Den Grønne Studenterbevægelse (DGSB) (EG: The Green Student Movement), is a national youth climate group in Denmark. Our goal is to create political action on all levels, and actively fight for system change and sustainable alternatives to the kind of society and way of life that is currently taking place at the expense of the environment, the climate and the people of the world. We work together in a goal-oriented community based in action. We strive to fight the growing climate apathy, and we believe that solutions to the climate crisis demand individual change, but especially drastic structural and institutional change.
In order to sustain our work we need a healthy and resilient movement to facilitate the health and resilience of all people working in DGSB.
Here are some of the things we practice:
No membership: Unlike many other political organisations it is not possible to be a member of DGSB and therefore there is no participation fee. This means that there is no clear distinction between ‘in or out’ of the movement other than the one you choose yourself. There is no pressure to identify as a member or as an ‘activist’. You can negotiate your relation to the movement for as long as you want. Most people prefer the term ‘active in DGSB’. This open approach helps build a community rooted in action and not identity, community and not the individual.
Flat structure: There is no elected president, leader, or chosen spokesperson of DGSB. Having a flat structure means that DGSB does not exist unless people take ownership of the movement and responsibility for creating the activities that are DGSB as well as the tasks that are necessary for the movement to function. Naturally, some people have been active longer than others and therefore have more experience and knowledge on certain things and/or have more time and mental capacity to generate ideas and take responsibility.
A flat structure means we need to trust each other and accept different points of view. It is necessary to work with what we can agree to do or say at the center, and less with what we don’t agree on. It is important to work in teams, ensure good communication and be open about doubts.
Check-in: We strive to practice ’check-in’ in all work-groups. This means we begin meetings with a short check-in round, where everyone shares how their day has been, what they have planned, and how they feel. Check-in fosters understanding and trust and creates a space where it is okay to say no to a task or a position of responsibility. Check-ins are key to good communication in DGSB.
Monday Workshop: Every other Monday evening we have a so-called ’Monday Workshop’. The main goal is “to create room for reflection and action”. Monday Workshops are a kernel in our action-focused work. All people working in DGSB are invited.
We start out with announcements, where we share information that is relevant for everyone, such as dates for a planned demonstration, a twitter-storm etc. Then new projects are presented, and people join new and old working-groups for about 30 min. This is a great place for collecting the loose ends of existing projects or generating ideas together about new projects. Then we have closing-announcements, where information from the working-groups is presented in a quick manner. We end the evening with a common dinner prepared by a team of volunteers.
We continuously explore how to create better structures and practices in our movement. Practices and structures that lift us up and keep us going, when we are faced with inadequate climate action from our elected leaders in Denmark and in the world.
