An autonomous instrument aimed at strengthening municipalism, which would be able to contribute to the interconnection among diverse actors and processes involved in producing global changes in our societies (municipalist platforms, commoners, transition operators), as well as unifying the different scopes of such changes.
Context
Commonspolis was born from the interconnection of personal trajectories and collective and singular paths in an era marked by the rise of citizen resistance struggles. Resistances that have imprinted the will to re-found on new foundations the relationship of citizens with democracy, power and politics as the Arab Spring, the Chilean students and Occupy Wall Street, as well as the 15M mobilization and the municipalist victories of 2015 achieved in the Spanish State. Since then, municipalism as an alternative for change has crystallized a commitment to manage territories with and for their inhabitants, to generate public policies in favor of the majorities and the common good and thus respond to the challenges of transition (systemic, social and environmental).
Approach
We aim to favor the emergence of knowledge and transition processes that contribute to generating and strengthening resilient communities that recognize themselves in good living, respecting their diversity, interdependence and eco-dependence while strengthening citizen initiatives that build alternatives to the systemic crisis and promote, from the care of diversity, democratic radicalism, common goods and the fulfillment of human rights and nature.
In order to do so, we contribute to the creation and management of knowledge in the field of municipalism, with a particular focus on experiences of radical democracy, commons, human rights and nature. We also articulate a communication and sensitization strategy on the impacts of empowerment and citizen participation. We encourage the meeting and cooperation between actors linked to municipalism in Europe and the Americas, privileging the exchange between the Spanish State and French-speaking Europe. We look forward to strengthening municipal actors in their collaborative culture and non-violent conflict transformation for the construction of citizen policies.
Practice
Four main strategies define the work of Commonspolis:
- Contribute to the capitalisation and production of knowledge in the field of municipalism, the
commons and ecological transition.
- To articulate a communication and awareness-raising strategy on municipalism from an open,
autonomous and ecosystemic perspective.
- To encourage meetings and cooperation between actors linked to municipalism, the commons
and the transition.
- Strengthen these actors in their collaborative and culture of care.
To this end, Commonspolis develops activities such as:
- Systematising experiences and stories on municipalism and promoting them through its
website commonspolis.org and related social networks.
- Facilitating exchanges of experiences, meetings and dialogues of knowledge between the
different platforms and organisations of civil society, the institutionality, and the academic world
based on agendas and themes of common interest.
- The organisation and participation in cultural events that seek to investigate, transform and
promote alternatives to climate and systemic change from a municipalist perspective of
participation and democratic radicalism.
- The construction of methodological tools and resources to contribute to the non-violent
resolution of conflicts and to strengthen collective intelligence.
Commonspolis is currently active in Spain, France, Europe and Latin America.
