Agents of Alternatives is a transnational non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote and support practices aimed at positive societal change connecting practitioners and researchers, other professionals and citizens with project initiators, grassroots actors, activators and activists. They believe that horizontal and vertical connectivity between niche micro-level agents and those working in the meso- and macro-levels is vital to drive forward social change and to question dominant societal regimes. With this digital space, they aim to hold it for nourishing and cultivating a collaborative network and platform for dialogue, inspiration and mutual support to re-think and re-design what a sustainable society and economy might look like.
Their approach is led through applied design research, theory and practice and encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration to break out of thinking silos. They are active through projects, workshops, events, publications and independent research, reinforced by their belief in continuous, mutual education. Furthermore, they believe in:
Liberated and holistic thinking: Everyone can develop a critical consciousness by constantly updating and interrogating their own and others’ worldviews. Active citizenship: Everyone can re-design their own and our realities and affect positive individual, collective and societal change. New relationships: Everyone can help develop new connections between citizens, within the local, and between local and global. New ways of learning: Everyone has special skills and knowledge which can only grow through sharing. The unconditional access to education fosters individual and collective empowerment, autonomy, resilience and life-long learning. Openness and collaboration: Everyone can participate through low threshold, open-source modes, tools, methods and concepts to mutually inspire and develop ideas together. New ways of designing: Everyone can contribute to designing the present and, so, can help redirect our futures. Professionally trained designers and design researchers can collaborate with other professionals, professional-amateurs and citizens in imaginative, novel ways.
http://www.agentsofalternatives.com
COUNTERSPACE 