Martin Oetting’s remark, "They don't organize anything," hits a nerve. But the reality goes even deeper: the bottleneck isn't just that theoretical figures fail to build infrastructure—it's that the ground-level organizers who want to drive change are being crushed by systemic poverty and precarity.
Debates inside academic circles, think tanks, and executive boards about the Wellbeing Economy or the Economy for the Common Good (GWÖ) routinely ignore the harsh realities faced by those on the frontlines:
This exposes a glaring disconnect: while consulting networks like Timo Wans' Myzelium quote €10,000 upfront fees just to assist with cooperative incorporation, the actual organizers on the ground are fighting for basic survival.
Unless movements integrate essential public support (Daseinsvorsorge) and systemic safety nets—as Helena Steinhaus does with Sanktionsfrei e.V.—transformation remains an intellectual privilege reserved for the financially secure. A true impact economy requires dismantling classism, breaking through academic bubbles, and practicing radical financial transparency.
The historic concept of a Solidarity Economy (GemÖk) provides the answer: we must actively redistribute resources within the movement. Those with financial leeway need to open their wallets to support those holding the frontlines. This defines UNO.TEAM's purpose: not another high-minded manifesto, but a practical, human bridge that protects and sustains local changemakers.
