It was just recently that I became aware of a concept call Mutual Improvement Societies.
They sprung up in England around the 1800s with the goal of providing a source of education and self-improvement practice that had a more egalitarian structure than typical universities at the time. Society members worked together to help each other and they sourced curriculums from each others’ expertise as much as possible too. You can learn about it the way I did via this WiseCrack video on the perils of the self-help landscape.
The other important aspect of the project was that they were political in nature, looking to break away from the traditional power structures of the time and create a more socialized approach to education amongst themselves.
It’s quite possible that I have a rosy picture of how these societies operated and there isn’t much to be found via a typical Google search (this is one of the few interesting links I found), but from the little I’ve gathered about the concept, it very much aligns with a big part of the vision I’ve had for the New Narrative.
We can all stand to learn more about our world and the skills we need in it. These skills could have professional applications, or be more focused on personal growth and enrichment to be a more effective and empathetic friend, family member, and citizens in this world.
These days the need for such community-based education is also amplified by racial and structural inequality that persists in our world. We could all stand to learn more about how these systems came into place, how they can be taken down, and how liberation for all of us is tied up in the fight. This takes a level of empathetic learning and the ability to engage with systems that generally aren’t taught in other institutions that stand to benefit from the existing system.
On a personal level, these are topics I’m still learning about and I certainly don’t have all the answers; but I am excited to learn and hope that there is enough interest to incorporate these different aspects of learning and education into the future trajectory of The New Narrative.
If our goal is to create a better world, it’s certainly going to take a massive amount of ongoing education and re-education on all of our parts. The health, happiness, and liberation of all of us are going to be tied up in these opportunities for learning.
I’m always curious to hear how this resonates with you so feel free to leave a comment or reach out with thoughts too.
Thanks,
Nathan Young