What is Eudemon?
In Greek mythology an eudemon was a genie or benevolent spirit that acted as an
intermediary between gods and human beings. Thus, whoever had the good fortune to have the support of an eudemon would receive transcendental advice that would allow them to act wisely.
As a work team,
the Eudemon project endeavours to give support to any public or private entities, individuals
and groups that wish to contribute to the resolution of shared problems through collective cohabitation and co-creation.
As a space of convergence,
it aims to be a channel to bring knowledge on facilitation, conflict resolution, governance and
social change to the management of specific socio-ecological conflicts.
As a philosophy,
it strives to inspire social transformation with understanding and moderation as a starting
point, and to convey the conviction that today's eco-social challenges are the key to creating a
more harmonious, just and sustainable world.
What needs does it address?
Eudemon was conceived to fill a gap detected in the field of public and business policies
with regard to the resolution of conflicts.
Despite the proliferation of socio-ecological conflicts observed for decades in Catalonia and Spain, there is no consolidated theoretical and practical corpus that defines, analyzes and generates specific resolution proposals to address them.
Furthermore, there is little accumulated experience in the dialogical and consensual management of socio-ecological conflicts and an interest that is still at an embryonic stage in applying these methods in the management of public affairs.
Eudemon was born to provide a certain insight and praxis regarding socio-ecological conflicts.
A negative and limited vision of conflict that reduces it to a confrontation between interests or a struggle for power continues to predominate. There is a lack of understanding of its complexity which can be discerned through an in-depth analysis and, especially, through the practice of mediation.
Very often, when environmental conflicts are addressed in non-adversarial ways, either a goal-oriented vision which limits the intervention to the achievement of an agreement is adopted, or it remains at the level of public consultation. What is forgotten is the creative potential of the conflict and the process of resolution as an instrument of socio-political transformation for eco-social change.
What motivates us?
The will for socio-political transformation.
We imagine a future with a new way of doing politics: A society that makes decisions, governs itself and solves its problems through dialogue, made up of co-responsible people who support a participatory democracy.
A governance that understands conflicts as an attribute of plural societies and as an indication of a healthy expression of reciprocal limits; one that incorporates the treatment of these conflicts as a mechanism for defining a common future.
We are committed to a territorialized governance that encourages people to take leadership and action in ecosocial change at the local/regional level and that facilitates the prevention and resolution of socio-ecological conflicts.
Spirit of research and innovation
When we observe the ecosocial situation, we see a complex, rich and challenging reality that never ceases to fascinate us; a reality that we explore with curiosity and perseverance, and which drives us to place the epistemological issue at the center of our work.
We are committed to rigor in the gathering of information and to the democratization of knowledge. And, aware of the magnitude of the current challenges and their comprehension, we devote ourselves to the act of understanding from a place of humility and eagerness to learn.
We defend hands-on inquiry, research-action, participatory investigation. That is to say, transdisciplinary, plural and situated methods of knowledge generation. That is why our way of approaching conflicts arises from the dialogue between theory and practice, and from constant methodological innovation.
Dedication to service.
We know what it is to experience miscommunication, discomfort or disavowal among people and groups; to feel frustration, discouragement or disorientation when challenges seem unsolvable and conflicts become chronic; and how important it is to receive help in these critical moments.
We are fulfilled by the thought that we can accompany these situations with understanding, support and optimism. We would like to be a guide, which helps to orient the view and to make sense of what is happening. We aim to transmit calmness and security and to offer tools that help to get through the difficulties.
We feel comfortable providing horizontal support, convinced that solutions emerge from the collective process and that our role, as one among other agents, is to amplify the chances of success and make the process more pleasant.
Eagerness for a paradigm shift.
We believe that we are facing a civilizational crisis that requires a cultural, structural
and relational transformation. We think that as a society we need to find new ways of relating with natural resources, with nature, with people, with ourselves. Therefore, alongside the economic, political and environmental viewpoint, it is necessary to include the social perspective.
We would like for this ecosocial transition, in which we are already immersed, to take place in a fair, inclusive and truly transformative way; for us to be capable of embracing the diversity of visions and realities that exist in order to make them converge into a common project.
We want to contribute to the construction of this new world and for this reason, we are committed to developing still embryonic work strategies, to promoting initiatives that we believe are necessary, and to partnering with other experiences and agents of change.