Getting a Grip

admin May 1st, 2008

The following is adapted from an essay written by Bruce Haynes, a writer and slam poet from South Africa who has become very committed to working for change and Living Democracy. It was originally written as part of an International Essay Contest being held by the Goi Peace Foundation (http://www.goipeace.or.jp/). The contest’s theme is “My project to create positive change in my environment. How can I foster sustainable development in my community?”

Being that Bruce was inspired by Getting a Grip, he sent it to us and we in turn asked his permission to share it with you. We hope you’ll enjoy it.

I’m so excited about life. I’m using my power. I’m using my capacity to act. I’m trusting the process. And I’m loving it.

My name is Bruce Haynes. I’m a recovering stutterer. I’m also a 19-year-young Slam Poet. Goi Peace foundation, are you hearing me? Tokyo, Japan! Are you hearing me? Humanity! Do you hear me? I spent nine months in the UK last year with the purpose of finding out about what was really going on with the climate change situation. I did! I went back to my home country for three months with the intention of finding my voice. I did! My life has become a project to create positive change, and fostering sustainable development will come as a by-product of turning this whole situation upside-down. I believe very strongly that we can do that. I believe strongly that we can co-create positive change.

I’m now back in the UK and applying for seed funding from Artists Project Earth. I want to set up my own social enterprise where profits are reinvested back into the project. Artists Project Earth is currently funding thirty solutions-focussed initiatives relating to climate change. As a young slam poet and a part of the growing Transition Movement, my very first priority is getting my voice heard.

I see my primary role as storytelling. At the 2007 ‘Be The Change’ conference in Central London, one of my role models, Frances Moore Lappé, said “No matter what you are doing, no matter how important, take at least ten percent of your time to tell your story to the dominant culture. What is going on is still largely invisible.” So my mission is to accessing as many platforms as possible to amplify the new and very positive story that is emerging.

We create our world through the ideas we hold about it. We are scientifically proven to only be able to see what fits in with our pre-existing mental map. Therefore, new ideas that allow us to see the world differently is of absolute importance in our work to co-create the kind of world that we want. That world is already here; we are carrying it inside ourselves.

There is so much happening. So much that is positive. So much that is inspiring. Sometimes I feel like if I don’t act now I’m going to get left behind. Do you really believe the dominant story, that we are flawed and don’t have what it takes to work together? This new story identified in ‘Getting a Grip’ by Frances Moore Lappé is so empowering, it makes me feel good. This new story makes me feel in control and with an important role to play. I’d recommend it to everybody.

‘Next Culture Project’. That is an idea I’m working on at the moment, a youth-powered social enterprise and this is its ethos: ‘There is no one big solution, there are a diversity of small ones. You can’t change the world, you can influence parts of it. Have fun!’ Getting my voice heard allows me to network with change-makers and to generate potential energy or capital to make things happen. This is only a small part of a much larger and incredibly diverse social happening, identified by Paul Hawken in ‘Blessed Unrest’ and Frances Moore Lappé in ‘Getting a Grip’.

The idea for my new project was inspired by many experiences. One of the direct influences was the 2007 Camp for Climate Action outside Heathrow airport. There I experienced a self-organising, temporary community committed to the idea of positive change. Another strong influence is Frances Moore Lappé’s 2007 book ‘Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad.’ In it, she develops a framework for seeing the growing global phenomenon she calls “Living Democracy”’ and for assimilating positive ideas about each individual’s capacity to influence the external world.

One of Frances’ ‘entry points’ in her book is ‘Empowering youth,’ and that is where I’m focussing my energy. I want to impact a generation. Society’s current habits actively stifle creativity, and our dominant stories leave young people feeling disconnected and disempowered. My hope is to catalyse easily replicable spaces where young people can group together and form temporary communities, similar to music festivals, but defined by solutions-focused initiatives such as localising food systems and regenerating landscapes.

The idea will only work if it is by this generation and for this generation. It has to be self-organising, decentralised and based on a non-hierarchal structure. The intended possible outcomes? Empowerment, leadership, initiative, skills, conflict-resolution and direct experience of living democracy.

Thanks for reading my essay. I’ve really enjoyed writing it! Here’s to turning the whole thing upside down!

• Guest writer , Inspired by "Getting a Grip" , Frances
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