Jonny Douglas - Designer, Curator, Compère

Be like Water: Becoming Nature Again with the River Dôn Project and Jonny Douglas Clean Water is part of our heritage and a basic Right of being alive. We should be able to drink from our river, swim in our seas. This week we explore the River Dôn Project which is working to create...

How can we re-forge our communities so they thrive?

The @riverdonproject.bsky.social in #Sheffield is #Bioregionalism in action: #AI & digital mapping to curate care for the river

accidentalgods.life/be-like-wate

#AccidentalGods #Podcast w @jonnydouglas.bsky.social of
@weareopus.bsky.social

Very kind Cuesta ‪@bajandoelpico.bsky.social‬, thank you 🙏

Be like Water: Becoming Nature Again with the River Dôn Project and Jonny Douglas Clean Water is part of our heritage and a basic Right of being alive. We should be able to drink from our river, swim in our seas. This week we explore the River Dôn Project which is working to create...

How can we re-forge communities of place, passion & purpose?

The River Dôn Project in #Sheffield is #Bioregionalism in action: #AI & digital mapping to curate care for the river

accidentalgods.life/be-like-wate...

#AccidentalGods #Podcast w @jonnydouglas.bsky.social of
@weareopus.bsky.social l

Such a privilege to talk about @riverdonproject.bsky.social with Manda.

Our only path forward is one of mutually assured flourishing. Hopefully this collaborative build is beginning to create some of the alternative realities that get us there together.

We want to use Now Then to build community power in Sheffield – but we need your help Traditional forms of journalism have let communities across our city down. That's why over the next few years we're looking at ways to use our platform and our skills to help build real community power.

❓ What does real accountability and trust look like in communities across Sheffield? How can we at Now Then use our platform and our skills as storytellers to build community power in the city?

We want to hear from you ⬇️
https://loom.ly/hr8rKmk

Opus team statement on the ban of Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws After their protest at RAF Brize Norton, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans to designate direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Palestine Action sprayed paint on military jet engines as a protest against the UK’s complicity in Israel’s genocide. This is not terrorism. Direct action is the heartbeat of our democracy, and the government’s draconian attempt to smear Palestine Action represents a dangerous moment for civil liberties in the UK. Since the Policing Act, protest has been curtailed and police have been given more power than ever to intervene in protests, and to arrest protesters. Our government have supported Israel’s genocide both politically and materially. Keir Starmer has refused to call Israel’s actions a genocide, when the UN, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have all done so. Recent data from Action on Armed Violence has found that the RAF have conducted more than 500 reconnaissance flights over Palestine since December 2023. The UK has sent thousands of military items to Israel since

October 2023. Just days ago, a study from Harvard found that Israel has “disappeared” 377,000 Palestinians, half of them children. Research published in the Lancet estimates the death toll is 40% higher than shown in official records. Israel are committing a genocide in Palestine, and they’re doing it with the support of the UK government. Sheffield is not unconnected to this genocide. Research from the University of Sheffield is used to provide vital parts for arms for Israel. The university has received almost £100m over the past 12 years in investments from arms manufacturers. BAE Systems have opened an artillery production facility in Sheffield, further cementing the city as a major player in arms production. Palestine Action have put their own freedoms at risk to call out the complicity of the UK government in supporting a genocide. In accusing them of behaving as a terrorist group, this government is further weaponising post-9/11 legislation which criminalises and demonises Muslims. We refute the allegations that Palestine Action are terrorists, and we challenge the government’s definition of terrorism. It will soon become illegal to express any support for Palestine Action. The nature of proscription also complicates how journalists can cover the group, a startling restriction of freedom of speech. At Opus, we work to make systems

change possible for a better world. We urge everyone in Sheffield and the rest of the country to agitate for Palestine Action’s right to protest, and our collective right to object to a genocide. We will continue to use our platforms to amplify groups like Palestine Action whose principled actions make a better world possible. Emergency mobilisation outside Sheffield Town Hall, Thursday 26 June, 5:30 pm

A statement from Opus on the government's decision to proscribe @palaction.bsky.social.

You can also read the full statement on our website, where all of our sources are linked.

➡️ weareopus.org/post/opus-te...

#PalestineAction

Brilliant Minds: BONUS podcast with Kate Raworth, Indy Johar & James Lock at the Festival of Debate We are honoured to bring to Accidental Gods, a recording of three of our generation's leading thinkers in conversation at the Festival of Debate in Sheffield, hosted by Opus. This is an unflinching co...

