Rhwydwaith Gwydn - Resilience Network

flip to pages 6 and 7 for latest Pembs Herald news from Grwp.
https://issuu.com/pembrokeshireherald/docs/book_1_632c274ff681ea?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

p 7 of this weeks Pembrokeshire Herald, my weekly slot

not often i love this sort of promo. But this one hits the spot.

Race to Zero Cymru

meaty article on whether we should take control of our sea bed and what is coming to it and who will benefit.
This one is a gathering of the ideas and the answers of the powerful around the 'Energy Kingdom' in Milford. Again who's kingdom is the obvious question.
I think the text is hard to read, does anyone else?
Is it the print design or the words?
Personally I like Charles as a colleague, loads of sympathy for the role he is imprisoned in, having seen how he has been treated and negated by it. That said respect must go where it is earned and be nothing to do with circumstances of birth - absurd notion.

Page 6 or Pembrokeshire Herald each week. Look out for it.
This weeks attahced. The Herald here: https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/90507/narberth-celebrated-in-the-sunday-times-best-places-to-live-2024/

the testing thing is fascinating to see what your money pays for. In a supermarket vs a local producer using nature not tricksie chemicals. Paying less might mean your paying for less food. Be interesting to find out.

Theres a few places left on these one day intro to horticulture courses. In Havergardd.

what a lush day, to live in memory. First open activity day at Havergardd. Team really came together to make it happen. And all sorts and ages turned up, Myfanwy food was the cream on the cake.

Another garden gets growing, inside Haverfordwest.
In the heart of town, a little known hidden peaceful corner with just the chunder of trains overhead. Yet a tiny walk from the civic buildings and road.

A mix of people have found their roots and got growing with weeding, composting, filling beds, clearing weeds, adding bird boxes, repairing and cooking for the crew from children to my age.

Havergardd is the latest Grwp Resilience garden to find its people to care for it. Anyone in the town wanting to join the weekly fun like this then when we have a facebook group I can invite you.

Community Assemblies support from XR helped a meeting happen to widen the discussion of Resilience amid Crisis.
This is important and needs a deeper dig to get us the foundations for thriving from the beautiful natural world around us and the talents and love of neighbours, without wrecking the earth or killing off whole nations.

Preaching and bombs wont work, or not for long. Showing the way will, so da iawn pob garddwyr.

There are more in person meetings coming and gardening each Friday, maybe other days in the Spring. Meanwhile there is Parc Helyg for those wanting a larger plot of land of their own to grow on.

Anyone want to rent a timber eco live work home nr. Rosebush? complete with work unit and solar pv.
dm me. These are not yet built, this is to find who wants this dream. On the edge of the forest, 5 mins to shops.

Resilience | Rhwydwaith Gwydn Resilience Network | Wales

the new website has wings and legs, its on the move, worth keeping an eye on
https://www.rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk/

rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk Community resilience and self reliance in the face of present and future challenges.

the website now has wings and legs, well worth checking out, its on the move https://www.rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk/

The Rhwydwaith - Community Resilience ~

Reports on who is involved, some latest stories of what they are doing, and some history of the network. Worth a look. https://www.rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk/447194141

rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk The network's goal is community resilience and self reliance in the face of present and future challenges. The network has committees with relevant skills, and a fast growing membership of affiliate organisations.

The Rhwydwaith - Community Resilience ~

There is so much going on there is barely time to write about it. This has a bit more info: www.rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk

rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.co.uk The network's goal is community resilience and self reliance in the face of present and future challenges. The network has committees with relevant skills, and a fast growing membership of affiliate organisations.

TRAFODWN - Democracy by building agreement from below

Trafodwn means ‘Let us Discuss’. It chimes with the Welsh 10th century people’s law of Hywel Dda.
On five continents this sort of thing - known as deliberative, participative democracy is rising. The surge is known as ‘the deliberative wave’.
Trafodwn is a version unique to Wales as it is so grass roots driven.

The wave is an answer to shrinking trust in some governments as they appear to be working blindly, and failing in their job.

Populism is the knee jerk reaction while deliberative
democracy is the mature version, it is a form of grass roots decision making with all sectors and interests agreeing a way forward in the light of full information.

In Wales it started with XR - Extinction Rebellion bringing their street organising skills and democratic process which they call Peoples Assemblies (PA) to make their decisions. This form is
based on ancient community democracy harvesting the wisdom of the crowd.

It is not just a form, it is also an ethos which involves psychological three pillars. They ensure people hear each other, everyone contributes and everyone trusts the outcomes.

There is a training programme for running PAs. People from Wales who became trainers used it during Covid for the community volunteer coordinators to come together with local government in Pembrokeshire.

The West Wales Trafodwn during lockdown
At least five took place in recent months, some put on by people who attended the first one.
Being online means that travel and numbers are no barrier.

The most striking outcome was the enthusiasm and
appreciation of participants.

The Structure
The structure includes:
An explanation of the process and ethos
Many speakers representing different sides of the issue to be agreed on, usually speaking for about 5 minutes each. This is to provide information to help the decision making.
In small groups (of about 8) participants answer the question/s that need agreement.
Finally the small group answers are integrated and taken to the next stage.
What happens to the agreements varies. It might just be for everyone to reach an agreement, or it might be to tell government what they should do, or it might be to plan what to do and take action.

The deliberative wave mentioned above is different as these longer funded processes are commissioned by government who ensure all walks of life are taking part by a randomised selection process. The government commissions this to tackle divisive or moral issues and most times adopts the recommendations. In other words this process is part of government, it's not a chat. Ireland changed its abortion laws using this process, in their case called a Citizens Assembly.

A good local example is the Ceredigion Assembly on Food, farming and land use that happened in late June.
156 people took part, they had speakers from farming unions, environment, innovators, water quality, food banks...
It was co-hosted by Elin Jones, chair of the Welsh parliament or Llywydd and Extinction Rebellion Cardigan.
The 17 break-out groups each had main-stream farmers, environmentalists and others.
Instead of arguing they together produced 14 pages of heart felt creative solutions. Everyone taking part felt it was ground breaking and inspiring.
Civil conflict kills and maims. Even the small scale versions we have in the UK, gang warfare and the farmer suicides are examples.
Racism is another.
Trafodwn provides an alternative, which Wales can offer the world. It is inline with the Welsh psyche and traditions.

Rhwydwaith Gwydn - Resilience Network

This is a new organisation for coming out of covid to a different future.
Its aim is to make communities in Wales self reliant and gyda'n gylydd - joined together. From there it's over to you whoever you are, if this is your aim you are part of this network.

This is how it started: Two people (me and Anna, my niece) trained by Extinction Rebellion in Peoples Assemblies, organised one for all the coordinators of community groups in Pembs who had sprung up to care for each other during Covid lockdown. This was a zoom meeting and it lead to weekly meetings. People from all walks of life in Pembs who were community organisers appreciated the chance to share experience. PAVS provided organisational back up and set up a facebook for us. We talked about the future after covid at some meetings and people agreed we wanted to keep the community care, the clean environment and wanted more local food.
Since then many offers and requests have come forward. Any help with planning how to respond to them would be welcome.

Rhwydwaith Gwydn - Resilience Network's cover photo