Hezadukii92
10th August 2015, 06:16
Hi all,
I used to belong to this forum years ago in the Che Lives years when I was in my teens and had tonnes of free time, I stopped posting due to work and everything else. Unfortunately I could not remember my username or the email I used for sign up so I had to go ahead and create a new account.
I had an interesting discussion today with a friend regarding general hassle in life for working people, my friend had problems with his house and the cost of repairs is going to be sizeable. We started discussing the trades and jobs within the trades and how important these skills are :
Electricians
Plumbers
Joiners & Carpenters
Welders
Mechanics
The list goes on but you get the point.
We both either have or had relatives in the trades and we discussed how much of a relief in life it is when you have a cousin or uncle who can fix your electrics, fix your house, sort your boiler out etc.
I thought about how most charities are ineffective and problematic and how community organising has largely been similarly useless in many places. Because someone giving people short term monetary enhancement or other shortsighted schemes does little to offer real effective help.
I said if people within the trades could organise for both community services and "charitable" solidarity work how much more of an effect that could have. I know charity is not the solution to the systemic problem of inequality but that does not mean it is better to not try and do anything. Some examples we discussed were:
Housing situations in rural areas of the developing world - The money pumped into ineffective solutions to easily fixable problems is astounding. A team of tradesmen comprised of electricians, joiners and construction workers with the right logistical support could build permanent housing and buildings for essential services like hospitals and schools.
Local community services - As previously mentioned anyone with relatives in the trades knows how much of a life saver it can be to have free labour done on essentials like having someone fix your car, repair a busted roof or simply lay down your carpet saving you money so your kid can eat something that same day. This isn't political or about building something other than a service of working class people for working class people.
Refugee and emergency response aid work - Government funded charity and aid relief often end up using generated money on private companies who overcharge for basic and under qualified staff to build rapid mass shelter areas and refugee crisis centres. A self organised group based on free labour from its volunteer tradesmen and money from donations for supplies would mean incredibly effective and non profit based responses to genuine human demand for emergency construction and settlement.
Think if a team of just a hundred tradesmen were organised on the Syrian/Turkish border and how that would of offered immense help to the thousands of fleeing refugees of our fellow workers fleeing a horrible situation.
Or think about how quick-construct living quarters for the migrants at Calais or for those arriving in Greece would help immigrants who often end up on the streets, forced back into warzones or having to sell themselves for somewhere to stay.
Basically I recently gave up my job and got a part time one in order to be able to go and do an into course at a local college at the advice of my uncle who is currently in the trades himself. I will then be embarking on an apprenticeship as is the only real way to gain real access to a real route to work and connections within the trades themselves.
I am doing this because it is something I want to do and am passionate about. Some of my relatives were involved in the trades during the height of the labour movements and helped immigrants and other people get work and organise and I love the tradition of that type of solidarity within the trades and the benefits that offers.
Once I have completed my apprenticeship and have gained some experience I will be looking at starting something based along the lines of voluntary community service, things like offering free labour days on sundays or any days I can where I will complete jobs for free only charging for materials used and setting up a network via social media for other tradesmen to join and donation links for the purchasing of materials so we could offer truly free services to people who really need them.
I have relatives who I am sure would be on board, some in other nations who could start local branches of a big network. I know this probably sounds kinda far fetched but I am very passionate about this, not just the doing something positive aspect but this direction I am taking in general.
I would be interested in hearing some of your thoughts regarding the idea and from tradesmen on their feelings about the subject.
** Please no lectures about how you can't abolish capitalism through charity or any other obvious stuff. This is not about that, just about doing something positive i am passionate about **
I used to belong to this forum years ago in the Che Lives years when I was in my teens and had tonnes of free time, I stopped posting due to work and everything else. Unfortunately I could not remember my username or the email I used for sign up so I had to go ahead and create a new account.
I had an interesting discussion today with a friend regarding general hassle in life for working people, my friend had problems with his house and the cost of repairs is going to be sizeable. We started discussing the trades and jobs within the trades and how important these skills are :
Electricians
Plumbers
Joiners & Carpenters
Welders
Mechanics
The list goes on but you get the point.
We both either have or had relatives in the trades and we discussed how much of a relief in life it is when you have a cousin or uncle who can fix your electrics, fix your house, sort your boiler out etc.
I thought about how most charities are ineffective and problematic and how community organising has largely been similarly useless in many places. Because someone giving people short term monetary enhancement or other shortsighted schemes does little to offer real effective help.
I said if people within the trades could organise for both community services and "charitable" solidarity work how much more of an effect that could have. I know charity is not the solution to the systemic problem of inequality but that does not mean it is better to not try and do anything. Some examples we discussed were:
Housing situations in rural areas of the developing world - The money pumped into ineffective solutions to easily fixable problems is astounding. A team of tradesmen comprised of electricians, joiners and construction workers with the right logistical support could build permanent housing and buildings for essential services like hospitals and schools.
Local community services - As previously mentioned anyone with relatives in the trades knows how much of a life saver it can be to have free labour done on essentials like having someone fix your car, repair a busted roof or simply lay down your carpet saving you money so your kid can eat something that same day. This isn't political or about building something other than a service of working class people for working class people.
Refugee and emergency response aid work - Government funded charity and aid relief often end up using generated money on private companies who overcharge for basic and under qualified staff to build rapid mass shelter areas and refugee crisis centres. A self organised group based on free labour from its volunteer tradesmen and money from donations for supplies would mean incredibly effective and non profit based responses to genuine human demand for emergency construction and settlement.
Think if a team of just a hundred tradesmen were organised on the Syrian/Turkish border and how that would of offered immense help to the thousands of fleeing refugees of our fellow workers fleeing a horrible situation.
Or think about how quick-construct living quarters for the migrants at Calais or for those arriving in Greece would help immigrants who often end up on the streets, forced back into warzones or having to sell themselves for somewhere to stay.
Basically I recently gave up my job and got a part time one in order to be able to go and do an into course at a local college at the advice of my uncle who is currently in the trades himself. I will then be embarking on an apprenticeship as is the only real way to gain real access to a real route to work and connections within the trades themselves.
I am doing this because it is something I want to do and am passionate about. Some of my relatives were involved in the trades during the height of the labour movements and helped immigrants and other people get work and organise and I love the tradition of that type of solidarity within the trades and the benefits that offers.
Once I have completed my apprenticeship and have gained some experience I will be looking at starting something based along the lines of voluntary community service, things like offering free labour days on sundays or any days I can where I will complete jobs for free only charging for materials used and setting up a network via social media for other tradesmen to join and donation links for the purchasing of materials so we could offer truly free services to people who really need them.
I have relatives who I am sure would be on board, some in other nations who could start local branches of a big network. I know this probably sounds kinda far fetched but I am very passionate about this, not just the doing something positive aspect but this direction I am taking in general.
I would be interested in hearing some of your thoughts regarding the idea and from tradesmen on their feelings about the subject.
** Please no lectures about how you can't abolish capitalism through charity or any other obvious stuff. This is not about that, just about doing something positive i am passionate about **