Program gathering 2026 #
From grassroots to revolution! #
Thursday, June 4th - ARRIVAL DAY #
Arrival, Settling in
16:00 – 22:00 Welcome desk
18:00 – 20:00 Dinner
Friday, June 5th - Program Day 1 #
07:30 – 09:30 Breakfast
10:00 – 12:00 Welcome speech & situated contextual and conjuctural analysis
The concept of autonomy already exists in our struggles, we may simply be using different names for it: freedom, independence, self-determination, self-sufficiency, self-organization… It’s what the capitalist system has taken away from us, the people–or society–to ensure the exploitation of life and nature for the gains of the few. How can we reclaim our local autonomy by joining forces at the international level?
The first session will ground our grassroots work in the realities of 21st century geopolitics through role play techniques (theater of the oppressed)
The opening speech will aim to define these concepts more clearly and inspire our thinking and later discussions.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch & Care meeting
13:30 – 14:00 Care meeting
14:00 – 19:00 Workshop 1: Connecting social problems to and through the revolutionary project
Based on the situated analysis, their interest and expertise, participants will then split between 5 different topics to discuss the more practical aspects of their local struggles, share positive and negative experiences and figure out ways of connecting and helping each other in the long term, beyond this gathering. Some more concrete questions will be proposed to guide the small group discussions on:
- Housing – intended for organizations and collectives that fight against homelessness and eviction supporting tenants struggles in their territories.
- Ecology – intended for organizations and collectives that fight extractivism and neo-colonialism and support ecological & cultural struggles in their territories.
- Health – intendent for organizations and collectives that provide autonomous mental and physical health services supporting life in their territories.
- Security – intendend for organizations and collectives that fight against fascism and militirisation supporting migrants, conflict resolution and community self-defense in their territories.
- Gender Equality – intended for organizations and collectives that maintain autonomous structures for women and gender dissidents, supporting democratic participation in their territories.
The aim of this workshop is to realize that our local struggles, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem at times, are all important pieces of a bigger puzzle – a revolutionary project looking to change the world we live in. Our fragmentation prevents us from realizing our strength and all the experience and knowledge we already have to overcome this murderous system. Seeing how much effort and creativity goes into our resistance will surely bring back hope in the possibility of a better world.
Conclusions will be shared in the final session of Day 1. They should be concise and practical, so that we can build on them the following day.
19:30 – 21:00 Dinner
21:00 – 21:30 Affinity group / commune meeting before bedtime
21:45 - 23:30 Concert offered by Birch Popular Catalan and Mediterranean dances
Saturday, June 6th - Program Day 2 #
07:30 – 08:30 Breakfast & coffee
09:00 – 11:00 Panel discussion: Community as the solution to our social problems
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee & snack break
11:30 – 12:00 Introduction of Workshop 2
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:00 Care meeting
14:00 – 19:00 Workshop 2: Strengthening our connection across time & space
Based on the conclusions from Workshop 1, Workshop 2 will deepen the discussion on the practical ways we can work together and remain connected to resist the isolation imposed by capitalism. Three concrete proposals will be discussed, criticized and further developed in three smaller groups:
Common message #
Participants will work together on a joint declaration/manifesto and a call to action to reclaim the autonomy of society. They will also think about the different channels, strategies and tactics of spreading this common message – not only among organized groups, but in broader society as well. How can we reach beyond our bubbles and touch the hearts and minds of the people?
Brigade system #
A brigade is something akin to a rapid mobilization team that provides logistical and/or educational support on the ground wherever it is urgently needed across the continent. Participants will be presented with concrete examples of brigade systems that operate at the European level. Then they will work on building brigades around concrete issues they are facing (kitchen brigades, security brigades, etc.) and make plans for the future of this brigade system.
Decentralised Knowledge Platform #
A shared, decentralized platform that responds to the asynchronous needs of grassroots organizations throughout the year. It would collect and organize our diverse skills and replicable tools from facilitation techniques and transformative justice processes to eviction resistance and political education curricula, enabling us to share practical knowledge and build collective autonomy across locales.
19:30 – 21:00 Dinner
21:00 – 21:30 Affinity group / Commune meeting before bedtime
Sunday, June 7th #
Breakfast, Evaluation of the gathering and Departure.
07:30 – 08:30 Breakfast & coffee
09:00 – 11:00 Plenary discussion: Building Our Autonomy Together
In the final panel of the gathering, we will hear the main conclusions reached in the three subgroups of Workshop 2, and based on that, we will propose ways that the participating organisations can become part of the network to receive and provide support – both locally and within the international decentralised knowledge-sharing platform that we are building.
11:00 – 12:00 Evaluation: Learning from our mistakes -International gatherings as a methodology
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
14:00 - onward Departure