Economia Social i Solidària

Gina Planas:
Welcome, everyone, to the first podcast of the Barcelona 2030 Social and Solidarity Economy Strategy. This podcast is the communication channel of the city project and working group Som ESS (We are SSE) linked to the Barcelona 2030 SSE Strategy. Together with other channels, the podcast provides us with a new platform through which we can make the SSE known and accessible to Barcelona in all its diversity.
Today we will present the Barcelona Social and Solidarity Economy Strategy, which, for short, we call the Barcelona SSE Strategy. We'll look at what it does, who participates in it and why it is important. We'll also focus on a specific SSE project in the city: the Pam a Pam map of the social and solidarity economy. We'll also have a section called The decoder, where, in a humorous way, we'll will explain some anecdotes from the world of the social and solidarity economy. Finally, we'll end with some basic and easy tips for practising responsible consumption and the SSE.
The BCN 2030 SSE Strategy is the shared roadmap designed and agreed on by the city's social and solidarity economy organisations, led by the Associació Economia Social Catalunya, AESCAT (Catalan Social Economy Association) and Barcelona City Council. Its main objective is to grow and strengthen the SSE as a model that puts people at the centre of decision-making and contributes to the socio-economic development of the city. 
The Strategy is a framework for collaborative work that focuses on the challenges shared by SSE organisations and also contributes to extending the values promoted by this economic model, such as cooperation, solidarity, territorial cohesion, equality, participation and democratic governance.
In order to delve a little deeper into the SSE and the City Strategy, we are joined today by Guillem Llorens, president of the AESCAT, a non-profit organisation that brings together the main platforms representing the different social economy families in Catalonia. 
AESCAT brings together 7,422 organisations and around 140,000 workers. AESCAT is a co-promoter of the Strategy together with Barcelona City Council. Welcome, Guillem.

Guillem Llorens:
Hello, good morning!

Gina Planas:
For people who maybe aren't familiar with organisations like the one you represent, could you explain what the purpose of AESCAT is and what work you do?

Guillem Llorens:
So, as you said in the presentation, AESCAT is the largest organisation in the social economy. You mentioned the 7,500 organisations and 150,000 people who work in this economy.
And certainly, it's an organisation that's not very visible because it doesn't really work directly in the territory, but I think it is very important in the social economy because it generates spaces for coordination and action on the big issues and for the huge amount of work we carry out in this aspect, for thinking about how we generate these contextual frameworks so things can happen, how we're working on the social and solidarity economy law, for example, right now, which will be a very important framework for the development of the SSE itself, or how we co-promote public policy, as is the case of this Strategy itself.
So it's not an entity that is very visible because, as I said, it doesn't carry out direct action in the territory, but it does generate a working framework to enable this direct action to be carried out in the territory.

Gina Planas:
In the context of Barcelona, how does this strategy contribute to social and economic transformation? What impact does it have on Barcelona society?

Guillem Llorens:
It is difficult to set boundaries, I mean, to make major transformation policies and limit them exclusively to the city of Barcelona, but it is clear that the city of Barcelona is a benchmark. Therefore, these major transformations are essential, but at a national and global level, and Barcelona is a great example.
I would suggest that we need to look at it the other way round: where will Barcelona, Catalan and even global society end up if we don't change the dynamics of globalisation, relocation and consumerism. It is difficult to explain that perhaps we simply want to be a benchmark city in which all the activity generated by a city like ours is not negative, and that is already a lot, but it is difficult to convey. 
Therefore, if we work and achieve visibility, we are working for a different way of doing things from the capitalist model we're accustomed to, which is highly competitive and destructive. So, we are committed to an economy that promotes responsibility, promotes sustainable activities and works for the wellbeing of the people who are part of it.
And I like to focus on young people and I believe that from the social and solidarity economy we are building a conceptual space where there is room for a new way of viewing life on the part of younger people.
And to finish with resilience, which is a word that is used a lot when we talk about the social and solidarity economy, that we have this capacity, this involvement, in our projects, which makes us more resilient when facing moments of difficulty. So, I believe that by promoting the social and solidarity economy we are also making the city of Barcelona a more resilient economy in times of crisis. 

Gina Planas:
For those people listening to this who might be interested in experiencing the social and solidarity economy as a model that puts life at the centre, what can we do as members of Barcelona society to contribute to this transformation?

Guillem Llorens:
So beyond having the good fortune, or not, of being part of one of the projects of the social and solidarity economy, for me responsible consumption is one of the main drivers of change in this system. And it's not easy to talk about responsible consumption in a system that helps or provokes us to consume or to consume not only what is necessary, but also what is sometimes totally dispensable.
I think that fortunately in Catalonia and Barcelona we have a very diverse range of social market services and products from the social economy. Perhaps the challenge, and it is also one of the challenges of the Strategy, is to make all these products and services known in order to generate and promote this social market. Therefore, I believe that one of the main challenges of the social economy and of the City Strategy itself is to make these proposals known.

Gina Planas:
We are coming to the end of the interview. Are there any other thoughts you would like to add?

