January 18-30: Pioneer Valley Mobilization for Another World

With our diversity which is our strength, we invite all men and women to undertake throughout this week creative actions, activities, events and convergences focusing on the issues and expressed in the ways they choose.

This local mobilization is part of the World Social Forum's Global Days of Action. Throughout the world people are acting to resist oppression and create another world. (Read More...)

October: A New DC Conference Tackles Globalization, Widening Wealth Inequality, Inequality and Climate Change

On October 5th-7th, more than 90 distinguished economists, social scientists, and political activists will speak at a national conference in Washington, D.C. about the goals of the U.S. economy and how well it is meeting our quality-of-life, justice and environmental needs. Open to the public, the conference will launch a national campaign to promote public discussion not just about the health of the economy, but about its fundamental purpose and priorities.
“We’ve called the conference ‘What’s the Economy For, Anyway”” says organizer John de Graaf, “because that’s the key issue. We all have to ask deeper questions about ends to get smarter answers about means.”

Can we get out of Iraq & stay out of Iran, without impeachment?

This coming Thursday, February 22, from 7 p.m. sharp to 8:30 p.m., at Amherst Community TV, 246 College Ave. (Route 9), phone 413.256.1010. $45,086,105 and counting.... That's the bill for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq for the Town of Amherst alone.National Priorities Project; http://costofwar.com With the proposed escalation of troop levels in Iraq, two U.S. carrier strike forces now in the Persian Gulf, and the recent escalation of U.S. presidential pronouncements about Iran, American citizens' engagement with the intertwined Iraq-Iran constitutional, diplomatic, financial, legal, and militaryissues has become ever more urgentACTV will generously record this Community Conversation for later broadcast.

July: Summer Institute 2006; Amherst, MA

CPE's Summer Institute is a week long intensive training in economics for activists, educators, and anyone who wants a better understanding of economics. We focus on how economic systems impact our lives and work every day. Trainings are highly participatory and build on the knowledge and experience of our participants. U.S.

Economy topics include:
-Race, Class and Gender
-Labor and the workplace
-Macroeconomics: fiscal and monetary policy
-Introduction to international economics

International Economy topics include:
-Brief history of the global economy
-International Trade
-International Production
-International Finance

No background in economics is necessary. For more information, read the official Summer Institute information site. As always, you can contact CPE by email: programs@populareconomics.org Or call us at (413) 545-0743.

June: Globalization and Economic Alternatives workshop; Amherst, MA

SAGE and CPE will hold a participatory workshop on Globalization and Economic Altenatives.

Topics will include:
Globalization, neoliberalism and their connections to inequality
and unsustainable growth
Why we need an alternative economy
Stepping stones to an alternative economy

Bangs Community Center, Room 101. 70 Boltwood Walk. Amherst
Thursday, June 8. 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm.

May: Building a Western Mass.
Social Forum (potluck); Springfield, MA

"Another World Is Possible." This is the slogan of the World Social Forum. Since its first meeting Brazil, in 2001, the World Social Forum has become the largest gathering of social movements in the world. The Social Forum is united in its opposition to neoliberalism (ie. the dominant economic model that of free market, free trade, minimal government, privatization, deregulation) and imperialism, and in their commitment to building 'another world,' grounded in sustainability and social justice.
There have been numerous regional social forums throughout the world, including one in Boston in 2004. We invited people interested in developing the World Social Forum to discuss the possibilities over a potluck dinner. Background information about the movement can be found at the website for the World Social Forum.

The Economics of Fear workshop, Amherst MA

SAGE and CPE held a participatory workshop on The Economics of Fear.

Topics will included:
-Profits of war, prisons, national and personal security
- Subduing the working class in the U.S. - fear and threats

April: Workshop: Shining a Light on Poverty: The Effects of Poverty on Teaching & Learning; Keene, NH

CPE will presented two workshops at a conference at Keene State College. The conference was titled Shining a Light on Poverty: The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning and What Can Be Done to Reverse this National Tragedy.

Our workshops:

Understanding the Roots of Poverty
As educators we need to understand the structural, institutional and cultural roots of poverty. This interactive workshop will taught a method for understanding the political economy (power, ownership and money relations) of poverty and explore different approaches to reducing poverty.

Poverty, Race and Education
This interactive workshop explored the links between poverty, race and education. We examined the role of policies or trends such as privatization of schools, No Child Left Behind, Zero Tolerance, and the increasing segregation by race and income in schools.

March: Intro to the Economy
SAGE and the Center for Popular Economics presented an participatory workshop titled: Intro to the Economy.

Topics included:
Understanding class - a power/ownership analysis
Understanding the money-go-round of capitalism
What do race, class and gender have to do with the economy?

March-April: Popular Economics Institute; New Haven, CT

This was an eight session Popular Economics Institute for Christian Community Action in New Haven. The sessions include Introduction to Political Economics, U.S. Economy, Welfare & Poverty, International Economics, Cost Benefit Analysis, Labor & Living Wages, Race & Gender, and Anti-war Economics. Most of the participants were low-income, women of color.

April: Social Security Workshop at WILD Conference

At the Women's Institute for Leadership Development conference, CPE hdld a workshop on Social Security.

April - May: Training for Trainers - Economic Empowerment; Holyoke, MA

CPE and the Community Education Project provided five Training for Trainers workshops for Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers in Holyoke. The five workshops included: Economic timeline; Political Economy of Health, Local to Global Health: HIV/AIDS; Budget Activism; and a wrap up curriculum development session. In the last session the ABE teachers shared curriculum that they have developed using material from our trainings.

May 16: Free Trade and Women Consultation; Amherst, MA

This day long consultation explored the impact of the ‘free trade’ agenda on women, their families and communities. Issues included job losses, privatization and cutbacks in social programs, environmental de-regulation, and migration. We brought together academics and activists from labor, faith-based, community and women’s groups in the region.
It is one of a number of consultations that took place across the U.S. Our goals were 1) To raise awareness, understanding and mobilization on the issue of women and trade and 2) To gather feedback from a broad spectrum of organizations and activists about how their communities and constituents, particularly women, have been affected by trade liberalization.

July 31-August 31: Summer Institute; Amherst, MA

During our Summer Institute, we held following speaking events:

INFECTIONS AND INEQUALITIES:
Improving Access to AIDS Care and Treatment in Haiti and Boston with Heidi Behforouz, MD, Partners in Health and PACT (Prevention and Access to Care and Treatment). A discussion of community health promoter-based approaches to improving quality care for marginalized HIV-positive patients in disparate settings.

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE: IS IT ACHIEVABLE?

Universal Healthcare:
Why We Can't Get There From Here with John Abramson, MD, author of Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine. A look at the role of corporate interests in explaining why, despite overwhelming public support and the greatest per person GDP, does the U.S. remain the only industrialized country without universal healthcare?

The Physician's Proposal for National Health Insurance:
with Sarah Kemble from Physicians for a National Health Program and Community Health Center of Franklin County. The increasing corporate control over healthcare has created new political openings and alliances for single-payer health programs.

(FILM NIGHT)

Immigrant Experience:
The Long, long journey, dir. Joan Micklin Silver. A Polish immigrant family in turn of the century America. Study of life without social safety net or government regulations.

Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin.
A classic and brilliant satire on the age of industrialism. Wonderful humor and insight.

Roger and Me, dir. Micheal Moore.
Michael Moore’s hilarious attempts to confront GM President, Roger Smith against the poignant background of the devastation of Flint Michigan due to GM plant closings.