Building a Different Story – Leeds TIDAL event

Building a Different Story is a night and a day of workshops, speakers, art, kids activities, food, film and inspiration on 30 and 31 October at Woodhouse Community Centre in Leeds.

What’s on?

Here’s a little taste of what’s to come…

• Zimbabwean poet, Dumi Senda, discussing the power of the spoken word in building a different story against the status quo
• The Truth about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – Book Launch with guest author Gabriel Siles-Brugge
• Black Lives Matter in the fight against climate change – from colonial legacy in India to droughts in Kenya, why climate change is an issue of racial justice
• Beautiful trouble – building a different story through artful resistance with Dan Glass
• Occupation and migration – how the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and recent #RefugeesWelcome campaigns are shaking up stories
• We are not to blame for austerity with the Poverty Truth Challenge – real stories of living with austerity in Leeds
• Fracking coming to South Leeds?! Busting myths and fighting back

Why ‘Building a Different Story’?

There are a lot of words being thrown around in the media, on the bus and in the pub. ‘Benefit scroungers’. ‘Environmental extremists’. ‘Migration crisis’. There is a story being told that the people are to blame for austerity, climate change and economic crisis. We all know another story.

We know a story where the rich and powerful stole from the poor. Where the people that caused the collapse of the banks are the ones profiting from austerity.

But we can build a different story. That’s what this gathering is for.

In Leeds and around the country people are building a story of sharing economies, pay-as-you-feel cafés, solidarity and resistance. Stories where migrants are welcomed with open arms and deportations are fought tooth and nail.

We are building a future of community gardens, where you can feel healthier and eat the food you grow. We are building cooperatives, where we all share in the profits of our labour. We are building a story with social justice at its heart. A story where people are celebrated and not forgotten. A story that builds bridges.

Tidal holds global justice gatherings like this every couple of years, and love the opportunity to come together as a movement. One local Palestine solidarity campaigner came to the last event and said:

“Doing Palestine Solidarity campaigning I see the same group of people all the time, so it’s good to come together so you don’t feel like you’re isolated or on your own”

Join us in Leeds to shake up the stories we’re told and build new ones for a more just and sustainable world.

See you there!

P.S. We’d love some help! If you’d like to volunteer to help with cooking delicious pay-as-you-feel lunch, running kids activities or getting people registered we’d be ever grateful.