Appeal for Nordic fund for

knowledge on activism and popular movements

Activism and popular movements are contributing to democracy, peace, social equality, a richer culture and ecological awareness. The Activism Fund will support knowledge on old and new movements and the movements to come. This by sharing experiences, and supporting and informing about archives, popular education and research. There is a lot of knowledge collected and available on earlier movements which once brought democracy and social equality to the Nordic countries.

There is now a need for collecting, discussing and sharing
experiences from new social movements and the activism of today. Today a lot of material from new movements without economical and organizational resources risks destruction or never to be used for contributing to knowledge which future movements could make use of.

The Activism Fund is a common Nordic initiative to encourage sharing of experiences and knowledge of all kinds of activism and popular movements for social change. There is also a need for international exchange because movements influence each other across all borders.

To make this possible we request your support for a collection. Our objective is to make one thousand people or groups to guarantee their support for a thousand crowns each. When those guarantees are available, and not sooner, the funds will be collected. The funds will be administrated by Association Activism.info (nordiska Föreningen för kunskap om aktivism och folkrörelser) which have been founded for this purpose. The means will be used for:

-Collecting and sharing of experiences and knowledge about activism by an interactive website
-Publisching of Books and other printed material on new social
movements in the nordic countries and social movements all over the world
-Archiving newer movements and cooperation with popular movements archives
-Organizing meeting for sharing experiences between different
movements and older and younger activits
-Supporting activists telling or refelcting upon the story of their organization or movement
-Support of network for research on social movements, for example Rörelsenätverket
-Supporting current projects, like the Nordic Youth research project about the conflict around the Youth House in Copenhagen.
-Seminars to promote knowledge of social movements and activism.

On several of these points there are already preparations going on which would make it possible to within two years after that the funds are collected, build up a range of activities for making this work going.

Association Aktivism.info/ Föreningen för kunskap om aktivism och folkrörelser

Undersigned by (selected list):

Denmark: Bente Hesselund Andersen, NOAH – Friends of the Earth Denmark, Kenneth Haar, Attac, Knud Vilby, author and journalist, development consultant, Toni Liversage, author, Finland: Börje Mattsson, migrant coordinator, Cultural Association Etnokult
Jaana Airaksinen, Voima – magazine, Lea Launokari, Women for Peace, theater producer, Thomas Wallgren, philosopher, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, founder of percentage movement, Ulla Klötzer, Alternative to EU, Viveca Hedengren, solidarity activist, International: Jacob von Uexkull, Right Livelihood Award, founder, Iceland: Einar Olafsson, Samtök hernaðarandsæðinga – Campaign against militarism, Ragnar Arnalds, Heimssýn, EU-critical organisation, Norge: Asbjørn Wahl, Aksjon for velferdsstaten – Action for the Welfare state, Berit Ås, founder of womens’ university in Norway, Sjur Papazian, anti war movement, yout house Hausmania and Indymedia, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, professor in anthropology, Sverige: Carmen Blanco, Latin American groups, Ellie Cijvat, chair, Friends of the Earth Sweden, Gunilla Andersson, Glocal folk high school, Malmö, Jan Öberg, peace researcher, Lund, Lars Ilshammar, director, Arbetarrörelsens arkiv – Labour Movement Archives and Library, Maria Hagberg, feminist, Rune Lanestrand, Småbrukarna – Small farmers, Ulrika Hävre, peace- and environmental activist, Ofog