We've been in The Space Project for almost a month and things are
really starting to
come together. After a few workdays with loads of people helping
out it's looking great and a really inviting place to teach, learn, discuss and
read. People have really taken to the idea and we had events being
added to the timetable and held within just a few days of opening!

Two film nights have been hosted so far: one by No Borders, which has
been meeting
in The Space; and a one off event showing "The Revolution Is My
Boyfriend". We'll continue this next month with a week of films on the Italian
Workerist movement, part of Leeds Film Festival.

Last Sunday we were lucky enough to host one of only two UK speaking
dates by Jano
Charbel, a journalist and activist from Egypt. His reflections on
Egyptian society since the revolution, and his analysis of the
Anarchist movement
there were inspiring to hear, especially as the Occupy movement
springboards a new form of international solidarity. We played our own
small part in
the run up to the occupations by hosting meetings by Real
Democracy Now who occupied Millennium Square on the day of action.

November is looking like a busy month. Our first event will be a
report back from
Dale Farm. A number of people from Leeds went down to support the
travellers and attempt to stop the eviction; they will be talking about their
experiences and discussing how to form a Traveller solidarity group (Wed
2nd Nov).

Earlier this week we had the first talk in the radical history series,
"There Was
Struggle Before Us" by Shaun Cohen and he will be taking us round
some of the places in the city centre he talked about in a tour of
Leeds. Another
tour, "Leeds Turned Upside Down" (Sat 5th Nov), will look at the
radical past of Leeds and attempt to explore its possible future. We
will also be
hosting a talk by ex-miner and working class militant Dave Douglass
on his latest book "Ghost Dancers" and experiences of the miner's
strike. (Mon 14th
Nov)

The Space Project will be premiering our fortnightly film showing of
militant cinema
by joining a number of venues around the city as part of Leeds
Film Festival (Wed 3rd Nov – Sun 6th Nov). We will have a week of films on the
Italian Autonomist movement during the 60s and 70s, with the final
day featuring a talk by Federico Campagna, a translator of one of the films and
member of the London workers co-op book shop, Book Bloc. It will also
include a tour of some spots in the radical history of Leeds. Look out
for more film
showings following the festival!

November will also see the start of the critical pedagogy group "Reimagining
Education" (Sat 12th Nov). It will start with a talk by Sarah Amsler and
Sara Motta of the East Midlands Critical Pedagogy Group and members of
Really Open
University giving an introduction to the subject and its relation
to recent student struggles. Following that it will have the first
meeting of its
reading group later in the month. As part of Leeds Education
Activist Network conference (Sat 26 Nov), Really Open University will
be hosting a
talk by Mike Neary from the University of Lincoln. Mike has been
instrumental in the Student as Producer policy within the university and is now
involved in the new autonomous education project, The Social Science
Centre. Come and hear how someone is putting critical pedagogy into
action inside
and outside the university.
In the third week of November we will be having an open house meeting (Mon 21st
November). We aim to have these in the last week of every month so
people can be introduced to The Space, meet others involved in the
project, find out
what needs doing and what's been going on, and reflect on issues
surrounding education struggle and wider resistance. We'll also have December
newsletters ready advertising that months events if groups want to
distribute them.

October has seen the explosion of global resistance that is the Occupy
movement and
dates in November will be carrying that on. The 9th sees student
demonstrations marking the anniversary of Millbank. Struggles are
linked as striking
electricians involved in the Sparks campaign are now joining
them. On the 30th there will be national strikes from several unions,
including UCU
on campuses. The Space will play a part by hosting a talk by John
Holloway on that day, as he refuses to cross a picket line and takes
education out
of the university, as well as finishing the Education Activist
Network conference here with preparation for the strike. Look out for and get
involved in meetings around the strike throughout November from various
groups in Leeds.

Visit our website to keep up to date with events and news from The
Space Project:
spaceproject.org.uk

Strike/ Occupy/ Transform


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