Coming soon: Down to Earth!
A newsletter from re•generation exploring the visions and stories of systems change
As a group of young people working in climate and social change organization, we noticed that there was a gap in the stories we tell about systems change. They tended to skew too far toward the apocalyptic or the techno-optimistic, leaving us feeling either hopeless (“There is no point changing because it’s too late anyways”), or powerless (“The scientists and entrepreneurs will fix it”). Both of these lead to a lack of agency.
The stories we tell about the world are important because they shape the realm of possibility for the future. For people to take action toward a different world, they need to first feel that there is a compelling vision of the future worth realizing.
To bridge this gap, Re-Generation is launching a Substack newsletter aiming to help all of us find our places in the world of systems change – to bring these often-opaque topics down to earth.
We’ll share stories about compelling alternative societies and modes of organization that already exist around the world. We’ll also provide analysis of the past and present that shows our readers that the current systems we live under are not normal, natural, or inevitable. They were made by people and can be remade differently.
As a result, our newsletter will become an engaged community of young people on the journey of envisioning alternative futures for themselves and their communities – and moving towards bringing them to life.
Each newsletter will explore themes like:
Is there a future beyond capitalism (and why is it so hard to imagine one)?
What is technology’s role in addressing the intersecting crises we’re facing?
Is the concept of utopia a useful one?
What does it mean to have a prestigious career in the 21st century?
Which companies are the biggest roadblocks to progressive change in Canada, and how can we change that?
How can we, as young people, harness our labour power for positive change?
We will also host community discussion hours, threads, and post notes to encourage two-way interaction and encourage all of us to engage in conversation with one another. We hope you’ll join us!