Guillem Llorens:
Well, I like to be very positive in everything I do, but in reality we have been living in a state of crisis for years, the country's poverty rate is over 25% and the ecological situation of the planet is well known.
Therefore, it is clear that we are in a tight spot at many levels and we need to generate far-reaching changes in society and in the system we're living in. So, it's about backing this new model and just to emphasise that the commitment to the social and solidarity economy is a clear commitment to reversing all these situations that urgently need to be solved.

Gina Planas:
Indeed, the challenges we face as a society are both important and urgent, and in this sense we have seen how people play an essential role in enforcing and also extending a socio-economic model that guarantees the well-being and balance of the planet.
Thank you very much, Guillem Llorens, President of AESCAT, for sharing your thoughts with us. See you next time!

Guillem Llorens:
Thank you. See you soon.

***

Gina Planas:
You're through to the voicemail of the decoder, free messaging service of the Associació de Promotors del Llenguatge Inclusiu (Association of Promoters of Inclusive Language), also in the SSE. Oh, sorry, the Social and Solidarity Economy.
Leave your query and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Jofre:
Hello, I'm Jofre, from Camp d'en Grassot.
I saw an announcement in the Joanic metro station about an SSE meeting and party on 10 February. I'm a big party person, I never miss the one in Gràcia or the one in Sants.... Well, all the parties in Barcelona. If I’m invited, I even go to Luz de Gas (A nightclub in Barcelona that holds gigs). But what is this "ESS" [SSE] thing? 
I looked up "ESS", and found out what "mess" means in English. It's a gathering of people... a messy party? I’m really lost. It's so confusing this whole SSE thing.

Gina Planas:
Hi there, Jofre. 
We totally get why you’re confused. To be honest, even we’re confused about the whole matter. 
SSE is an acronym, a word made from abbreviations. It means "Social and Solidarity Economy". The easy and synthetic definition of Social and Solidarity Economy consists of 75 words: in a written text it is a paragraph of twenty lines and you would almost need a whole podcast to explain it.
Jofre, the best thing you can do is go to the Pam a Pam website and look for initiatives near Camp d'en Grassot. The best way to get to grips with the SSE is to find out more about it and put it into practice.
By the way, be sure to type it in correctly in the search engine: "Pam a Pam" and not "Ram Pam", which is a song by Natti Natasha and Becky G.
Now we’ll leave you in the hands of Núria Martínez, who will present the following interview.

***

Núria Martínez:
Today we would like to present the Pam a Pam project.
Pam a Pam is a map of responsible consumption and the social and solidarity economy, a collective tool that contributes to social transformation.
Now it's time to introduce you to Anna Fernàndez, a political scientist specialised in the world of associations and social activism. She is a member of the XES (Solidarity Economy Network) technical team and has been the coordinator of the Pam a Pam project since it began.
Good morning, Anna. Thank you for joining us on this first edition of the Strategy podcast.
Please explain to us: what is the Pam a Pam project and how does it work?

Anna Fernàndez:
Pam a Pam is a map and it is much more than just a map.
It is a map because it allows us to find more than 1,300 social and solidarity economy initiatives all over Catalonia with the aim of making it easier for both citizens and companies to consume according to their values.
It came about following numerous campaigns by people who are critical and want to change things, who say: "Yes, I know that there are many things that don't work well, that labour rights are not being respected, but what can I do, how can I be part of it? Then, with the aim of raising awareness of the solidarity economy, we thought: "So let's group the collective knowledge together".
In fact, it is a collaborative map. It means that it is the citizens themselves who are trained in the solidarity economy, who will know about the initiatives, interview them and that's what we can find on the map.

Núria Martínez:
And what can we find on Pam a Pam?

Anna Fernàndez:
So there are more than 1,300 initiatives, around half of which are in Barcelona, from all economic sectors.
Therefore, to be able to cater for everyday consumption, from textiles, food, everyday services such as care work, but there are also a lot of services for companies, from logistics, advice...
And if we want to find spaces close to home where we can participate and be more active members of the community, there is also a section we call Espais i xarxes (Spaces and networks), where we can find spaces open to citizen participation.

Núria Martínez:
Could you explain to us what the criteria are at Pam a Pam for organisations that wish to join and what is the process for validating these criteria?

Anna Fernàndez:
One of the best things about Pam a Pam is that it is the citizens themselves who carry out the interviews. 
So, I'll tell you about the criteria in a moment, but every three months we hold training sessions on the solidarity economy, which are attended by lots of young people although they're open to everyone, and we explain what these fifteen criteria of the solidarity economy are, and so all the initiatives on the map are asked about these.
To give some examples, someone might say: "If I look for an initiative on Pam a Pam, what evaluation has it undergone? "So we ask if they are managed democratically, if they have a feminist perspective, what kind of working conditions they have, if they are committed to strengthening the local economy, if they have territorial links and participate in their community, what level of transparency they have, what information we can have about a certain product or service or the people who are working there, if they are working with ethical financing...
Pam a Pam likes to explain that there is a part of us that makes the invisible visible, because the solidarity economy is a transformative project, but often with things that are not seen. Democratic management of the economy is hard to see, but it is profoundly transformative. By having a feminist perspective there are things that are seen and many that are not, it is very invisible, but it is profoundly transformative.
So... And then there's the environmental impact criteria, where we evaluate environmental sustainability, waste management and whether they are committed to the circular economy, how they manage energy consumption...
And all this is visible. On each of the points, we also need an awareness of the fact that citizens are diverse, that there will be people who will attach more importance to ecological awareness and others who will attach more importance to social impact. We can see the degree to which each of the initiatives meets the criteria, also making a commitment, because it seems to us that it is educational and helps to understand what the SSE is all about, seeing what practices are carried out.

