No one knows for how long efforts like COSH will be needed. In this thread I am going to try and lay out some thoughts about what might be possible over time , however improbable. There is in some ways an inherent degree of 'arrogance' in doing this but I am going to ignore that.
Currently in the here and now of trying to urgently get help to people facing what is for them unprecedented hunger there is a 'drive' to get people 'on the list' for help. Moving forward and from as soon as possible there should also be I think some degree of focus and effort on getting people 'off the list' of those in need. When I went out delivering help last week what I saw was 'workers' in the purest sense. People who know what real 'graft' is to a degree that I myself have never had to personally experience. People yearning for the ability to once again be able to support themselves. I want to find ways to help them be able to do this as much as possible but I have no 'stellar ideas' on how this might be achieved. There must be 'work' out there that needs doing. Be it seasonal work in agriculture, work for municipalities or other some other. Or maybe the idea that if land could be found and with a little 'seed help' these people could be helped to start growing produce for themselves. These ideas are vague and fuzzy right now but I would welcome any and all input from anyone on possible ways such people might be helped to 'get off the list'.
What I also saw were groups of people, communities, that had been, in so many ways and to a massive degree, effectively dumped by their former 'big business' employers. I saw disenfranchised people with little to no voice. Now I do not underestimate the scale of issues this crisis has placed on such employers nor that there is so much uncertainty as to government schemes that may seek to offer help to people via grants to such employers. However when I hear repeated stories of such employers not even maintaining any communication with those laid of former employee's, let alone making efforts to provide any practical help to them in their need, then I know that is simply just not good enough. As COSH goes about helping those in need we are building up the 'data' and networks of contacts with such groups of people. This in turn becomes a 'resource' that used correctly can be used to give these people a voice. So 'advocacy' is on my list of 'dreaming forward'. To try and find an advocate willing to, on an unpaid pro bono basis, speak on behalf of these people with high level officers in these large organisations that appear to have so far left them out to dry. This objective ties in with 'data collection' I have talked about a bit already here. So in addition to the 'base' data I talk about there I am looking to add data collection on things like 'former employer', 'when they were last paid', 'what communication have they had from their ex employer', 'were they owed any salary at the point they were laid off that is still outstanding and if so how much' and hear and record their general experiences with working for that employer previously.
COSH - dreaming forward
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- erol
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Re: COSH - dreaming forward
One idea that just came to me for putting 'workers' to 'work' is as follows.
With the government introducing mandatory mask wearing, perhaps those 'workers' that want to could produce 'home made' masks , which could then be sold for profit ?
Source materials - donated or bought at cheapest possible cost ?
Piecemeal payment to 'workers' producing them ? Or just as a 'thank you' for food help received ?
Obtain best 'advice' on how to produce for maximum effectiveness at lowest cost and least equipment needed to manufacture.
Any and all thoughts , comments, problems spotted welcome.
With the government introducing mandatory mask wearing, perhaps those 'workers' that want to could produce 'home made' masks , which could then be sold for profit ?
Source materials - donated or bought at cheapest possible cost ?
Piecemeal payment to 'workers' producing them ? Or just as a 'thank you' for food help received ?
Obtain best 'advice' on how to produce for maximum effectiveness at lowest cost and least equipment needed to manufacture.
Any and all thoughts , comments, problems spotted welcome.