The Care Manifesto

As I’ve been working with LCC students thinking about Ageable’s future vision and manifesto, I’ve been reading up on other manifestos for care and stumbled upon the remarkable find: The Care Manifesto by The Care Collective — Members include Andreas Chatzidakis, Jamie Hakim, Jo Littler, Catherine Rottenberg and Lynne Seggal.

We need to move from our society that focuses on the individual, and our own achievements, personal achievement and growth to a new collective growth of ‘we’. 

It splits care into these three useful disciplines: 
1. Physical care — is caring for
2. Emotional care —is caring about
3. Political mobilisation — is caring with

“Universal care is the idea of a society where care is front and centre at every scale of life, and in which we are all jointly responsible. For hands on care work as well as the care work necessary for the maintenance of communities and the world itself.”

We must demand more [public space] + [shared resources] + [mutual support] + [local democracy].

One of the things I have been dreaming of is a care commons. Imagine a shared resource in our communities where we can setup systems of collective resources and shared community owned information and the power to set up mutual care and support of each other. Where care can be invested in and a new care economy thrives for each for the the planet.

I haven’t finished it yet although as soon as I do — i’ll share more.