Social and Solidarity Economy

On 19 and 20 October, the Parc de l’Estació del Nord in Barcelona will host the first FESC Festival, a free event for everyone where people can learn about the social and solidarity economy in an engaging way and discover how to incorporate it into their everyday lives. There will be workshops, games, music, product tastings, scavenger hunts, family areas and much more.

Why has the Solidarity Economy Fair of Catalonia, which has been held for several years, chosen to adopt a festival format for the first time?

Eva Goenaga (EG): In the past 10 years, the social and solidarity economy has undergone many changes. The FESC, which initially focused on organisations, now aims to reach a wider public. To make the best use of resources and energy, it’s important to separate. That’s why last year we organised the FESC Forum, a space for coming together, reflecting, and sharing experiences to assess our current position and future direction. And this year, we are launching the FESC Festival with the intention of directing all our efforts toward the community. We are also moving to a new location, relocating to Parc de l’Estació del Nord, a more central and accessible place to reach people that perhaps haven’t attended the FESC before. The idea is to find ways to share what we discuss at the forum with people on the street and to reach them in a positive, educational, and, above all, engaging manner.

Apart from this new format, are there any other significant changes in the approach?

EG: We have made major efforts in the creation of content. We have worked collaboratively with the organisation involved to draft the foundations of what the solidarity economy means to us in different areas. Even though we all know who we are and what we do, we needed this exercise to clarify our ideas. At the festival, we will debut an exhibition on that: When the ordinary turns into something extraordinary. It explains how to embrace the solidarity economy in daily life, offering a straightforward and optimistic viewpoint. It is divided into areas and the idea is for it to become a travelling exhibition.

Antònia Montaner (AM): Along with collecting this information and figuring out how to present it, we want to change our messaging to engage those who aren’t already on board. We want to make it accessible, easy, and useful.

Is the idea is to combine the presentation of projects with cultural and recreational activities?

AM: In reality, the project preparation part is not the main focus. It is a conclusion of the presentation of the SSE across its various areas, of its usefulness and how to apply it in everyday life. We aim for everyone who enters one of the festival’s areas to realise that there is an alternative way of doing things and to discover specific options for incorporating these values into their everyday lives. It is less about explaining the projects and more about offering people options on how they can change their lifestyle and incorporate the SSE into their day to day. The projects are the practical aspect, the conclusion. There will be market stalls featuring textile products, food, culture, etc. The organisations will be involved in two ways: facilitating the activities and attending to the public at the exhibition spaces.

EG: This year, the organisations involved, except for those selling products, will not have individual stands. There will be scheduled times for public interaction, giving attendees the opportunity to explore how housing and care are approached within the social and solidarity economy. And if someone wants to learn more, there will be projects and initiatives they can reach out to specifically. We want to avoid the fair model involving stands because, without understanding the whole picture, you miss the specifics.

What criteria have you used to select the participants?

E.G: We released an open application form for everyone, and during the selection process, we made sure that the participating organisations were well-known and shared the values of the SSE. Everything was evaluated by a content committee, which considered factors such as the target audience – aiming for the broadest and most family-friendly reach – the relevance of the activity, the diversity it could represent, its connection to specific thematic areas, and the level of inter-cooperation.

What kind of activities will there be for the public?

AM: There will be workshops, product tastings, audiovisual exhibitions, screenings, performances, collective creations, performances, scavenger hunts, games, conversations, etc. The activities are for everyone, and some are specifically aimed at children. In addition, at Parc de l’Estació del Nord, there is a children’s play area. We want to make the festival a very welcoming space for families.

EG: We have turned the talks into a dialogue with the audience, into conversations. There will also be theatrical performances and fashion shows featuring sustainable clothing from La Coordi.

What do you want to convey through the FESC? What message would you like the public to take away?

AM: Our aim is to awaken an interest in those who attend so that they make a small change in their lives. We can’t expect a person to suddenly change all their habits. But our goal is to gradually raise their awareness.

EG: An important part has to do with recognition. Often, when people have a child, they get together with other families to create a care group. We work on this by giving it a name or discussing communal issues, but these practices have been around for ages and are vital. It is important to highlight how they can benefit from the social and solidarity economy as individuals. Discussing the repercussions beyond the actions is a part of it but that’s not our focus right now. The public is tired of being responsible. You don’t have to change because the world demands it but because your life will be happier.

What impact do you anticipate it will have, both personally and professionally?

EG: This paradigm shift responds to an internal demand from social and solidarity economy organisations to reach more people and become more present in their daily lives. We’ve already started to notice a positive impact in terms of content creation and the involvement of the organisations. Now it’s not just about setting up a stand but about coming to the festival to run an activity, which creates a significant professional and cultural impact. We hope the public understands that they can enjoy the social and solidarity economy in a fun and enriching way.

How will you evaluate the success of the festival? What key indicators will you use?

AM: We’re considering using some kind of on-site evaluation mechanism. We’re also introducing a fun interactive resource for the first time: a game called Social Fantasy: the Rebel Squad, which we’ve created together with three organisations under the auspices of the SomESS communication working group of Barcelona City Council’s 2030 strategy. It’s designed as a game related to the content of the social and solidarity economy but it will also help us gather information. In addition to being a resource to promote the solidarity economy in a fun way, it will help us gather sociodemographic profiles and assess the level of knowledge about the solidarity economy. It will help us evaluate and rethink aspects for the next edition.

EG: We will also conduct internal evaluations, as always, with a survey for all participating organisations, because it’s very important for this to be a collective effort and to foster a sense of belonging. There are high expectations. Although we are not aiming for an economic impact as in previous editions, we want to focus on the quality of the experience and how the public engages with the festival. We prioritise the user experience over the numbers.

Do you believe there is collaborative effort within Barcelona’s social and solidarity economy sector to share common messages and make the social and solidarity economy more accessible to the public?

AM: Yes, all the organisations involved are very aware of the need to change how we communicate within the social and solidarity economy sphere. One of the goals is to reach new audiences. This is reflected in training on how to communicate the ecosocial transition in an accessible way. In the case of the FESC’24 Festival, we are working in this direction to refine the content and the narrative. This offers a valuable opportunity for the entire social economy ecosystem to move forward in the right direction.

The FESC Festival, like all the Solidarity Economy Fairs in Catalonia since their inception in 2012, receives financial and logistical support from Barcelona City Council. The agreement between the Solidarity Economy Network and Barcelona City Council includes, along with the FESC Festival, actions involving significant projects aimed at consolidating and improving the social market of the social and solidarity economy in Barcelona and Catalonia, such as PAM A PAM, the map of the solidarity economy, and the annual Social Balance campaign.