Joy in Enough has a couple of campaign actions going on behind the scenes. One is a declaration that will be signed by church leaders. The other is a small group resource called Plenty!
Plenty! is a discussion-based series that can be used informally around a table under the guidance of a facilitator – perhaps in a coffee shop.
The aim is to look at the usually unexamined assumption that endless economic growth is essential to human flourishing; and to begin to imagine other ways of living together well.
Comprising five 90-minute sessions, each session is divided up into timed sections or rounds. Each round involves dealing out a set of cards and reflecting together on their contents:
- Topic card round – introduces the session topic with a provocative story or quotation
- Info card round – participants share some key snippets of information relating to the session topic
- Case study card round – examples of how some of the issues arising from the session topic are already being tackled
- Action card round – an opportunity for the group to make links between some of the ideas emerging from previous rounds, and to produce a list of possible actions
The cards have questions, stories, facts, case studies, or perhaps a single image or key graph – a diverse range of content that provokes thought and conversations.
While economic growth may seem a bit of an abstract topic to some people, the content is very rooted in everyday life. The consequences of consumerism and work/life balance are familiar to all of us, as reflected in the working titles for the five sessions:
- Can I have my life back?
- Why do we need all this stuff?
- What’s your best price?
- How much is enough?
- Where next?
The series is being developed at the moment, and sessions have been trialled in several different locations. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as the resource is tested and finalised.
Joy in Enough 