This bonus episode is a raw, unflinching conversation recorded live at #Sheffield #FestivalofDebate by @weareopus.bsky.social with 3 of the most brilliant minds of our time: @kateraworth.bsky.social
@indyjohar.bsky.social James Lock

accidentalgods.life/brilliant-mi...

#AccidentalGods #Podcast

Sign the petition: Block Thames Water bonuses Thames Water bosses are cashing in on a £3bn emergency bailout - while pipes leak and bills rise. Stop bonuses for failure. Sign the petition now to get the Government to step in: 👇

#ThamesWater are gonna take £3billion of our money as a bailout and pay themselves bonuses!!!

Imagine doing your job so badly that your company needs rescuing by the taxpayer and still getting 156% of your pay as a bonus!!

Sign the petition act.38degrees.org.uk/act/thames-w...

Watching @kateraworth.bsky.social and @indyjohar.bsky.social

"Care is the only thing that operates in complexity"

Been banging on about this for years. So good to hear it said out loud.

A photo of three people sitting on a stage in conversation with each other, in front of a screen with the words "In conversation with Kate Raworth, Indy Johar & James Lock"

"The economy is not just made up of the market and the state. In that boxing match we don't see the role of unpaid care work, the household, and the commons"

– 'Doughnut Economics' pioneer @kateraworth.bsky.social in conversation with Indy Johar and James Lock at Festival of Debate.

#FofD

A dark blue graphic with the Opus logo and the following text: Opus team statement on the Supreme Court ruling Last week, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 now excludes trans women on the basis of ‘biological sex’. The ruling relies upon the harmful idea that biological sex is both binary and immutable – something which is easily disproven and for which there is no scientific basis. This interpretation of biological sex not only excludes trans women from womanhood, but also entirely denies the existence of intersex people. In this case, the court chose only to hear from transphobic organisations, not from trans people themselves, and have reached a verdict which is blatantly unscientific and which will only sow further division. The legal repercussions of the ruling are as yet unclear, but it has the potential to do enormous harm to trans people in the UK – not just because changes in how equality law is interpreted will further exclude and marginalise people, but also because of the toxicity and dehumanisation this decision has once again unleashed in the media and in mainstream culture. This ruling has emboldened so-called ‘gender-critical feminists’ in the context of a media ecosystem which

routinely dehumanises trans people, and which could result in trans people being further denied access to life-saving services. Many of our politicians, figures in the mainstream media and media corporations themselves are responsible for normalising and legitimising the dehumanisation of trans people, which has led both to regressive policies, including reduced access to healthcare, and an enormous increase in the levels of harassment and violence trans people face on a daily basis. We must also acknowledge that this continuing erosion of the legal protections of trans people is being funded by powerful organisations and people that seek to further a regressive agenda worldwide. The underlying purpose of these attacks is to remove trans people from public spaces entirely, due to the threat trans inclusion would pose to patriarchal systems that enforce binary gender roles and uphold the brutal capitalist system we live under. We at Opus will always stand in solidarity with the trans community, including our trans colleagues and friends, for whom this ruling is both painful and scary, and has been followed by yet another wave of hatred and bad faith arguments. We will continue to use our platforms, such as Now Then magazine and the Festival of Debate, to amplify trans voices and fights for equal rights in Sheffield and beyond.

Our collective statement following the Supreme Court ruling last week.

A photo of three people standing at the edge of a room, speaking to an audience out of shot

A photo of a small room full of people, sat 'cabaret style' and listening to a speaker out of shot

A photo of a small room full of people, sat 'cabaret style' and speaking with each other in front of a banner on the wall with the words "SHEFFIELD WELCOMES REFUGEES"

"In the current system, young children are seen simply as 'empty vessels' to be imprinted with the tenets of neoliberalist ideology, and pitted against each other rather than encouraged to creatively collaborate and co-operate"

📅 Challenging Neoliberalism in Early Childhood Education

#FofD

A graphic with the words "Come and work with us at Opus" over a bright yellow background

In our three recent job ads, we failed to list our Equal Opportunities form and we didn't specify that we'll offer an interview to any disabled person who meets the criteria.

We've extended the deadline for all three, as we're seeking the strongest and most diverse field possible 🧵

#SheffieldJobs

Join Opus as our Operations Manager This role is centred around the smooth running of Opus’s day-to-day operations. This involves supporting and helping to maintain all the nut

Newsflash! 🚨

We've got three really exciting job opportunities for anyone who wants to join our work furthering systems change in #Sheffield and beyond.

