Who are we?
GIE are the initials of“Exchange and Production Group”.
This group has been created by the Catalan Mental Health Congress Foundation to think about and process the catastrophic social situation we are experiencing, from a multidisciplinary perspective.
In addition to the personal and social discomfort that led us to create the GIE, another driving force has been the realization that we lack the theoretical and experiential tools for exercising what we call Participatory Democracy.
What do we do?
The GIE is a meeting and exchange space to generate social action. Those invited are people of different generations, professions, and trades who need to talk and think together about situations of individual and collective discomfort, generated in the current social context, in order to find collective and community-based, realistic, and sustainable responses.
The first experience was the creation of a group with over seventy participants, and a continuous working core of about twenty-five. The experience is organized around the spontaneous communication of the participants, which is then collected using a work method: a set number of sessions and a predetermined schedule, collection of minutes from working sessions and other organizers of communication and thought.
The first part of the experience consisted of 10 two-hour work sessions at the plenary level.
At the fifth meeting, while discussing the constituent process, a participant said:
«The possibility of creating our own state is being discussed, something new is being discussed: A NEW COUNTRY!! Perhaps we could propose a country that works well. Don't we have journalists, economists, psychologists, artists, etc.? Then let's propose a new country that we would like, with some basic principles. Let's think about it, because this is something we can all do...
Who wants to create a new country???”
From this, the creation of a subgroup for the creation of a Decalogue for a new country.This experience was presented at the Fifth Catalan Congress of Mental Health in June 2013.
The second part consists of launching three two-year work projects.
1- Decalogue for the construction of a new country.
2- Creation of new GIEs.
3- GIE Experience with Secondary School Students.
The three experiences are in the gestation period and open to participation by interested persons.Last year we went through the decalogue and are now working on the second round and concretization for the development of a document that captures the process of thought and imagination of a new country. The process of dreaming a country. The country we would like to live in.
With the violence we are exposed to every day, we think that this process of training in participatory democracy takes care of us and helps our mental health.
How can I participate?
You can attend all sessions or only one, either to participate actively or to listen. The meetings are held once a month and last for two hours. Each month, a topic from the decalogue is discussed: information is expanded, rethought, rewritten, etc.
Who is part of the group?
Initial promoter group (5th CCSM)
Lara Díez, Teresa Galligó, Jordi Marfà Vallverdú, Jordi Marfà Vives, Benedetta Rodhegiero, and Àngels Vives
Actual Promoter Group:
Lara Díez, Teresa Galligó, Shelly Andrade, Núria Mata, Leandro Carmona, Lucía Serra, Tessi Morandi, Mercedes Delgado and Àngels Vives.
Members (who have participated or are participating)
Albert Escala, Alicia Capdevila, Alicia Golijov, Alvaro Armendáriz, Àngels Vives, Ania Bech, Anna Miñarro, Anna Saperas, Arantxa García, Assun Reyes, Benedetta Rodeghiero, Bernat Llaberia, Carmen Marfà, Carmina Puig, Cristina Bigas, Dani Ulloa, David Clusa, Diego Quiroga, Edgar Vinyals, Eileen Wieland, Elena Carcelen, Elena Maggi, Emma Silvan, Ernest Planes, Gerard Fisa, Hafsa Chbani, Hector Grimberg, Irina Salzberg, Isabel Hernández, Juan José Tolosa, Joan Baptista, Jordi Marfà Vallverdú, Jordi Marfà Vives, Jordi Plana, Josep M. Armengou, Júlia Arnó, Júlia Salvador, Julieta Grimberg, Lara Díez, Lavínia Vila, Leandro Carmona, Lourdes Castell, Lucía Estrella Serra, Ma Àngels Piera, Magali Serra, Magda Puig, Maria Luz Abad, Mercedes Delgado, Mery Schwartz, Monserrat Puiggrós, Montserrat Rigol, Nadia Tolda, Noa Corredoira, Norma Ros, Núria Mata, Nuria Mestre, Olga Fernández, Paty Blumhofer, Pau Nadal, Pilar Sullá, Ramon Bonvehí, Remei Tarragó, Ricardo Montoya, Rosa Chico, Roser Cambray, Sandra Pinyol, Santiago Eizaguirre, Santiago Latorre, Shelly Andrade, Tania López, Teresa Codina, Teresa Galligó, Teresa Morandi, Teresa Morros, Teresa Rossell, Vanessa Serrano and Xavier Plana.
If you want more information or to participate in the group, contact us at: info@fccsm.net
Interview conducted with the Exchange and Development Group
Lara Diez (GIE spokesperson):
«We want everyone to dare to imagine and express what the country they want to live in is like.»
We invite you to read the’ full interview
Working Group Referrals
1.- Decalogue - Lara Díez, Josep Ma. Armengou
2. We GIEs – Mercedes Delgado, Nuria Mata
3.- Education – Shelly Andrade, Leandro Carmona