5Ally based on the non-reproduction of relationships of domination

Our starting point:

• Individual and collective emancipation is not enough to combat relationships of domination and change society. It is collective solidarity actions that result from the decisions of committed people who contribute to this.

• Alliance is experienced between people from different backgrounds and groups who have taken various paths in life, but who all share the will to make the commitment to change society together. The participants of an alliance are therefore a mixed group.

• An alliance is a collaboration based on a shared vision. In the partnership, we will rather look for resources for the realization of an action.

• It is crucial for everyone to be aware of their place in the alliance: everyone must be aware of their own behaviour and that of others, and of relationships of domination. One of the conditions for taking collective action in solidarity, is to ensure that these relationships are not reproduced.

What we have learned

Impact studies of projects conducted by members of the Train to Transform collective were carried out in 2022. The cross-functional analysis of these studies highlighted lessons learned by the organizations regarding the concrete application of the six priorities for social transformation. Here is what we learned for priority 5 :

• When vulnerable people demonstrate that they can have a positive impact on the situation of other members of the community, there is a change in the way the community and local authorities view the social role that these people are able to play. They gain legitimacy, which amounts to increasing their symbolic capital [2]. This added social value means that more marginalised groups are viewed in a different light by those around them, because they produce social improvement that benefits other members of the community. This leads them to want to form new alliances.

An example of activities/actions: The International Solidarity Pépinière of FdH in France!

"We would like to see more and more socio-economic solidarity spaces where people gather, whatever their path in life may have been. The roots of the International Solidarity Pépinière spring from this intention. Collective action is at the heart here as well: each actor, the volunteer "tuteurs", employees, and donors plays their role to allow the "Pépin" to implement a solidarity project in direct connection with the populations abroad. This is what makes our proposal to the "Pépin" rich: experiencing the alliance of their own power to act with that of the populations committed to solidarity collectives abroad."

(2)Symbolic capital as a concept introduced by Pierre Boudieu. Cf. Priority 3