First up, Operations Manager for the company (deadline: 30 April). Find out more about that one ⬇️

#SheffieldJobs

@mandascott.bsky.social @nowthenmag.bsky.social @festofdebate.bsky.social @riverdonproject.bsky.social

Now Then! Building networks of citizen power with James Lock of Opus in Sheffield Modernity is collapsing around us. So how can we compost its remains, to grow something constructive, generative, connected communities that can act as a bridge from where we are towards that future w...

It can be tricky understanding all the projects at @weareopus.bsky.social and how they fit together.

This wonderful (bias noted) episode of the #AccidentalGods Podcast gives a brilliant insight into from where, why and how things have grown and evolved ☺

accidentalgods.life/now-then-bui...

2025 ShAFF Non-Film Events We're proud to bring you a whole host of things happening over ShAFF weekend that aren't part of the film programme. Click 'Get Tickets'

Join us today at 5pm in the Showroom Café, Sheffield for our #shAFF Talk - 'Exploring the Future Rights of Nature'

FREE to attend
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2025-shaff...

#NotMyJoker 🃏

So much more than just an Adventure Film Festival.
Can't wait for #shAFF 2025, back at the Showroom Cinema

It could be #OurGenerationsNHS @mchshe.bsky.social ✊

A photo of a woman wearing a red coat leaning against what looks like a church door with her arms folded, and smiling at something off-camera. Superimposed on this image is the text "25 April. Kate Raworth in conversation with Indy Johar", with the Festival of Debate logo

BIG NEWS 🚨

Excited to announce our first headliner for Festival of Debate 2025! 💥

Kate Raworth is a "renegade economist" and pioneer of 'Doughnut Economics' – the idea that we can meet the needs of all while staying within our planetary boundaries.

Tickets ➡️ festivalofdebate.com/2025/in-conv...

The Basic Income Movement hosted a briefing on basic income and regrowth to MPs in Westminster last week

It was wonderful to have the chance to speak to MPs about why #UBI is good for the economy and society. We hope that MPs continue to explore the possibilities of basic income!

Artificial intelligence could help make UBI a reality 💷

But only if it's used well, writes UBI Lab Manchester's Alison Hawdale ⬇️

https://bit.ly/3EPsmdp

Exhibition flyer for fathom, featuring an image of a rowing boat flooding on the River Don at Kelham Island. The flyer says 'Faethm - The depths of the River Don'. Upper Gallery at Kelham Island Museum Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th March 2025, free entry.

Join us at Kelham Island Museum for fæthm, an exploration of the cultural and environmental significance of the River Don 🌊

The free exhibition will debut a public art installation at Kelham Island Weir and artworks from Hallam artist-researchers.

Find out more ⬇
www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-art...

Join the call to ask your MP to attend this briefing session on Basic Income and Regrowth at Westminster to help them understand the potential of Basic Income

To show your support, click on the link!

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ca...

What does the River Don mean to the people of Sheffield? Four people who live and work alongside the Don explore their relationship to the river and how it could be better cared for, as well as the positive and negative impacts it has on their lives.

"There's something about water, isn't there. People go where the energy flows"

New research by @sheffielduni.bsky.social student Oliver Eales explores how people who live and work alongside the Don relate to #Sheffield's biggest river. @sammgreg.bsky.social reports ⬇️

@riverdonproject.bsky.social

This is amazing. Via @nytimes.com

Signed copy

Proposal launched for groundbreaking Basic Income pilot in Greater Manchester A new pilot proposal has been launched for a groundbreaking scheme which experts say could eventually end absolute poverty in Greater Manchester, as well as improve the health and wellbeing of million...

Northumbria researchers have joined forces with @ubilabnetwork.bsky.social to develop a new report proposing a pilot for a Basic Income in Greater Manchester.

If taken forward, the pilot would initially involve hundreds of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

📰 Discover more:

Inside the new plan to give free cash to homeless people in Manchester A new basic income has been proposed for Greater Manchester which would see people experiencing homelessness given £1,600 a month.

Coverage in the @bigissue.com 📰⬇️

We believe this is the best way for @andyburnham.bsky.social to follow through on the commitment he made in his election manifesto:

▫️ "The logical next step, after the success of our Housing First pilot, is to bring forward a #BasicIncome pilot"

#BasicIncomeMCR