Pockets of Possibility
Talking to strangers about systems change
I’ve trained myself not to talk to strangers.
Growing up in Virginia, it was completely normal to strike up a conversation in the grocery store line or say good morning as you passed someone on the street.
Living in Paris, I had to keep my eyes locked to the ground to avoid accidentally smiling at someone on the street.
Living in London for the last five years, I’ve mastered the passing grimace. I WILL pet cute dogs and make faces at babies but much to my partner’s relief, I rarely talk to strangers.
BUT….
When I heard two people behind me at my local coffee shop talking about degrowth, I resisted, I really did try my best.
They started talking about tribal alliances in the Brazilian conservation space, I kept reading my book. But they I heard one of them talking about how she had been part of building a network and it just wasn’t working.
I couldn’t help myself.
I walked over, holding out my impact networks book as a peace offering. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about networks, have you read this book?”
They hadn’t.
They invited me to sit down, we introduced ourselves (we’ll call them B and N) and we ended up talking until the coffee shop closed.
B said something that really stuck with me. She said, “I miss when I thought sustainable development could change the world.”
She explained, it was so much simpler back then to think the existing systems could get us out of the crisis we’re in.
“Now I just look for pockets of hope, pockets of… whats the word?”
POSSIBILITY!! - I blurted out
The very last paragraph of my book that I had been reading before I had barged in on their conversation had been about pockets of possibility.
This is exactly the role of networks and what I see as my purpose in the world, to find and amplifying pockets of possibility, and connect them so that they can thrive.
This is the antidote to feeling of disintegration, that the world is crumbling around us. Maybe we can talk about that feeling next week? I think a lot of us are feeling it but maybe the vocabulary doesn’t exist to address it.
Here are a few pockets of possibility that I can point you towards:
Re-action Collective - Changing the outdoor industry for the better, founder Gavin Fernie-Jones says, “In my mind the collective exists to oppose a system that seeks to define us. I want freedom. Freedom from stuff, from influencers, brands, and advertising.”
The Women of Gaza - I’m biased because I am a part of this collective. It’s made up of women in Palestine and from around the world. We meet weekly to support each other, amplify the stories of our friends in Gaza and host events to help people process their feelings around the genocide in Palestine.
Sisters in Climate - A Pan-African ecofeminist community advancing knowledge and collaborations on climate for sustainable futures. I recently met one of the organisers and they are doing some incredible work!!
Meeting B and N in a coffee shop in Peckham and having an incredible conversation about networks, systems change, collapse and of course, POCKETS OF POSSIBILITY
Okay, your turn, what are your pockets possibility? Would love to see them in the comments.
Definitely Serbian student protests and plenums! Such an awe-inspiring rebirth of direct democracy in action.
Love it when something like this happens! And love the concept of pockets of possibility