---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Smart CSOs Lab <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:34 PM Subject: Invitation to the Protopia Lab: Starting a New Conversation To: <[email protected]> Our new project is a space to address polarisation in society, pave the way for global cooperation, and upgrade our civilisation before it's too late. View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/7e9937f1fafd/the-protopia-lab-website-launch-3315986?e=331c725150> <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=b41d7070b8&e=331c725150> October 2020 Dear Michel, Are you worried about the spiral of polarisation in our societies, and the dysfunctional public conversation around our most pressing issues? Do you have the sense that we are increasingly living in very different realities and ideological bubbles that prevent us from solving problems together? We believe the time has come to break out of our echo chambers, start a fresh and undogmatic conversation about how we can cooperate effectively and upgrade our civilisation to help prevent its collapse. If these topics speak to you, consider joining the Protopia Lab <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=2e73ba6073&e=331c725150>. We are delighted to finally announce that we are hosting our first workshop (via Zoom) with an initial group of pioneers on Friday, 27 November 2020 from 2pm to 7pm CET. This will be followed by two follow-up sessions (also via Zoom) on 11 December and 15 January. What to Expect [image: The Protopia Lab logo] The Protopia Lab was inspired by the idea that we can only tackle the biggest problems of our times, including climate change, if we can stop the spiralling polarisation across our societies. Only a deep and empathic understanding of the dynamics that led us to our current societal divide will allow us to lay the foundations for renewed trust, and a new social contract. However, this isn’t just something we can do by talking or theorising. We also have to learn how to have conversations with those who hold different values to us – whether in our organisations or in day-to-day life. That’s why we’ve designed this workshop to be *experiential, exploratory and experimental*. You will learn about the neuroscience, psychology and physiology of polarisation. We’ll explore which models and cultural frameworks can help us make sense of the complex ideological realities that lead to polarisation. Through group conversations, mindfulness practices and simple mediation processes, you will leave with a greater awareness of your own cognitive biases and build your capacity for seeing issues from multiple perspectives. How to Join We would like to hear from activists and other change agents who deeply care about workable strategies for tackling the climate crisis and believe that we need to think polarisation and ecological transition together. We especially encourage people with *non-orthodox* perspectives and curious minds to join. If you would like to apply to participate, please take 10 minutes of your time to fill in this questionnaire <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=5a99698390&e=331c725150> *by 23 October*. We would like to make this the most enjoyable and useful experience for everyone and would therefore like to know about your motivations and interest in this project. We will select a group of up to 25 participants and confirm participation by 1 November. You are requested to commit to full participation during all three sessions. The process - Main workshop on *Friday, 27 November from 2pm to 7pm CET* - Approx. 2 hours of reading to complete for the next session - Follow-up session 1 on *Friday, 11 December from 3pm to 5pm CET* - Approx. 2 hours of reading to complete for the next session - Follow-up session 2 on *Friday, 15 January from 3pm to 5pm CET* For this project, we are grateful to partner with and receive financial support from European Youth Forum <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=12669fb32e&e=331c725150>. We will ask confirmed participants to make a small voluntary donation to help cover the remaining costs. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share this invitation with people who might be interested, and especially with people who might bring along fresh perspectives and diverse viewpoints. If you have questions about the project, please contact Micha <[email protected]>. Best wishes, The Protopia Lab Team (Micha, Alexander and Viki) [image: Smart CSOs Lab] <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=1e1179a46f&e=331c725150> [image: @smartcsos] <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=f17b9b5972&e=331c725150> [image: Smart CSOs website] <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=a0481715a9&e=331c725150> *Copyright © 2020 Smart CSOs Lab, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this e-mail because you are signed up to the Smart CSOs Lab newsletter or to the Protopia Lab mailing list. *Our mailing address is:* Smart CSOs Lab . ., . Spain Add us to your address book <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/vcard?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=7e4f1c129d> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=7e4f1c129d&e=331c725150> or unsubscribe from this list <https://smart-csos.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&id=7e4f1c129d&e=331c725150&c=5d822bd119> . [image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral_marketing&aid=5cf566bc194b8a0b681ceefb4&afl=1> -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/