by creating a network of relationships between consumers and those who produce food - obviously local and organic. Szatyorbolt gave us a warm welcome with a delicious apple pie.
The store offers real delicacies, particularly since they are products of environmentally friendly agriculture: vegetables and fruit, olive oil purchased by weight and pickles. The recipe for a successful world according to Szatyorbolt is very simple, but requires significant effort. Grow plants, taking care of our common world – patiently and without chemical fertilizers. Learn to process your food. Share your food, profits and responsibility with others.
Local Food in Budapest - Szatyor Shopping Community is very popular in the area, as is Krótka Droga – Bazar Ekologiczny in Wrocław (Short Road – organic market). Perhaps this is what the stores will look like in the future?
We first visited the Gólya (which in Hungarian means stork) Cooperative. This community managed to establish a multifunctional social economy center, basing only on their own means and not using any public funds, Gergő Birtala showed us around their place. The building managed by the cooperative houses numerous workshops that contribute to the maintenance costs and participate in the decision-making process. The cooperative also runs a television (!) and internet radio. There is even a kindergarten for the children of the people involved in the cooperative and a professional training room. The scale of this undertaking is impressive. The members of the Gólya cooperative work hard every day to change the balance of power and support their local community.
Some rooms in the building managed by the Gólya cooperative are still undergoing renovation. Further initiatives may soon join. Anyone who wants to participate in the cooperative needs to pay a small initial fee, which is a contribution to the common budget. The idea of a solidarity contribution comes from the conviction that “it is common work in progress”. Gólya is also an important spot on the cultural map of the city, since it runs a bar and a concert hall. Pre-paid receipts are available to those who cannot afford coffee, tea or beer. In this "business", it is the feeling of community that brings the greatest satisfaction.
The next item on our agenda was a visit to the Filantrópia Adománybolt store, run by Profilantrop Egyesület, where we met volunteers from the EVS program working as shop assistants. The charity shop offers items brought by donors, such as clothes, books, jewellery, gifts etc. They have been used, repaired if necessary and they are still useful and nice. The items are unique and much cheaper than in any other shop. The money earned from the sales goes to the association's budget.
Profilantrop Egyesület association has been operating since 2006. It is engaged in social mediations, promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, fight against energy poverty and environmental education and other issues. It also produces and distributes organic hemp oil.
Among the members of the Profilantrop Egyesület association are sociologists and cultural anthropologists. They put their knowledge into practice on daily basis, creating an amazing cultural enclave in the surrounding consumer madness.
At the end we visited the Szatyorbolt shop, which is also run by the cooperative. Its mission is to promote conscious consumption by creating a network of relationships between consumers and those who produce food - obviously local and organic. Szatyorbolt gave us a warm welcome with a delicious apple pie.
The store offers real delicacies, particularly since they are products of environmentally friendly agriculture: vegetables and fruit, olive oil purchased by weight and pickles. The recipe for a successful world according to Szatyorbolt is very simple, but requires significant effort. Grow plants, taking care of our common world – patiently and without chemical fertilizers. Learn to process your food. Share your food, profits and responsibility with others.
Local Food in Budapest - Szatyor Shopping Community is very popular in the area, as is Krótka Droga – Bazar Ekologiczny in Wrocław (Short Road – organic market). Perhaps this is what the stores will look like in the future?
Photo by Arkadiusz Wierzba.