Núria Martínez:
What does an initiative that wants to join Pam a Pam need to know?

Anna Fernàndez:
Well, you have to ask yourself if you are contributing to a solidarity economy and if you believe that you are carrying out an economic activity that transforms your environment.
If you want to appear on Pam a Pam, on the website itself there is a space where you can put forward your own initiatives, citizens can say: "Look, I know of a baker’s that I think should be on Pam a Pam", so they can also make that suggestion. I mean, there is a space where we receive all the proposals, of which there are quite a few, and then Pam a Pam distributes them to the community, which interviews as many as it can. I mean, it's also a project on a very human scale. It's not a big company, so they are interviewed and published if they meet half or more of the criteria.

Núria Martínez:
How do you think Pam a Pam as a tool contributes to the promotion of the social and solidarity economy?

Anna Fernàndez:
First of all, because it makes it visible. I believe it's currently the most extensive map of solidarity economy initiatives in the country, and because it approaches it in this very pedagogical way. Once again, for citizens and companies.
In fact, when Pam a Pam was created- next year we'll be celebrating its tenth anniversary - it was created with the idea of making it a map of responsible consumption, very much focused on products and goods for direct consumption. When we joined the XES and started working on the whole solidarity economy, we realised that it is also a space that many companies and some public administrations consult, because the solidarity economy is a network that provides for the everyday needs of citizens, but also provides for many business needs. This means it's also a good database or a good place to look for suppliers that can supply more collective projects also according to their values. 
We have trained more than 1,000 people in solidarity economy who have been interviewing initiatives in their area. It covers the whole of Catalonia. And the fact that we have more than 1,300 initiatives that have answered all these questions, knowing what their specific practices are, provides us with a database, with knowledge of the state of the solidarity economy at the moment in our country and in our city which is also a great place for the movement.
Then, once a year, along with Balanç Social, we draw up a report on the social market, where we analyse what this collective fulfilment is, and over time, different actors have also been asking for territorial maps, sectoral maps... Currently there is a specific map of the community economies that exist in Catalonia and Barcelona, there is a map of agro-ecological supply where there are hundreds and hundreds of producers in our country where you can consume agro-ecological produce and just this October at the FESC (Solidarity Economy Fair of Catalonia) we presented a specific map of intercooperation projects in Catalonia. I would like to say that it also allows us to get an overview of the situation at sectoral and territorial level.

Núria Martínez:
So thank you very much, Anna, for taking part in this podcast and telling us first-hand what Pam a Pam is.

Anna Fernàndez:
My pleasure.

***

Speaker:
Following this very interesting interview where we've learned about a useful tool for practising conscious consumption and social and solidarity economy, we present another part of this podcast, where in each episode we'll give you tips and advice so you can practice responsible conscious consumption. We will offer recommendations of places and initiatives where you can find local, sustainable products that promote the values of the SSE, as well as advice on how to tackle food waste and practice responsible consumption.
Today we would like to start by presenting you with a project that will allow you to start your days with energy and face your work wide awake and full of vitality, all in an ethical and responsible way. If we look on Pam a Pam for sustainable food projects we will find, among many others, Ecolectia, a fair trade space for coffee, tea and cocoa. They import, produce, pack and distribute their own selection of organic and ecological products. You can find them at Carrer de Bruniquer, 9, Local 5, in Vila de Gràcia. You can also buy their products through their website ecolectia.com and you'll also find them on social networks by looking up @ecolectia.
And if you'd like to discover shops where you can find all kinds of food products, that are organic, local, environmentally friendly and with a focus  on health care, we also recommend the Molsa project. It’s a cooperative of shops where you'll discover that they not only sell food, but you'll also find spaces with cooking workshops, a wide range of therapies, health care products and much more. We encourage you to visit their website, molsa.bio, and get to know all the people who own the different shops and their projects.

***

Gina Planas:
We have reached the end of this first podcast which aims to introduce you to the Barcelona 2030 Social and Solidarity Economy Strategy.
We’ve heard from Guillem Llorens and Anna Fernàndez as representatives directly involved in the Strategy. We’ve also listened to the decoder section, which, in a humorous way, will introduce us to the language of the social and solidarity economy in each episode. And finally, the tips section, which we hope will be useful and will encourage you to practice responsible consumption.
We look forward to the next podcast of Les veus de l'ESS Barcelona 2030 (The voices of the SSE, Barcelona 2030). Thanks for listening and see you soon!