Organizers at Global Teach-ins Seek Solutions and Envision What Comes Next | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

"This November, in over a dozen locations across the Americas, a network of Next System teach-ins drew scholars, activists, and community members together to develop practical actions that can advance democratic practice, even amid an international tide of rising authoritarianism. Organizers are consciously seeking to build the foundations for what they call a "third force" based in communities rather than nation-states or global corporations."

"Teach-ins happened across the United States, in places such as Arlington, VA; Chicago, IL; and Eureka, CA; and extended to Puerto Rico, Argentina, and México. Each teach-in took on the "color" or unique priorities and character of its place and its organizers, yet they all had an underlying mission of cultivating spaces of co-learning, collaboration, and collective responsibility to understand the limitations of current systems and develop ways to co-create more just ones."

"The value of the gatherings was expressed well by Chicago panelist and executive director of the Co-op Ed Center, Xochitl Espinosa, who shared, "We know that this moment is not just one moment of crisis. We know it's a consequence of the systems that have been in place for a very, very long time. And so, I think we need a lot of spaces for us to keep reflecting on that.""

A network of Next System teach-ins convened in over a dozen locations across the Americas to develop practical actions that advance democratic practice amid rising authoritarianism. Organizers aim to build a community-based "third force" independent of nation-states and global corporations and to strengthen local capacities for collective decision-making. Backing organizations include university programs and solidarity-economy networks that connected gatherings in the United States, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and México. Each teach-in reflected local priorities while sharing a mission to cultivate co-learning, collaboration, and collective responsibility to identify systemic limitations and co-create more just alternatives.

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