Workgroup on Solidarity Socio-Economy (WSSE) Participates in European Social Forum

Tens of thousands attended the workshops, seminars and plenary session of the European Social Forum (ESF) held in four different venues in 0Paris and some of its suburbs. Along with other groups, the WSSE organized workshops and seminars on the transformation of the territory, women and the economy, socially responsible finance, social money, experiences in social economy, and local exchange systems.

The ESF Coordination of socially responsible economy actors had decided to pool all joint initiatives in a single venue called the “Village of a Social Economy of Solidarity” (VSES), and the Workgroup has opened a new list at fse-vilsol@socioeco.org to facilitate communication within the group.

In addition, the Workgroup, as it did last year in Florence, opened an e-list in French and English at fse-ecosol@socioeco.org for coordination with the other European groups promoting events in socially responsible economy. This made it possible for more than two hundred persons to organize jointly or receive information on these events.

In addition, some of the WSSE workshops (Environmental Debt, Environmental Justice, and Sustainable Development) were able to take the opportunity of their presence at the ESF to hold a meeting to launch the second stage of their process (Social Money and Women and the Economy). Following are a few examples of the activities of the Social Money and Local Exchange Systems workshop:

A workshop attended by some 40 persons on experiences in Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Japan, Argentina, and Germany, based on videos and first-hand testimonies, where there was a great deal of exchange. A workshop on European experiences featuring a seminar with testimonies on experiences in Italy (2), the United Kingdom (1), France (1), and projects for regional or even national currency in Germany (Regio project) and France (Sol project) attended by about 200 persons, with active involvement of the public.