Poetry and economics talk - my contribution to the 'Climate and Me' online Festival.
Dumping Santa and Discussing Doughnuts
I was asked to help find contributors to the 'Climate and Me' online festival. It was run by and for Leicester residents and organised by the wonderful Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire. Running a session myself was well out of my comfort zone but I saw an opportunity to share something about a big positive vision of how the world could be, economically. I've always been moved by alternative economic ideas that make the world fairer.
This was before I had discovered all the wonderful resources here on the DEAL site. So I used a poem I wrote called Dumping Santa, where I highlight all the problems of our current economic system by venting all my anger about it at the (spoiler alert!) fictional character of Father Christmas. I then put together a brief introduction to Doughnut Economics which I had heard about when Kate Raworth spoke at the Greenbelt Festival several years ago, and from her online TED talk.
The recording that was made of the session is unedited; the six minute poem is 2.29 - 8.15 mins and the ten minute economics bit is from 9.26 mins onwards.
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Using the poem as a starting point meant that the feedback and questions focussed on Christmas as the problem, rather than our whole economic system.
Zoom doesn't suit me; I'm glad I was brave enough to try it but I'm looking forward to face to face groups again!
Existing resources on this site could be very useful for future events; particularly the concise video Introduction to Donut Economics and the Donut Dreams tool for encouraging people to draw their own vision of life within donut limits.
Over to you!
Is there something about our current economic system that makes you angry, frustrated, bored or upset? What does Doughnut Economics inspire in you? Hope? Creativity? Curiosity? Action? You are invited to share your economics themed poetry here, in the comments box below.
If you are working with a group you could use one of the short videos or animations from this site, and then run a poetry workshop about economics.
Looking forward to the poems!
Anna
Ps. I always pictured my Dumping Santa poem as a short animation showing between the Christmas adverts on TV. Well, you've got to have a dream!! If anyone wants to make that dream come true, do get in touch...
Shannon Coles
Otley, West Yorkshire
We are hoping to both Lear from and support the DEAL community