what is mutual aid

Mutual aid is an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community members to overcome social, economic, and political barriers to meeting common needs). It is when everyday people get together to meet each others needs, with the shared understanding that the systems we live in are not meeting our needs and that we can meet them together, right now, without having to pressure power structures to do the right thing. Mutual aid is based on the principles of direct action, cooperation, mutual understanding, and solidarity. Mutual aid participants work together to figure out strategies and resources to meet each others needs, such as food, housing, medical care, and disaster relief, while organizing themselves against the system that created the shortage in the first place). Mutual aid projects are often critical of the charity model, and may use the motto "solidarity, not charity" to differentiate themselves from charities). Mutual aid networks create networks of care and generosity to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors, and also address the root causes of challenges we face and demand transformative change. Mutual aid networks dont require community members to fill out burdensome paperwork or require anything in return for their support, which helps reduce the stress, stigma, and shame sometimes associated with asking for help. Mutual aid is a way of living that moves beyond the idea that we should compete for resources and depend on structures of power to provide for us, when we are capable of doing so together. Mutual aid has been around for a long time, and it has roots in political and activist communities around the world.