Who is the Solidarity price for?
- Refugees, asylum seekers & people without papers
- Former prisoners & detainees
- Low-income prisoner & detainee family members
- Low-income organisers experiencing state repression
- Anyone in financial distress unable to meet their basic needs
What does ‘financial distress’ mean?
I know ‘financial distress’ means different things in different contexts. But right now, if you’re struggling to afford basic needs such as food, heating, etc. you 100% should use the code and donate whatever you can afford at a sliding scale appropriate to you.
Likewise, if you’ve just left prison, are struggling on benefits, are an asylum seeker or in another precarious position because of systems of oppression, please also use the code!
Denying people in poverty access to learning about trauma because they can’t afford it goes against every bone in my body. I’m leaning into the trust that folks with resources will pay what they can, because I know people who ‘follow’ the Solidarity Apothecary, and the work I do in the world care deeply about liberation.
How does the Solidarity Price work?
The solidarity price is its own sliding scale. It allows people to access the course by paying what they can – including nothing if needed.
- Go to purchase the course here: https://solidarityapothecary.org/product/herbalism-ptsd-course/ (link opens 18th September)
- When you are at the cart page. Enter SOLIDARITYPRICE in the coupon code box
- Enter your donation in the donation box
- Proceed to checkout
- You will then be automatically enrolled in the course (see your emails for your ussername and login details)
Commonly Asked Questions
I can’t afford the full amount, is it okay to just donate £X?
Yes! You can use the donation box at checkout (see above) to enter what you’re able to donate right now. Any donation is appreciated.
I can’t afford it right now, is it okay to donate something later?
Yes! Many learners have enrolled and then when they’ve secured a bit more cash have donated. You can either paypal me at info@solidarityapothecary.org or use this tool on the website: https://solidarityapothecary.org/support/ where you simply tick ‘other’ and enter the amount. Thanks so much!
How do I donate a smaller amount each month?
You can set up a monthly payment here: https://solidarityapothecary.org/support/
Regular contributions like this are massively appreciated.
Do I need to share about my financial circumstances to access the course?
No! You don’t need to email me about your financial circumstances. I wanted to create a model that didn’t rely on dehumanising disclosure. I grew up on state benefits where there was a constant feeling of being a ‘charity case’ – where you had to justify your needs through photocopied paperwork, or by sharing details about your life story. This can feel so humiliating and it isn’t something I wanted to reproduce with my course.
Is there any other way I can support you if I can’t afford to contribute right now?
Yes! Some options include:
- Sharing the course on social media & your networks
- Sharing about the Solidarity Apothecary in your networks
- Writing a meaningful testimonial once you’ve worked through the course
- Organising a collective fundraiser for projects such as the Prisoner Herbalism Collective or Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais that are huge parts of my life that draw on the Solidarity Apothecary’s funds regularly
Why are you offering free places, isn’t this financial suicide?!
As I wrote above, denying people in poverty access to learning about trauma because they can’t afford it goes against every bone in my body. I’m an anarchist with a commitment to eradicating all forms of domination. I recognise that vast structural forces influence our economic circumstances – including class, gender, disability, racial capitalism & many other forms of oppression.
I do not agree with things like “charge your worth” or that people value things more when they’ve paid for something. Nor do I believe I’m offering this course from a place of self-sacrifice or self-exploitation. It is an online course which is very ‘low touch’ for me. People can access it and work through it without a huge energy exchange from me (other than the energy it took to create!). I am not able to offer everything I do for free (obviously), especially work that is very time consuming such as 1:1 support in a clinic long-term. However, I have tried to design sliding scale options through all my offerings because I genuinely believe that no-one should be turned away for lack of funds.
The balance of surviving capitalism myself, while also wanting to support people on low-incomes experiencing state violence and other forms of oppression is definitely difficult. But it is not insurmountable – I try to cover the costs involved through different fundraising strategies (online courses, 1:1 clients, merchandise, book sales, grants etc).
For radical transparency, I paid myself £13,200 last year. After the cost of my rent, this is about £160 a week for remaining costs. In a UK context, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation write that a single person needs to earn £29,500 a year to reach a minimum acceptable standard of living in 2023.
So I’m pretty far off that! But despite this financial situation, I still lean into my principles that I want to meet my economic needs without hoarding or exploiting others and that I feel dedicated to redistributing economic, social and cultural power and capital.
What are financial contributions to the course used for?
Funds that flow in are used to support the work of the Solidarity Apothecary. This includes paying myself and enabling me to do this work without other waged labour. It means being able to get books to prisoners around the world. It means being able to make and distribute medicine to people experiencing state violence. It means operating a sliding scale clinic where because of course income, I can support many people for free or at a low cost which makes that support accessible for people. It means I can continue to create offerings such as the Frontline Herbalism Podcast, write books and teach workshops to help keep building health autonomy. It also supports me to be able to organise in the ways I do too – to work in Calais with our mobile clinic, to organise solidarity for people in prison and participate in different struggles.
Funds support me to survive capitalism, be there for my partner, our rescued dog and our beautiful son we recently welcomed to the world.
Every single course contribution is radically appreciated!