Ollie asked that we not appear on the lawn this week, given the current situation. Please pass the information on to the people you know, and stay in touch via email or social media while we plan ways to continue working online.
Imagine there was an emergency and the government mobilised to acknowledge it. Businesses contributed too. Across the country, large and small acts of unity and resolve saw it’s people remember some very old understandings. Protect the vulnerable. Practice hygiene. At scale, the smallest actions are the biggest actions. We’re in this together.
It wasn’t the emergency we had in mind. If repeating the warnings has made us weary, it’s a reminder that the world is always able to surprise us.
Over the next few weeks, we will turn to face a series of events that will challenge common wisdom. Like the crack of a creme brulee, it will reveal us. In many ways, it will become the moment we were asking for all along. Planes will stop flying. People will stop commuting. We will count people, and share stories and find courage.
In a relatively short while, much of this will pass over. It will become one in a cavalcade. Each occupies its moment, and each challenges our thoughts. In light of the changes we hope for, each gives us a chance to give hope to those around us.
So let’s adapt now. Around the world, activists are already changing their processes and finding new ways of coming to the problem. We live in a world where individuals are able to do something more powerful than protest alone. They are able to take on the problem directly.
Some of you will likely show up on the lawn, as usual, this week, while others will not. I plan to stay away. My home and workplace have been planning for a more isolated life for weeks now. Risk aside (and I think it’s already risky), I want to get on with some new ways of working.
Our counterparts around the world are moving the protest online and considering ways to come together that reduce the risk of sharing infection. As a group whose main aim is to make others recognise an emergency, we ought to do some talking about this, and we’ll need to find ways to act in smaller groups and/or online.
There are quite a few options, and more will likely appear over coming weeks as people come up with and implement new ideas. Right now there are at least six different social media platforms we could be using to come together (Twitter, FaceBook, MeetUp, Instagram, Loomio and Discourse).
There are many kinds of ways to remain active using these tools. They are used now to grow movements and create change in as many ways as you can imagine.
So please, get in touch. Email if you like ( mailto:info@fridaysforfuture.nz ) or any other means you have. Let’s get talking about how to adapt to the changes we’ve been talking about for so long.