Governments and corporations promote airports as a sign of progress and with promises of ‘development’. In reality, the construction of airports and associated infrastructure drives people off their land, destroys livelihoods, plunders water and fertile soil and...
AviAction: Stay Grounded Action Conference
Save the Date: 5-9 October 2022 in Lille
We want to build global alliances and discuss strategies against the aviation industry
We want to listen to each other’s experiences about previous actions and tactics against the aviation industry and make plans for new ones
We want to think together about how we communicate and how we can counter the aviation industry’s narratives with a joint voice
We want to support local struggles against airport expansions
AND…. we want to finally get together again and connect as a growing global movement against the dangerous growth of aviation and the industry’s greenwashing while strategizing together in the fight for a global fair mobility system.
© Kristoffer Schwetje Fotografie
© Christian Bock
© Tim Wagner
After the setback of the Covid-19 pandemic the aviation industry is planing to return to pre-covid flight loads and goals for growth despite being one of the fastest growing and most climate-destructive sectors.
We cannot let this happen: faced with the decades-old inaction of world leaders and the constant use of greenwashing and neo-colonialist tactics by the aviation industry and politicians, we need to join together as a united force ready for action, with renewed power and enthusiasm!
To kick this off, this October, the Stay Grounded network is joining together with NADA (Non à l’Agrandissement de l’Aéroport), an organization resisting airport expansion in Lille, for a conference directed at taking action to reduce aviation. The conference will be a place to reunite with activists from all over Europe and beyond and to welcome new faces to the movement. We’re going to share experiences and ideas for aviation-related actions, discuss tactics and strategies to reduce air traffic and think about what can be the most effective ways of mobilizing for the global fight against airport expansions and dangerous greenwashing but also strategize on how to advance measures like a frequent flyer levy, bans on flights and improvements of alternative grounded mobility.
The conference will culminate in an action against the Lille-Lesquin Airport expansion, and it will also serve as the breeding ground to kick-off a global day of action in 2023.
Programme
The conference workshops and panels will be focused on actions to counter aviation and the different aspects involved in taking action against the industry. These sessions will be a place to share experiences, think about what has been done and where we are in the struggle of countering aviation. We will also discuss why actions are important and build new ideas for strong actions and strategies. Some of the main questions that we want to answer are:
- What role do actions play in our theory of change?
- How can we take actions that build unflinching global solidarity?
- Who to target and what tactics to use?
- How to use communication to inspire people through our actions and to move forward with our demands?
Wednesday, 5 October |
|
| Evening |
|
Thursday, 6 October |
|
| Morning |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| Evening |
|
Friday, 7 October |
|
| Morning |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| Evening |
|
Saturday, 8 October |
|
| Morning |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| Evening |
|
Sunday, 9 October |
|
|
|
How to participate in the conference?
Register now!
It’s important that you register early so we can plan ahead in terms of accommodation and food, and include transportation expenses in our budgets (if you need financial support).
Help us organize the conference
We still need support to make this happen! If you are interested in supporting the organizational process for the conference, please send an email to actionconference[at]stay-grounded[dot]org. Please tell us if you have experience in aviation-related actions and what you could/would like to contribute.
A flight-free conference
The action conference will be flight free. We don’t want people to be hindered from participation because of money, so we have a small budget to support travel costs. Please indicate in the registration from if you need support for travel costs. The panels, keynotes and some of the other sessions will be offered in a hybrid format to allow participation by our members and allies from all over the globe. Even so, we want this to be a moment for people to join together again in person, and we strongly encourage everyone from countries reachable by grounded transportation, to join us in person.
The conference will mainly be held in English, with interpretation into French and partly Spanish.
Call for workshops
We want the AviAction – Stay Grounded Action Conference to be a space of shared experiences, ideas and inspiration for the anti-aviation movement to grow stronger and take to the streets with bolder and more effective actions. We welcome contributions from all parts of the movement. Therefore, we invite you and your organization to submit proposals for workshops until 15 August. The format of the workshops is open, but we encourage organizers to try to balance expository methods (which are important to consolidate a common ground) with more interactive approaches (allowing everyone to contribute to the discussions). We welcome workshop proposals covering one of the following thematic categories:
Introduction to aviation & climate justice
workshops on this category are meant to provide basic facts and knowledge about aviation & climate justice and why we need to get active. They should be designed in a way that they don’t require previous knowledge (e.g. workshops on greenwashing in aviation or injustice of aviation)
Exchange & counseling
workshops in this category are meant to present successful action strategies, exchange experiences on past actions & lessons learned and create a space for discussion on how to move forward (e.g. adbusting action)
Communication & narratives
workshops in this category look at how we communicate about our actions, what tools we need, what messaging works best and why (e.g. workshop on social media strategies for civil disobedience actions or new narratives to counter greenwashing)
Other
do you have a great idea for a workshop that doesn’t fit in these categories? You can still submit your idea and we will see if there’s a way to fit it in the program.
Please, fill in the following form to submit your proposals. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of August. If you have any questions, write to us at actionconference[at]stay-grounded[dot]org.
