Short description of the action:

This local event was an exhibition, a word carrier and a discussion and information area. The exhibition had four posters with images and short information on selected issues (pollution, use of plastic bottles …). For the word carrier, we used a big white poster with a “generative question” where people can write down (with drawings, sentences ...) examples of lifestyles we can adapt to have an impact on the issues exposed in the exhibition. The discussion and information area was realised with a table where people could discuss, ask for information, and pick up the leaflet of the event and other material on the resources (books, web sites, local groups and associations). There are three objectives: 1. Facilitating the exchange of information between people on different issues; 2. Facilitating a reflection on alternative lifestyles and everyday choices as a grass-root answer to both global and local issues (pollution, economic crisis, inequality...); 3. Making people aware that with their everyday decisions they have the power to impact in global issues. By creating a free space where people can debate and exchange information on the everyday choices concerning their lifestyle that can have an impact on global issues, and that at the same time can have positive consequences at individual scale.

This event happened Sunday 21st February, from 3 pm to 6.30 pm inVia Gino Allegri, Venezia Mestre.

Quantitative statements:

Number of people touched: Nr. of people who helped in the organization: 5 Nr. of people who stopped to watch the exhibition: 60 Nr. of people who discussed: 25 Nr. of people who left a message in the white board: 9

Qualitative statements

Did you reach your objectives and why? Were they relevant according to the specific situation? The objectives of the actions were successfully reached. The posters had a good impact as “bird place”: many passers-by (young and elderly, Italian and foreigners) stopped to either have a quick look at the posters or to read carefully the slogans. Moreover the white board was a useful instrument for people to make proposals and to exchange information on the issue. Some of the messages written down on the board gave rise to discussions with some people asking for information and explaining their views.

Was the chosen method relevant according to your objectives and target public? The method proved to be adequate according to the objectives and the target public, even tough improvements are still possible: the spatial organization and the word carrier could have been better if the municipality had allowed us to occupy more place.

Was it hard to put into action? What did you miss? The fact that I organized the event as a private person (not in collaboration with an association already active on the issues) proved to be a limit for people who wanted to become from spectators to “actors” (some participants asked for the organization behind the event to get in touch with it to have more information on the issues and/or to play an active role in future initiatives).

What did the participants get from the action? The event was greeted by people as a good initiative, those who where already familiar with the issues stopped asking what it was about, who was behind it and that more actions like this should be carried out. It was really nice to talk to different people (young people abut also a lot of elderly) and exchange the different views. Talking to them I realized that some people are aware of the links between our lifestyles and global issues like human rights, environment protections... but also that there is also a lot more to do to make people act for change.

What feelings did you get from the event? Being alone to organize the event from the creation of the poster slogans to the overall organization, it was quite a hard and long job as well as interesting and challenging: being a group of people would have helped in terms of ideas exchange as well as task distribution. Organizing the local action helped me to have a better grasp on the issue as well as to strengthen my opinions, what’s more I could sensitize some friends who gave some help during the street action. I also cooperated with the Venice Youth Center (run by Lunaria) who asked the event’s permits to the local municipality.