This, our inaugural post, is to welcome you to ‘Pass it to the Left’; an idea concocted over cocktails that seeks to emulate the sharing of stories, experiences and debates by intelligent and questioning minds over coffee, a beer or the like. We know how smart and engaged so many of you are with the social, political and environmental issues facing communities across Canada and the world, and wanted to create a collaborative space that will feature articles, art, photographs, music, videos, event information and more, where you can feel free to develop your ideas and opinions, attend and report on events, ask questions and share and learn from each other.
A lot of people with important things to say are not given that opportunity, while it seems we hear from the same people over and over on certain issues. We understand that not everyone has a background in writing and not everyone is an expert on the subject matter they’re writing about, but we, and others, still value what you have to say. In today’s world, where the media can hardly be trusted to offer a fair and balanced account, we are increasingly turning to those around us who we know and trust to provide us with experience-based reports: real, raw, upfront and from someone just like you.
We hope that the stories and opinions shared here will help to combat mistrust, spread knowledge and most importantly, spread energy. The most valuable thing we take from a great conversation with an aware and passionate friend is the contagious energy they show for their issue of choice. These thoughts are the oil of culture and community and we want to keep that momentum going and to create something more with them. Whether you advocate against poverty or for greater environmental protections, for election reform or against a bill in Parliament, the energy that fuels participation in general can and should be shared. If we could bottle it and sell it we probably would, but what’s better is that we can give it to you here for free so we hope that when you read posts by our contributors, you feel their excitement, and that you take that with you, and pass it to the left.
On that note, we invite you, and you (and especially YOU!) to be a part of this and make it your own. Ask questions and share your answers with us! Did you attend a panel or forum that opened your mind to a struggle you had never thought about before? Share it with us! Did you watch a documentary and now want to tell the world about it and what it meant to you? Tell us about it! Attend an event and report on it for those who wish they could be there too. Develop an idea or an opinion so we can hear about it too! If your mind has been awakened by an injustice or a possibility, ours probably should be too! Why should the experience end as soon as the film, talk or juncture is over? Let’s keep it going!
Submissions can be emailed to PITTLeft@gmail.com and will be posted regularly. All we ask is that each post be written in an accessible, informative way and be accompanied by 3 ‘recommendations’, which are links, articles, books, events, websites or any other way readers who want to know more or get involved can. Please also include your full name and a photo of you we can add to our ‘Contributors’ page. We hope to hear from you, and learn from you, and that ‘Pass it to the Left’ might allow us all to contribute a little something to the global conversation.
Write on!
Sincerely,
Sarah Allan and Tracy Ramsay
