From December 2024 onwards, RADIUS has started a monthly series of conversation dinners: the RADIUS MENSA. Every last Thursday of the month, RADIUS arranges a vegan meal and invites a speaker or initiative focussing on one topic related to climate change and their local, personal approaches to it. From everyday activism to climate depression, from the psychological impact of climate reports to the importance of civic initiatives and assemblies, all kinds of topics will be discussed. Come along and join us for a good conversation and a meal!

The RADIUS MENSA was born out of a desire to introduce a format within the public programme of RADIUS that bridges art and activism in order to connect the imaginative power of art with the agency of activists and social initiatives. Essential to this is the notion of ‘everyday activism’, as coined by Chris Julien. In his book Alledaags Activisme [Everyday Activism], Julien argues that it is precisely the everyday that provides numerous opportunities for systemic change. Here, he does not refer to a top-down form of systemic change, but to a bottom-up approach that sits between the individual and the systemic perspective and connects everyday actions to systemic change. Julien calls this the meso-scale of change: the layer where several individuals form a group that gradually grows until it reaches the macro-scale and can thus influence policy. Think of all kinds of initiatives that started small and gradually grew bigger and more visible to eventually be able to actually influence policy and thus bring about systemic change.

With the RADIUS MENSA, we want to introduce such initiatives to our audience, in order to show them that there are all kinds of ways to get involved in climate and systems change that match their specific qualities and interests. From starting a citizens’ assembly on your municipality’s climate policy, to starting a petition to ban airplane advertising in your hometown.

EARLIER EDITIONS

⌀ LABOUR RIGHTS FOR ANIMALS with Vakbond voor Dieren
15 May 2025

⌀ ECOCIDE with Stop Ecocide NL
17 April 2025

⌀ EVERYDAY ACTIVISM with Chris Julien
20 February 2025

⌀ BANNING FOSSIL ADVERTISEMENT with RECLAME FOSSIELVRIJ
23 January 2025

⌀ HEALTHY FOOD AS A BASIC PROVISION with PUBLIC FOOD
19 December 2024