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Food Sovereignty and Organising Community Mutual Aid

  • Glasgow Autonomous Space Unit 9, Victoria Court Workspace, Hollybrook Place, Hollybrook Street, Glasgow G42 7HB (map)

Please note: this event will be held in person at Glasgow Autonomous Space.

CW: Topics of food scarcity, injustice and inequity

Join us and local Southside groups as we look at different food related projects and initiatives that are building solidarity and community power against the capitalist systems that have created injustice and scarcity in our food systems.

Hear from Kin Kitchen, Food Not Bombs, Castlemilk ‘Soup’erheroes, Agnew Lane and Plant Grow Share about what organising is for them, and learn how you can get involved or set up your own food sovereignty project in your own community.

After some short presentations they’ll be various drop-in activities, from a Ready Steady Cook to zine making to leaf wrapping traditional Romanian, Syrian and Malay delights to making soup packs. During these activities you can speak with organisers and learn more about their projects. And we’ll wrap up the session with a meal that we’ll all share together.

After our time at GAS, people are welcome to continue conversations by joining us for a Summer Solstice bonfire at Agnew Lane!

A massive part of building a culture of solidarity and mutual aid is the sharing of resources, and we want this event to reflect that in all ways. For that reason, we are asking for those that are able to pay for a ticket, do, and we will use this money to further food solidarity work in Scotland (project tbc) and in Palestine, where the money will go to food sovereignty organisation Thamra.

The systems that oppress us are not going to fund our collective liberation, but we can build alternatives that evidence that a different world is possible.

Scroll down for more info about Drop-in Activities.

Unsure what to pay for Pay-What-You-Can events? Find our guide here.

More info about Drop-in Activities

  • A Ready Steady Cook where attendees are asked to bring an ingredient with them - say, a bag of onions or some peppers. All vegan please, and perhaps something that needs using up! There will be a group menu creation session, followed by some chopping and cooking, simulating what Food Not Bombs do each week with unwanted produce. An exercise in showing how consensus decision-making and nonhierarchical collaboration are not just natural but productive and effective for bringing people together.

  • The group will be wrapping things in leaves, making traditional Romanian, Syrian and Malay delights! While making space to share our collective knowledge and chat about the importance of food in resistance to oppressive systems.

  • Chat to the group about their current pursuit of a community buyout of Agnew Lane, and their recent success in securing Community Right to Buy status. Learn about their vision of a garden capable of not only supplying the community with free veg and fruit, but also providing grounds for native species of plants, insects, and animals to coexist. And community empowerment pushing back against disenfranchisement, food insecurity, and environmental degradation in the urban environment by learning about our neighbours, learning how to build, encouraging biodiversity, and cultivating food.

  • Making soup packs as an example of what this group does in working together to feed their community.

  • Zine making with resources from Plant Grow Share, like their ‘how to’ make pallet beds for growing. There will also be guides on how to make a zine, so no experience needed!

About the groups:

  • Kin Kitchen is a volunteer led community food project in Glasgow building community, solidarity, & resistance through food.

    https://www.kinkitchenglasgow.org.uk

  • Food Not Bombs is a worldwide movement made of thousands of autonomous chapters. We are the Govanhill branch and we engage in soup and revolutionary chat on Saturday afternoons. It's like a picnic, but bigger, with old friends and strangers (aka brand new friends)! We take donated food that would otherwise be unused, cook it and then share it out free to everyone and anyone in Govanhill. All our food is vegan and halal.

    https://www.instagram.com/glasgowfoodnotbombs

  • Agnew Lane is disused, privately owned land in the heart of the Govanhill/Crosshill area of Glasgow. In 2020 a small group of community gardeners cleaned the lane of dangerous refuse left by the developer, and built a garden from found materials with the intention of donating their produce to local food banks and community groups. This original group has now grown to over 100 people, and it’s made up of gardeners, neighbours, community organisers, and local businesses.

    https://agnewlane.co.uk

  • Plant Grow Share is a food solidarity group located in Govanhill working to help tackle food insecurity. They take donated produce from allotment and back garden growers and deliver it to community groups and food banks who really need it.

    https://www.plantgrowshare.co.uk

  • Castlemilk ‘Soup’erheroes is a food solidarity group based in Castlemilk. They don’t believe in charity, they believe in solidarity - as the glue that holds communities together.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/379205031059351

Access information for this event:

There will be 40 attendees maximum, and the event will feature comfort breaks. During this event, attendees will participate in: Talk / Lecture, Hands on activities, Eating/drink

This event will take place at Glasgow Autonomous Space. You can find directions here.

You may be asked to wear a mask at this event. We will get in touch beforehand to let you know. GZL can provide a mask if you do not have one.

Click here for access info for GAS.

If you have any questions or access requirements, please get in touch with us via events@glasgowzinelibrary.com

Find out more about access at GZL events and how to make an access request here.

All events will adhere to our safer spaces policy, which you can learn about here.

GZL pledges to support The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. As part of this pledge we may participate in strikes called in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. If this event falls on a strike day and is cancelled, we will work with event leaders to reschedule the event asap. Participants will also have the option of receiving an immediate refund for any ticket purchases and travel booked to attend.

How to access the event:

After booking a ticket, you will be sent several reminder emails from Eventbrite leading up to the event. We will also send emails that share any resources that attendees will need access to, including any required materials.

Please email events@glasgowzinelibrary.com for any queries or issues.

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Rot Your Brain: A Television Reading Group

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22 June

Unfinished Zine Club