Looking to Help? Help Wanted! What is Mutual Aid?
Mutual Aid
Have you heard of the term, ‘Mutual Aid’? It’s definitely not a new concept and examples of communities coming together have existed since the beginning of time. Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen an increase in the Mutual Aid efforts here in Calgary and beyond. Mutual Aid can be defined as,
“Mutual Aid is a form of political participation in which people take responsibility for caring for one another & changing political conditions not just through symbolic acts or putting pressure on representatives but by actually building new social relations are that are more survivable.” - Dean Spade, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
Examples in the criminal justice system include efforts like community bail funds and prison letter writing projects. When it comes to housing, temporary housing for those aging out of the foster care system or getting organized to fight gentrification. The examples above demonstrate that Mutual Aid can convene, organize and support communities that are being impacted by our system. Communities that are often disproportionately marginalized, whether it’s their migrant status, disability, racial or sexual identities tend to be more often harmed. The concept of Mutual Aid is really the idea of those who need help get help and the resources to do so are for mutual benefit of everyone involved.
How is Mutual Aid Different?
1) Deepening Relationships
Those who participate in Mutual Aid efforts recognize the power of relationships. The relationships are developed best serving people by clearly understanding their needs. Mutual Aid is not just a moment in time, it’s a struggle and oftentimes is a commitment, it’s consistently meeting these needs. This allows for deeper realization of the issues, how people learn about each other and a deeper understanding what it means for the system to change.
2) How People Can Show Up
Often times help comes with an asterisk. Mutual Aid acknowledges everyone who needs help, unlike charity models there is no given criteria to get help and be part of the solution. Mutual Aid is typically non-hierarchal power distributions about how decisions are made. How people participate in mutual aid efforts are determined by their strengths and what it means for them to contribute.
