Some important changes have however taken place:

• what could be called political changes; this time around, the "official" events - the enormous gatherings of almost 10,000 people featuring the handful of big names in alternative-globalisation and anti-globalisation - are making room for a wealth of independent events managed by hundreds of organisations and networks from all over the world. To get a better idea of this process, please read the editorial from Nicolas Haeringer ;
  
  
• physical changes have also been implemented, with each of the 11 thematic terrains corresponding to a physical area, a sort of solidarity-based village following the example of the Paris European Social Forum. The village the village hosted the seminars and workshops organised by the various networks and associations as well as information stands, food stalls, and so on.
  
  

What of the solidarity-based economy networks?

We have won a first and significant victory: the WSF organisers realised that the solidarity-based economy is the movement most capable of raising the profile of the "another possible world", and with concrete results. The Organising Committee therefore asked the FBSES, the Brazilian solidarity-based economy movement, to give the entire Forum, rather than just their own activities, a practical and cross-cutting dimension. And, naturally enough, this process needed to be undertaken in collaboration with solidarity-based economy networks from other countries and continents. This has given our networks a number of advantages:

A new methodology

The new methodology proposed by the WSF has also given the solidarity-based economy networks a little taste of victory. The process proposed by the WSF International Council is strangely similar to the process adopted by these networks since the very first WSF. To use the vocabulary of the International Council, for the last 3 years the solidarity-based economy networks have formed an "aggregate group" and have been proposing a joint programme of workshops and seminars - made possible by the French, English and Spanish lists opened and managed by the WSSE. We even had a printed programme specifically for Mumbai with the names of 42 networks in this "aggregate" group!

The taste of victory is however mitigated by the fact that Terrain 6, the terrain that most closely corresponds to solidarity-based economy seminars and ateliers, is called: Sovereign Economies, for and of the people (that does'nt express the notion of solidarity between people).

This terrain is where the activities organised by the WSSE workshops took place. Our programme will give you an initial idea of what they are.