( Hi, I extracted this from etherpad, since it is important information which might not be read at etherpad Silvia)
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Hallo All - I am Edith, I am the Facilitator for the moment (am happy to be replaced once the Conference starts).
Can I urge everyone to read the paper posted on the right ("Children and Degrowth") by Christiane and Silvia? It is excellent, and provides the perfect - and very "holistic" - framework for disussion over the 3 days.
I have summarised the Paper in 3 sections for my own use as Facilitator - there is no need to adhere to my summary, and in any case Christiane and Silvia may not like how I have used their work!
Section 1: AUTONOMOUS EXPLORATION and EXPERIENTAL LEARNING
Please bring any personal memories from your own childhood and that of your parents, grandparents, etc., about how much freedom to roam and play children once had in your region of the world. Also any observations you have made whilst travelling, or working abroad, or via photos, art, literature, songs, etc.
KEY WORD: ROAM - Please bring ideas connected with this word in other cultures and languages (e.g. nomads, hunter gatherers, etc.)
Section 2: TOWN PLANNING + SOCIAL INTERVENTION+ ECONOMIC INTERVENTION
These topics follow on from the first, because it cannot happen without these "Engineering" topics. In English we often talk about Social Engineering and Economic Engineering - for an example of the latter see this paper from the FAO about Fisheries:
Engineering is a great and very old skill, providing useful and beautiful structures that last for centuries. Do the social and economic and town planning changes imposed by the Consumer Society merit the term "Engineering". Should we move towards real Engineering for Human Society (not forgetting other species)? What would this require? (See the Paper for suggestions.)
KEY WORD: ENGINEER. What does it mean, round the world, and in history? Do people now laugh when an engineer says "Trust me, I am an Engineer!). Should Engineers always obey orders?
Section 3: PEDAGOGIC INTERVENTION
Again, has there been a wrong kind of "Engineering" here? How can we "engineer" the restoration of lost freedoms and not be too dictatorial - i.e. still respecting Freedom of Belief, Thought & Expression, Assembly & Association, and Founding a Family (Articles 9 - 12 of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights). The right (or freedom) to marry and found a family (Article 12) is rarely mentioned. Why?
KEY WORDS: FREEDOM + MYTH
What does Freedom mean for children? Is it a Myth, for adults as well? Do the great Myths and Legends of previous civilisations tell us anything about the desire for Freedom and the dangers of haing too much? Why do children no longer know the Myths of their nation and other nations by heart? In Victorian times, Myths from the Far East and the Near East were known to all British children and probably most European ones too. What is the word for Myth in Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, etc.? Will modern societes leave behind any valid Myths of their own (Batman, Spiderman, Manga, Frozen, etc.) - or are they "ersatz" media fabrications?
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