The Field is an experiment in collectively creating and sustaining a neighbourhood resource in New Cr It is controlled directly by the people who use it.
The Field is an experiment in collectively creating and sustaining a neighbourhood resource centre in New Cross. We are a group of local residents working, without a budget, but with the help of many others in the area, to transform a derelict building into a community space managed by those who use it. Our hope is to work with others in the neighbourhood to create and sustain an open, diverse and
lively space, where we are able to feel a sense of ownership, agency and possibility, to do things together and for ourselves. The Field is based on the basic principle of direct participation - meaning that the project and the space are controlled by those who use it, and no-one else. That means there are no managers, and no external organisation or individual controlling what happens here. It means that this project is not about charity or provision - where one group provides a service for another - but about working together to identify our own needs and provide solutions for ourselves. It is also about 'transversality' - we aim for this project to be a place that anyone can use, and anyone can participate in running, though we know that there are many barriers to people being able to participate equally in a project like this - being able to speak English, for example. We aim to be an actively inclusive group, challenging discrimination of any kind, for our organisational structure to be transparent and understandable, to allow anyone to participate in a way that they want. This project is not funded, or controlled in any other way by an external organisation - like the council, a charity or ngo. The project is structured into 'working groups' - groups of people with a particular interest or skill who co-ordinate work in that area (currently Building, Garden, and Economy); most of the work is done, and decisions are made, in these groups. Every two weeks there is a 'general meeting' where members of each working group update everyone else on their work, propose any important decisions that need approval from the rest of the group, and receive support and feedback. This larger meeting is also an opportunity to talk together about the project as a whole, any particular problems or successes, our longer term 'vision' and weather we are working according to our principles.
