We’re the Solidarity Economy Association, a small, worker-led co-operative based in England, Scotland and Wales, working to overcome capitalism by building up the solidarity economy from below.
As a worker-led co-operative we take decisions and share the workload together without a managerial structure. We aim to value everyone’s voice and to work in a way which is democratic and based on care and respect for each other and the other people, groups and movements we work with.
As an organisation we have existed since 2015, but incorporated with the name Solidarity Economy Association in 2017. We’re a not-for-profit organisation, meaning our aim is not to make money and we do not accumulate wealth.
With the understanding that the solidarity economy is not a ‘new’ economy, we identify weaknesses in the existing solidarity economy and build partnerships to address them, aiming to build capacity, amplify voices and weave relationships, in particular between work being done on the ground by those facing the worst effects of the current system.
Our activities range from building and growing networks, to designing and running education workshops and online resources, to coordinating international solidarity activity, to supporting the development of new infrastructure, such as co-operatives, to support the solidarity economy. Read more about our projects.
As a co-op, we also see ourselves as part of the ‘co-operative movement’. We see co-ops as one form of vehicle that can help re-centre social relations at the core of the economy and have been studying the history and current practice of co-operative development, both through research and experience. However, we understand co-ops to be only one aspect of a broad and diverse solidarity economy, which includes innumerable forms of mutual aid and solidarity at local, regional, national and transnational levels.
We are currently in the process of developing a more ambitious long term strategy and restructuring our non-worker membership roles, so stay tuned for updates and follow us on social media.
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