PROFILES OF RESISTANCE COLLECTIVES:
Each quarter CPR highlights one of the many rich examples of Resistance Communities found around the world. For our inaugural issue, we share the profile of a new Community in Canada.
CRAP! (Creative and Radical Alternatives for Preparedness) is a radical collective formed by Bastou Bacharach in concert with the principles we shared in our Leading Communities of Resistance course. We’re proud of the work taken on by our comrade Bastou, and the members of the CRAP! Community, and we hope for their continued success.
Introducing: CRAP! (Creative and Radical Alternatives for Preparedness)
CRAP! Is Creative and Radical Alternatives for Preparedness.
We are located on unceded Anishinaabe/Algonquin land. Our landbase is now called Perth Ontario, Canada. Our Community is a group of people committed to our landbase.
CRAP! is a brand new group and that is what makes its strength at the moment. It is very flexible in its culture and the projects it takes on at the moment.
VISION:
CRAP! Struggles for a world and a Community:
– That is resilient and adaptable to potential future problems including economic collapse, climate disruption, pandemics and more;
– Where people rely on and support one another on a neighborhood scale–rather than on external systems or infrastructure–and work together to meet their needs and goals
– Where people rely on nature-based, low-tech and community-based solutions to meet their needs and goals;
– Where ecosystems are thriving and human lifestyles are harmoniously integrated with the health of ecosystems;
– Where people have gatherings, festivals, rituals, work parties, and many opportunities to play and work together, to create and celebrate, to innovate and inspire;
– Where everyone is welcome, safe, respected and encouraged to be themselves; and
– Where mutual support, generosity and abundance are valued and prioritized over profit, scarcity and fear.
MISSION:
CRAP! strives to build a strong community in Perth and the surrounding area.
We imagine and create community-based alternatives to the failing capitalist, industrial systems and culture. We build trust and capacity and have fun while developing mutually beneficial relationships amongst ourselves and with the land around us. We aim to engage and include marginalized and oppressed people in our Community.
CRAP! is radical in the sense that it does not plan to rely on any existing structure that may disappear with the fall of the current system/civilization.
One of the main goals of CRAP! is to regenerate our landbase and the ecosystems around us. In this way we are land defenders.
The spiritual journey [in the Founder’s mind] is to have the courage to do something to protect the land and the animals who live here without being sure of what is coming our way… Building trust and commitment amongst ourselves in this current individualistic culture is a spiritual journey in itself.
One of our challenges is for everyone in the group to find the time and energy to make the CRAP! Community a priority. We all have work and distractions that pull us away from doing the important work of resisting this culture and regenerating our landbase.
External Constituencies:
– Local bylaws and other laws restraining what we can do without too much attention from detractors
– Mainstream “green” activists
– The wider community, local small businesses, town council and mayor, religious groups, etc.
Internal Constituencies:
– The core organizers and their creativity
– Project volunteers and participants
– Our local land base, her needs and feedback
– Ally groups (mainstream “greens”, food bank, anti-racism group, artists collectives, etc.)
Assumptions:
– Except for our core organizers, most of our constituents are liberal people or heavily influenced by liberal beliefs. They do not imagine a world without the type of government currently in place or without the industrial civilization currently in place.
– They are overwhelmed when thinking about the future, by what should be done, and have no idea how they could be of any influence.
– They need inspiration, they need to feel confident, they need to have fun while the rest of the world seems more and more depressed.
For more information, or to communicate with a Community member, please contact
https://crapinperth.wordpress.com or crap-perth@riseup.net
Communities that Protect and Resist 