THE TERRITORY
Social Commons.
Where Social Change begins
“This is grassroots, this is where it all starts.”
Jim Black
What are Social Commons?
Social Commons describe a series of social resources, services and benefits that, together with activities and infrastructure, should give everyone an equal opportunity to thrive.
Examples of these include:
Natural Resources (land, water, energy)
Cultural Resources (knowledge, local wisdom)
Economic Resources (investment in public services)
Social Resources (community relationships and participatory activities)
These are achieved through political action and cooperative organisation. The academic activist Ugo Mattei indicates that the commons is both a thing and a process -
“The commons are not concessions. They are resources that belong to the people as a matter of life necessity. Everybody has a right of an equal share of the commons and must be empowered by law to claim equal and direct access to it. Everybody has equal responsibility to the commons and shares a direct responsibility to transfer its wealth to future generations.”
“There is no reason to believe bureaucrats and politicians, no matter how well meaning, are better at solving problems than the people on the spot, who have the strongest incentive to get the solution right”.
Elinor Olstrom
What is The Future of Our Social Commons?
Over the past fifty years there has been a growing trend of outsourcing decision-making and control away from individual, family, and community responsibility, and towards the state and corporate entities.
But growing economic, political and environmental crises are creating a generation of disempowered, disillusioned and insecure people. There is a growing desire to re-take control over life’s basic needs, and reimagine social resources, not as centralised and top-down services delivered by the state, but as participatory activities and relationships co-created by citizens, with control held locally.
Theories, strategies, plans and remote contemplation will not be enough to deliver a new social commons. Our collective journey towards Social Transformation demands a culture of experimentation, inclusive and shared localised action, and an alignment of our public institutions.
Through a 360° approach, this process should inspire a new generation of informed, active, engaged and healthy citizens who contribute fully throughout community environments.
Social Commons & °Latitude Social Impact Design.
At °Latitude we are excited about our direction of travel.
We see the impact smarter questions can have. They serve to reveal a broader range of perspectives and opportunities that can help us get to the root causes of social dilemmas. These smarter questions might include:
How can we help people imagine a social commons that local residents can shape and control collectively?
What resources do communities need today, and in the future?
How do we equip young people with the skills to ask questions and participate in local decision-making?
How do we co-produce interventions which encourage civic dialogue?
How do we ensure inter-generational wisdom transfer?
How should we use our social dilemmas as community-wide learning opportunities?
We are also working hard on finding ways to share our theory of social change called The Level Playing Field Theory.
You’ll see our social research workshops that work within our soon to be released social research groups. This exciting project brings people from all walks of life to innovate together. Where they follow the evidence and create powerful social products from their discoveries.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
