with Tim Beasley, Nathalie Griffin
Time: Sat 11th, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Labels: Workshops and Activities , Wellness and Community Action
Location: Nourish Tent
From pre-action provider of ‘dutch’ courage, to post-meeting relaxant, to a core ingredient of many a great fundraising social night - alcohol is such an ever-present in activist movements & events (and general daily life), including Off-Grid festivals, that it is rarely questioned.
This workshop will look at the pros & cons of alcohol and its relationship with activism. We’ll consider the benefits it might bring to our activities, and the liabilities/disadvantages, and debate when if ever alcohol (or drinkers) should be banned from activities.
Finally we’ll look at the alcoholic drinks industry, and ask who benefits from the close relationship between them and us?
This workshop is for alcohol drinkers, non-alcohol drinkers & the occasional tipplers alike to discuss the issues outlined above. We can think of numerous occasions where alcohol has contributed positively to the planning of events/actions and some fine nights out, but also where it has ruined lives & projects & relationships. Can you?
(Note – this is a much adapted version of a workshop we attended in Bristol several years ago. Thanks to Cami for the spark!).
Tim Beasley
I have no formal qualifications/training, but plenty of lived experience. I’ve been politically conscious & active since the late 1970’s thanks to anarko-punk and the anti-fascist struggles of those times. My focus has been on extra-parliamentary action & activities and I’ve been involved in numerous projects, campaigns & protest groups. Since moving to Bristol 15 years ago, I’ve been a long-term supporter of the Kebele social centre (now BASE), and the activities that emerge from groups who use it, and for the last 10 years have volunteered at a permaculture based community orchard project in east Bristol.
Nathalie Griffin
Since moving to England from Canada in 2001, I’ve been involved primarily with activist legal support and prisoner solidarity and, since 2007, I’ve been involved with a permaculture allotment project in Bristol. After re-training as a qualified counselling therapist, I volunteered for Counselling for Social Change for two years, providing counselling support for many people managing the stress that comes with trying to build a more socially just world. I have also worked primarily in the fields of addiction and trauma. I have co-facilitated similar workshops at various Anarchist Bookfairs & other events and I am always humbled by the resiliency and honesty of the participants.