WEAll Hubs Guide

WEAll is a global network of organisations, communities and individuals working together to transform the current economic system into one that prioritises the wellbeing of both people and the planet.

WEAll was founded in 2018 and it emerged from a collaboration between organisations, academics, and activists who wanted to be greater than the sum of their parts. Since its inception, WEAll has engaged in research, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing initiatives to drive change at local, national, and global levels.

By providing a platform for collaboration, sharing best practices, and amplifying the voices of those advocating for a wellbeing economy, WEAll has helped advance the global movement for economic transformation.

Our route to mainstreaming and bringing to life the vision of a Wellbeing Economy is to build power, collaborations, and excellence of outputs, rather than by competing for space and influence with potential allies.

WEAll’s staff is a supportive team of ‘Amplifiers’, who aim to meet the need for alignment, coordination, and amplification. While playing an influential role in the promotion of wellbeing economics concepts, the ‘Amp Team’ mostly acts as connectors and facilitators, aiming to ultimately support power bases to lead the change. We operate as a horizontal, non-hierarchical organisation, based on Teal principles. We also have a Global Council, that guides us based on a diversity of perspectives, knowledge and experience, to help ensure that there is a coherent, transparent strategy across WEAll’s work, in line with our values. Included in this Global Council are our Trustees, who fulfil our formal governance functions as a charity.

A wellbeing economy is an economy that is designed to deliver social and ecological wellbeing. In a wellbeing economy, the rules, norms and incentives are set up to deliver quality of life and flourishing for all people, in harmony with our environment, by default.

The purpose behind the idea of a wellbeing economy is to illuminate the plurality of ideas and practices that speak to how the economic system needs to change so it delivers wellbeing for people and planet, and emphasising the shared core tenets these respective concepts and visions have in common.

You can think of the wellbeing economy concept as a picnic blanket: sitting underneath (rather than alongside) the items it supports and connects.

Watch this short video to hear WEAll co-founder Katherine Trebeck explain it:

Local hubs play a crucial role in driving systemic change towards a wellbeing economy. By operating at the regional and national levels, they are able to address the specific economic, social, and environmental challenges faced by their respective communities. This decentralised approach allows for tailored strategies and solutions that align with local contexts and needs, while still working towards the broader vision of a global wellbeing economy.

There are a range of ways hubs can contribute to the wellbeing economy vision. Hubs serve as catalysts for collaboration and coordination among various stakeholders, including social movements, government entities, businesses, civil society organisations, and academia. They facilitate dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the co-creation of initiatives that promote just and sustainable economic practices, influence policymakers, advocate for wellbeing economy principles, and contribute to the development of policy frameworks that prioritise people and the planet over narrow economic metrics.

It’s fundamental that any individual or organisation willing to set up a WEAll hub or be connected to this global movement shares these values and keeps them at the core of all their activities, the purpose of the hub and the way of working internally and externally.

A wellbeing economy involves a shift in how we seek to live together from seeing ourselves as owners and consumers toward being caretakers and creators of a flourishing world. The wellbeing economy movement should model this shift in how we act.

We aim to embody the changes that are needed in our worldviews, society, and economy: from ‘us vs them’ to ‘we all’. To achieve this, we recognise first the harm that has been done to communities primarily in the Majority World, and hold ourselves accountable to challenge our mindset and ways of working.

This section provides step-by-step guidance on how to get started in setting up a hub. It outlines the key responsibilities and expectations of hub coordinators/initiators, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that establishes a framework for collaboration and cooperation.

The first place to start is by identifying and reaching out to those already doing work that is relevant to the wellbeing economy in your location. WEAll aspires to be in service of the wider movement, and we always want to avoid duplication of efforts. First, ask how you can support what is already in place instead of starting from scratch. Secondly, work with those individuals  and organisations to identify whether a new WEAll hub is really needed. Does anything similar already exist? What are the gaps where a hub could add value? Is there an appetite in the community to participate?

“Involve as broad and diverse a community as you can from the beginning. We started off with large co-creation meetings. Although our core team ended up being smaller than that, we brought with us the energy, ideas and mandate from that much broader group.”
Dawn Lyle, WEAll Cymru (Wales)

Building an equal and inclusive network is crucial to ensure that all are welcome, and diverse voices are represented and recognised. Here are some steps you can take:

Governance might not be on the top of your list of priorities, but if we are to have the impact we seek to achieve, then establishing a sustainable structure for your hub is important.

Measuring the impact of WEAll hubs is important so we can understand their effectiveness and demonstrate the value they bring to the movement. However, measuring impact might not be a priority at the beginning of your journey, especially when working on a voluntary basis.

Here are some common challenges that WEAll hubs may face in their journeys, along with
advice on how to overcome these obstacles.

Hubs play a key role in achieving WEAll’s vision. While hubs are self-orgnising entities, being connected to each other’s work ensures we can have a far greater impact.

Many hubs work together to share resources, ideas and invite other hubs to participate in their projects. One example of this is the Aotearoa New Zealand Hub following Scotland’s open letter concept.

Every person involved in a local hub is considered part of the network and a member of WEAll. There is always the opportunity for those organisations to follow our onboarding process and be showcased on our website as members of WEAll Global. More information on membership is available here.