- Build it, and they will come -
Over many years now we've been gathering the people and now that energy and the creativity needs a place to be developed & nurtured and put back into use locally.
While it's sensible to start with a leasehold agreement with the Monmouthshire Council, in the longer term we'd really like to be in a position to retain the building under community ownership.
In everything from nursery provision and learning support, to food security and taking care of the elderly, the clear ambition is to create a fully sustainable and thriving social hub that utilises local knowledge and strong inter-personal networks to serve one another, the town and our surroundings. By taking a global perspective and making our actions very local we can co-create a resilient local economy and future-proof our community too.
In the longer term we will become a model for a new type of local centre that supports the community by embracing social enterprise and encouraging independence. Self-help and mutual-aid are building blocks, not dirty words.
FIVE CAPITALS SYSTEM
For those who are interested, the economic model we are utilising in order to make this vision a reality is known as the Five Capitals system. Invented by a think tank specialising in sustainability, Forum for the Future, it emphasises that a measure of true wealth has to take into account five capitals rather than just the one known to everyone: financial. Those five capitals can be summed up as:
Natural Capital - Our environment and its resources
Social Capital - Community, clubs, gatherings
Human Capital - 'What you bring to the table', inner qualities, skills, abilities
Manufactured Capital - That which is made or created e.g. buildings, industry, crafts
Financial Capital - Can only exist sustainably as an accurate reflection of the other four capitals
It is worth noting that financial capital is only truly worth something when all the other capitals are taken into consideration. Or as Coco Chanel put it, 'There are people who have money and those who are rich.' The centre will strive to enrichen the community regarding all these aspects.
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