“These times are urgent. We must slow down.” – Bayo Akolomlafe
From April 12 to April 16, 2024, New America and Wellbeing Economy Alliance gathered seven different state partnerships in Washington D.C. to connect, learn, and understand one another’s approach to advancing economic systems change through coalition-building.
People’s Economy Lab, Front and Centered, and the interagency Economic Justice Alliance represented Washington State and our current Just Futures Partnership, building upon our previous New Economy Washington effort to identify conditions for economic systems change.
The convening included deep dives into both new and established efforts, including ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures in Hawaii, Reimagine Appalachia, Vermont Prosperity Project, Virginia Solidarity Economy Network, Puerto Rico Social and Solidarity Economy Network, and Wellbeing Economy Alliance California. Also part of the agenda was funder networking and a roundtable meeting with federal agencies aligned with the wellbeing economy approach.
During the convening, participants shared challenges and successes they encountered. For example, in Appalachia, while coalition building had been a success, they struggled with the constant battle against time and limited resources. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico found strength in strategic cohesion, learning the importance of starting small and choosing participants who could sustain themselves in the work.
In hearing from the groups about what these partnerships needed to be successful, three items emerged for PEL Lab Leader Deric Gruen:
- “Energy” defined literally “the ability to do work” both as individuals and in collective stewardship – all work needs a container that provides energy
- “Power” as a verb “the ability to move with force” – there must be necessarily political power to achieve what we really need
- “Purpose” the ability and force to achieve something means little without knowledge of why we should act – knowledge that includes both cultural/traditional and social/physical sciences is necessary.
It became evident that building a wellbeing economy is not just about economic metrics but about fostering human connections and nurturing a sense of belonging. Groups engaged in discussions, asking:
- How do we navigate and resource governance challenges like network architecture and decision-making?
- What is going well?
- What are the tensions?
- What would our elders do?
We decided it is important to support the tissue of collaboration and involve more people in the “messy middle,” which is essential for long-term success. The most critical resource is time, as it enables advocates of this work to develop strong, sustainable networks and strategies.
Participants approached building wellbeing economies from diverse perspectives. In Hawaii, the effort was deeply rooted in cultural values. In Puerto Rico, it was derived from a long history of solidarity enterprises. In Appalachia, the primary driver was a desire to acknowledge an extractive past and move towards something greener.
Consistent across the wellbeing economy discourse, especially at the state and federal level, is a discussion on indicators of wellbeing. Other key themes included network building and bridging diverse actors working at both the micro level, on enterprises, community services, or public programs, as well as the macro level, measuring outcomes, moving policy, shifting budgets. There was attention paid to both the process and the desired outcomes of economic systems and the idea that the economy we’re building may not be new in the sense of inventing from scratch, but “knew” in the sense of pulling from the past, rewiring the circuits to meet current needs.
