<html>
<head>
<style><!--
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Verdana
}
--></style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
Hi<br><br><br>As stated in the minutes, the group are looking for a new name. PLease send your suggestions in reply to this email, and discuss discuss discuss! Here is our group statement produced before the Climate Camp to give you some food for thought. <br><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Hello! From the Radical Childcare
Collective. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We are an autonomous collective of
anti-capitalist people (men, women, children, parents, educators and also
including those who have no personal childcare responsibilities). We are
dedicated activists in various fields (social and environmental justice groups,
anarchist and feminist groups, anti-poverty and anti-deportation groups,
radical education and home education groups, to name but a few). We meet
regularly in a child-friendly space. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The group came together out of concern
about the lack of enthusiasm in our activist scenes around providing space,
resources, support and time for kids and their parents/carers to be involved in
their scenes. The Radical Childcare Collective acknowledges the political
importance of children, carers and childcare both in mainstream society, and in
our own alternative movements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We want to spread this movement of ours,
yet we don’t make our activism accessible to parents, carers and children.
Parents are often left out because of lack of childcare, meetings being held in
inaccessible locations at inaccessible times and also because they can be
devalued by members of our 'activist' communities. Many of the women in this
country are mothers, yet we don’t prioritise or always provide childcare at our
meetings. Maybe a meeting isn’t the most suitable place for children, but if
parents are going to be there then we need to accept that children will be too,
and sort out ways to deal with it, and there are many positive ways that this
can be done.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We also believe that other parents
shouldn’t be the only people interested in childcare- it should be an integral
part of our community, as important as all the actions, as important as
providing disabled access to events, and as important as banning other
discriminatory behaviour (sexism, racism) from our groups.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Children should both be seen <u>and</u>
heard! They have played a crucial role in social movements around the world
from anti-apartheid to squatting and traveller movements, from environmental
protests to Zapatista social justice resistances. Children can be vibrant,
creative, inspiring and clever. They should be involved in decision-making and
respected as part of this community, with valuable insights and energy.
Children are a vital part of our movement, yet are often not included in our
organising. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We need to consider the many benefits
children gain from being involved with activism, and –in return- what <u>we</u>
gain from them being involved. Why are we social, environmental, and political
activists if not for future generations? Involve children in your activism!
They are the future. You are their inspiration. Together we must fight for a
better world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Mainstream society and schooling does not
provide our children with the education that they need or deserve. For kids to
actually be involved in environmental groups/events/actions, to be organising
alongside positive adult role-models, and to be understanding alternative ways
of working and socialising together- it privileges and reaches them on a much
deeper level, much more than hearing mainstream adults or school geography
classes that just pay lip service to ‘eco-living’. </span></p>
<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></pre>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The Radical Childcare Collective hopes to
be one step towards the more child, parent and carer-friendly world that we all
deserve to live in. We are interested in not only providing childcare for
meetings and events, but more importantly we are dedicated to the process of
actively including children in our social, political and environmental
movements, and bringing awareness of these issues to positive activist groups
like yours.</span></p>
<br><br>Anna D<br><br>x<br> <br /><hr />View your Twitter and Flickr updates from one place – <a href='http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/137984870/direct/01/' target='_new'>Learn more!</a></body>
</html>