1. Who they are

RIPESS Europe – Solidarity Economy Europe is the European network of the Social Solidarity Economy organisations (part of the RIPESS Intercontinental network), bringing together over 40 national, sectoral and inter-sectoral networks in 17 European countries. It aims to share practices, inter-cooperate and engage in joint actions that can promote and enhance the visibility of the Solidarity Economy movement, the convergence with other transformative economies approaches and contribute to legal frameworks and public policies. RIPESS Europe was born thanks to the synergies produced during the 4th International Forum for the “Globalisation of Solidarity” Lux’09 (promoted by RIPESS Int.) which took place in Luxembourg in April 2009, allowed to launch a dynamic and build trust and acquaintanceship between the networks of Social Solidarity Economy at continental and international level.

2. What they did

Inspired by the Charter and by the World Social Forum of Transformative Economies (WSFTE) – RIPESS decided to lay the basis for a gathering of mapping initiatives promoted by different movements in the transformative economy: the COMMAP project. The Rethink Grant 2019 allowed 3 days meeting in Paris during which virtual mapping projects and methodologies, the various alternative technological tools and data processing have been shared and collected. Furthermore, another concrete result was the “Transformative Economies Lab” project. TEL is a collaborative investigation exploring, mapping, and articulating a practical, sustainable, equitable economy as it unfolds around the globe. The aim of the lab is to use an existing platform (Real Economy Lab) which provides a comprehensive picture of the projects, ideas, movements and networks offering viable alternatives to the mainstream market-based economic system, and to present this as a compelling case for wider coordination and support by all stakeholders.

3. Why is this relevant to the FundAction community?

All the values promoted by the Fundaction community such as peer collaboration and transparency are at the basis of the Commap project and have been shared by the different “mapping” initiatives of “resilient communities of actors engaged in progressive transformative change towards a regenerative economy”. Indeed, by deepening common grounds and criteria in sharing data and information about grassroots and citizen-led initiatives, their interactions, mutual cooperation and organising, it will be possible to amplify and connect the movements engaged in a just transition. Moreover, confronting methods and tools, can help creating a collective understanding and accountability.