Celebrating the first Day of the Community Economy: a festival of collective energy, local initiatives, and a shared vision for a fairer and more sustainable future
What an incredible first-ever Day of the Community Economy we created together on Friday, June 20 at the Marineterrein! From the very first moment, the area buzzed with collective energy, collaboration, and joy. Even before the official opening, it already felt like a successful festival: participants shared a brunch prepared by local residents, helped with the setup, and immediately set the warm and welcoming tone for the day.
A Vibrant Market Full of Initiative
The market was the beating heart of the festival: a gathering of initiatives, cooperatives, and social enterprises sharing their stories, offering products, and seeking connection. For example, the food cooperative VoerVervoer demonstrated how to save food from the landfill—and then generously gave it away. At the clothing swap from the Marineterrein, you could browse for a new outfit without buying anything new. The Bieb der Dingen gave a sneak peek of their plans to set up a lending library for items and invited visitors to share their ideas about what absolutely shouldn’t be missing.
Even curious passersby, such as local residents out for a swim, joined in to learn more about this new way of thinking about the economy. In total, around 300 people visited the festival.
Workshops, Knowledge, and a Shared Dream
There were practical workshops on holacracy: a way of working together where decision-making is shared rather than hierarchically divided. Participants also learned how to build a strong revenue model through sessions like From Neighborhood Power to Budget Power and Amsterdam Dealmakers.
A special workshop was Neighborhood Prepping: a perspective on doomsday prepping that emphasized that, besides having radios and water at home, strong neighborhood networks are especially important in times of crisis.
Alongside these practical sessions, there was also deep reflection on the bigger picture. Strategic discussions took place about Community Wealth Building: an economic approach aimed at keeping money and value within the neighborhood through local purchasing, local ownership, and support for neighborhood businesses. The talks also explored how to create more space for initiatives like energy cooperatives.
The Assembly
At the end of the day, a cheerful brass band led us to the Assembly, where more than 90 people participated in a “fishbowl” conversation. In this format, four chairs are placed on stage, and anyone from the audience can take a seat to join the discussion. This inclusive debate format gave everyone a chance to contribute. Engaging conversations emerged around values like reciprocity and trust, structural change, and the role of funding and money. The role of politics was also discussed; for example, how siloed thinking within municipalities can make it difficult for initiatives to navigate the community economy. Alderman Rutger Groot-Wassink attended to receive the start of the manifesto. Our debate and dialogue will help shape the Manifesto for the Community Economy, which will be published soon.
We ended the day with a glass of champagne. What this day made especially clear: the community economy is alive. And it is growing. By bringing together people from all sectors, from community initiatives to policymakers, we’re building an economy that is just, more caring, and is governed by all of us. We hope to see each other again next year for the second edition of the Day of the Community Economy.
All photos by Mark Klaverstijn.