5th Transition New Haven The 5th Open Space Community Think Tank on Health & Wellbeing

May 15, 2010
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Common Ground High School, 358 Springside Ave., New Haven

HARD TIMES: COMMUNITY SELF-RELIANCE. We are in a time of TRANSITION. “When the economy is sick, how do we keep ourselves alive?” “How can creative choices help make our neighborhoods & communities more healthy and resilient in a low energy future?”

Bring your ideas, inspirations, experiences and passion to this Open Space gathering and help unlock the genius of this community. Suggested Donation $15. Child Care Available: Call in Advance.

For more information and to register contact: Bernard Brennan 203-288-0001 or BernardTransition@me.com or Maria Tupper mariatupper@gmail.com.

YouTube links to Open Space Technology and Transition Towns information can be found on our website: www.newhavenbioregionalgroup.org.

What are your questions, concerns? Come and join our community think-tank! Bring your ideas and inspirations as we work on building community together!!

Possible questions to explore:

* If we could no longer afford or access modern medical care as we have known it, could “barefoot doctors” and herbalists fill the gap?
-What do we really mean by wellbeing?
* How might we develop a culture of wellness, returning the power of basic health to ordinary people?
* What would it take to set up “wellbeing clinics” where health would be understood as an active and positive process? Could we teach/create a way of life so healthy that medical care would seldom be needed?
* How will we cope with the inevitable stresses of transition to a lower energy future?
* How will we care for those suffering depression, anxiety, psychosomatic illness, despair– in case magic pills are not available?
* Will we be able to let go of our individualism and find the support we will need by creating extended family-like or “tribal” networks of mutual aid and care?
* If public health infrastructure (esp. water and sewage) were to fail, what other arrangements might we make to prevent communicable diseases and epidemics?
* What about withdrawal symptoms as we can no longer maintain our usual addictive practices, such as high-energy consumption, media mainlining, speed, frenetic activism?
* If a lot of folks hit bottom at the same time, will there be enough 12 step groups to get us through?