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Friday 1 Nov to Sunday 3 Nov 2024
Crianlarich Youth Hostel
Station Road, Crianlarich FK20 8QN
PEN Residential Weekend 2024
Following on from last year's successful 'Ideas to Change the World' residential, we have more workshops planned to help activists and organisers situate their own work within the wider struggle that we all are facing together.
This year's weekend is structured around the topic "Whose Democracy Is It Anyway?".
The weekend will kick off on Friday evening with a warm-up session to get us all thinking about the role democracy plays in our own lives, with the main sessions throughout Saturday giving us the chance to explore both the practical and theoretical questions surrounding 'democracy'.
As in previous years, bed and board will be provided in the cost of the weekend. The event will take place in the village of Crianlarich, with accommodation in shared rooms in single-sex dormitories. A variety of different payment options will be offered, based on a 'pay-what-you-can' principle.
Given that 2024 sees over half the world goes to the polls -- and with the US presidential election taking place the following week -- there cannot be a better opportunity to spend time with other like-minded activists to discuss these and other related questions.
Come join us!
Crianlarich Youth Hostel
Set amidst stunning mountains, at the halfway point on the West Highland Way, Crianlarich Youth Hostel is the perfect base for anyone seeking an escape from the city.
The hostel is barrier-free, has a well-equipped kitchen, a sizeable dinning room and lounge area, free WiFi, with 14 dormitories sleeping a total of 58 people, with a mixture of ensuite and shared toilet and shower facilities.
The hostel is located in the quiet village of Crianlarich, which has a hotel and bar, village shop and tea room.
What Should I Pay?
The cost of the weekend includes optional travel to and from Glasgow to Crianlarich (by minibus), full board and all meals for the weekend.
PEN Scotland does not think cost should be a barrier to anyone participating in our events. While we make every effort to make our events free, our weekend school cannot take place without some costs involved.
Please contact us at penscotland@gmail.com if you wish to discuss payment options (including paying by installments) or just to know more about what our residential weekends are like
In order to make our events as accessible as possible, please decide to pay what you think you can reasonably afford.
We would encourage any salaried, full-time workers to consider paying 'rate 1'. The more people who are able to pay this rate, the greater number of subsidised places we can offer.
Subscribe to our mailing list before 16 June and get our 'Early Bird' discounted tickets at only £65.00!
Tickets on sale from 16 June 2024 via Eventbrite!
Rate One
£75.00
Rate Two
£45.00
Rate Three
Free / Donation
If you wish to attend the weekend at discounted rates 2 or 3, please email penscotland@gmail.com in the first instance to reserve your place. Otherwise, please use the Eventbrite page to register and purchase your ticket.
More about the weekend...
Over the course of the weekend, we will explore different themes and ideas related to democracy using popular education methods. Guest speakers and expert workshop organisers will lead the sessions we have planned.
Please check here regularly for any updates or changes to the schedule prior to the event.
Weekend Schedule
Friday 1 November
Session One: 20.00—21.30hrs
Conversations about Democracy
Workshop Lead(s): Frances Curran and Dawn Brennan
In warm-up exercise to get us thinking, Dawn and Frances will explore how to have difficult conversations with those we may disagree with.
Saturday 2 November
Session Two: 09.15—11.45hrs
Models of Democracy
Workshop Lead(s): David Green
Which models of democracy should socialists emulate given the constraints of capitalist, liberal democracy? Is majoritarianism all bad? In this reflective exercise, we will explore methods of democracy and how their principles can be put into practice.
Followed by a tea and coffee break.
Session Three: 11.15—12.45hrs
Will liberal democracy survive the 2020s?
Workshop Lead(s): Jiniology Committee Scotland
How can you devolve /horizontalize power in your own life? How do we live up to democratic ideals in our activism? Is it possible for us to draw up our own guidelines for embedding democratic practice in our own lives? This session will reflect on the “the sharing of experience through participation in communication” and ask us all to think about our own 'democratic self' through a series of self-reflection exercises.
Lunch: 12.45-14.00
Session Four: 14.00—15.30hrs
Stop the Press!
Workshop Lead(s): Alastair Brian (The Ferret) and Don MacKeen (PEN Scotland)
Social media has democratised news and opinion, with an overwhelming amount of information now accessible in seconds through our phones. We should be the most informed generation which has ever lived, yet most of us feel bombarded by news and unsure about what information we can trust. The proliferation of ‘fake news’, ‘disinformation’, ‘misinformation’ and conspiracy theories also pose a challenge for the left. How do we respond to far-right conspiracies? How do we challenge fake news, and those who accept such ideas as ‘fact’?
Participants may want to check out the following resources prior to this session to help contextualise our thinking:
Video: The Rise of QAnon (Channel 4, 2022)
Article: Dr Amanda Rogers, (2018): From ISIS to the Abortion Wars, America we need to talk.
Followed by a tea and coffee break.
Session Five: 16.00—17.30hrs
Will Democracy Survive the 2020s?
Workshop Lead(s): Jeff Meadowcroft
What should the Left’s response be to threats of democracy? Militantly opposing those who fail to defend democratic principles? Focus on promoting democratic procedures, regardless of the consequences? Or adopt an integrationist approach and focus more on social policies aimed at ‘community-building’? This session will give us the chance to talk about the more formal aspects of democracy (elections), to explore what the threats to democracy might be and if we can agree if there can be a Leftist response to these threats.
Dinner: 19.30-20.30
Sunday 3 November
Breakfast: 08.30-10.00
Session Six: 10.00—11.00hrs
Sharing our Learning
Workshop Lead(s): Dawn Brennan
A collaborative session where we reflect on what we have learnt over the weekend, create feedback on how well the weekend went, and think about how our learning can positively impact our own politics and activism.
Getting to and from Crianlarich...
Included in the ticket price is the cost of transport both to and from Glasgow.
A combination of cars and a minibus will be available for anyone wishing to make use of the collective transport arrangements in place.
The collection / drop-off point will be George Square in Glasgow. We will leave Glasgow at 5pm on Friday 1 November, and return at approximately 1.30pm on Sunday 3 November.
As much as possible, we encourage the use of car-sharing. If you do wish to take your own car to the weekend, please consider offering a lift to other participants and let us know by emailing us at penscotland@gmail.com.
