Dean Spade, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the next)

This book examines mutual aid, a model of collective support and collaboration to meet individual and group needs, usually stemming from recognition that systems in a capitalist society will not and has not met people’s needs. There are three key bedrocks of mutual aid: mutual aid projects work to meet survival needs and build shared understanding about why people do not have what they need; mutual aid projects mobilize people, expand solidarity, and build movements; and mutual aid projects are participatory, solving problems through collective action. The development of efficient, participatory, transparent decision-making structures and cultures of care and principled action is necessary for flourishing groups.

Group qualities that are helpful and encourage a model of mutual aid include flexibility, collaboration, realistic workloads, sustainable workflow, a real culture of wellness and care, direct feedback and growth, good work sharing, a fun, celebratory, and appreciative environment, clarity about procedures; transparency; etc.

Central to mutual aid are open meetings that consist of as many people making decisions and doing the work as possible, collective decision-making, supporting people facing the direst conditions, and direct aid work is connected to other tactics, including disruptive tactics aimed at the root causes of distress, amongst others. (see pgs. 61-64 for others)

This book also discusses the ability of mutual aid to prevent overworking and burnout. Burnout is created or worsened when individuals feel disconnected, mistreated, overburdened, misunderstood, perfectionist, or controlling. Signs of overwork and burnout include high stress when thinking about tasks being performed by others, feelings of resentment, not respecting group process, feelings of being overwhelmed, depression and/or anxiety, paranoia and distrust of others, over-promising and under-delivering, having limited boundaries, etc. Mitigating burnout can be done by:

1. Making internal problems a top priority.
2. Ensuring that new people are welcomed and trained to co-lead.
3. Establishing mechanisms that assess workload and scale back.
4. Build a culture of connection.
5. Rotating tasks.

This book is included, here, because the mutual aid model is used in other clinical contexts (eg psychology). Some clinics in Canada use aspects of a mutual aid model (although it is typically not called that). Ideas in this book are helpful to support clinics where students help other students either through co-learning or a “group leader” model.

Dean Spade, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the next) (London: Verso, 2020).