Lets do a survey or a Peopleās Assembly on it!
Without that kind of evidence from the actual stakeholders, weāll be able to show pros and cons for both sides of the debate, there are so many different contexts to any of the examples or research, either model implemented well will work, implemented poorly will fail.
I have been on a VLE in WA since November. The rate is higher than the dole, but about 1/4 what I could get in my profession. I quit a permanent public service professional job, to do this XR work. The VLE pays the rent and food for my family and that is about it - I am a supported volunteer, not a paid professional - there is a subtle yet large difference. I would be doing much of the work anyway, not because Iām being āpaidāā¦ but the strain of working a job, and doing the volume of work I was in a position to do was utterly unsustainableā¦I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to have applied and received the VLE, and for people to have continued to support that arrangement.
Thereās nothing glamorous in it, we do not have any money in the bank at the end of the week, but we are supported by the community, everyone knows the sacrifice, knows I am paid, knows that it is not āpaidāā¦if that makes sense!
So far, Iām not aware of any discontent about our VLEs, people are always thanking me/us for the work we do and have done. However, being in a VLE might mean that I wouldnāt hear of that! Hence, lets do a big survey or Peoples Assembly!
The issue of people being disenfranchised etc exists with or without paid people, and comes back to good SOS, Ways of Working, Regen, training, having exciting, escalating actions, having āwinsā, external factors like COVID, war, BLM - all that typical movement stuff. Other big movements in history had fulltime mobilisers - you bet they did! Supported either financially or directly with housing/food by their communities.
I do agree that an expectation that someone else will do the work is damaging - but Iād propose that applies regardless of VLEs or not. Again, good SOS, distribution of tasks and authority, empowering and enabling people to step upā¦ these are the things that fix it. The Mass Mob is extremely ambitious and utterly impossible to pull off if there is the hint that the VLEs are driving it, or even a central core/clique of unpaid people - success will rely on collective vision, team spirit and actively supporting people to take roles and tasks on. Iād contend that almost every single high-level amateur organisation has paid people somewhere in thereā¦ be they book-keepers, coaches, umpires, priests, tax accountants - someone is being supported to do the hard grind work that others wonāt do voluntarily, yet which is vital to the efficient and stable functioning.
There is certainly a danger to be avoided in embedding people into central rolesā¦ as we build up time, we also build up networks, contacts, skills that tend to make those people indispensible, rather than spreading that across more people, which is a more resilient way to do it. Itās important that VLE roles have a tight role/mandate, and that the accumulation of power is mitigated as much as practicable.
I disagree with the statements that we have little evidence that paid organising increases organising capacity - Lock The Gate amongst others (Forest groups, etc) have low numbers of organisers and have successfully kept fracking at bay here in WA at least, and have had several forestry wins in a row. Lock the Gate have been amazing at it. The volunteers are motivated by the cause, and are happy to have someone they can call who can answer their questions, or come and motivate or train them!
I also disagree that we have evidence that what weāve done unpaid is working very well - firstly, because much of the XR resources we use in Australia have come from UK, from the work of VLEs, and secondly because so far, we have not had āsuccessā - we have had progress, but we are still headed off a cliff, all state Govts and Federal Govt are still actively developing fossil fuels and cutting down forests. We are still engaged in international diplomacy to reduce action on climate. No XR group in Australia has been able to mobilise to the point of forcing negotiation with our Demands. The only group in the world that has done that, has done it with VLEs who have dedicated to mobilising masses of people in well-organised actions.
I really think it important not to second-guess people here - if it really is an issue letās just put it out there, ask them. Question might be:
āBased on some international experience, we think we need this many people to do this kind of work, to achieve this ambitious target- what do you think?ā
āDo you think we can get that many people to commit to that volume of work without having their living expenses covered? Would you be willing to take on one of those roles without financial support?ā
Thanks for the comments - itās good to flesh these things out! Especially this one!