Care Revolution network meeting in Frankfurt/Main (25-27 April) - some impressions

Even though the joint evaluation, some resolutions and, in particular, the implementation of the changes and projects are still pending, we would like to share some impressions of the busy, yet productive and always simply beautiful network meeting.

A report by Matthias Neumann

In recent years, since the coronavirus pandemic, we have held our network meetings online. This had the advantage of regularly attracting participants from more cities than face-to-face meetings, so we initially kept this format. After a few years, however, we had withdrawal symptoms when it came to personal contact and were happy to see and hug each other again in person at the anniversary in Leipzig in October 2024. While the first two days in Leipzig were open to all interested parties outside the network with a panel discussion and many workshops, we had taken the third day to discuss internally the many unanswered questions that had accumulated over the years of working together.

We therefore met again on the weekend of 25 to 27 April in person, but also for a completely internal members' network meeting at the youth hostel in Frankfurt/Main to discuss committees, how we deal with each other, key topics and responsibilities, i.e. our working principles, in an intensive retreat. This members' meeting was organised in cooperation with the Solidarisch Sorgen association, which also took over the part of the financing that could not be covered by donations from the participants.

We try to uphold the latter as a principle of our organisation: No one should be excluded from participation due to financial or other constraints. With the support of Solidarisch Sorgen e.V. and donations of varying amounts depending on the individual situation of the participants, no one had to cancel due to lack of money. However, care responsibilities - sick partner, child - or the constraints of paid work prevented some people from attending who would have liked to. The tiresome trade-off between face-to-face and online formats...

It was great that thirty members from almost all regional groups, from cooperation organisations or as individuals belonging to the network nevertheless took part. The conference room under the roof of the YH was lovingly decorated, including banners from the Rhine/Main regional group and documentation of Care Revolution activities since the network was founded.

The welcome was followed by an exhausting three days. On Friday evening, the participants introduced themselves and the groups they are involved with in the network. This and the presentation of a survey on experiences with and wishes for cooperation in the network gave everyone their first impressions. We continued this on Saturday morning: Wishes and experiences were exchanged in alternating small groups, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of what changes the individuals with their different backgrounds were hoping for. It turned out that the answers ranged from very detailed points such as a coordination group that meets less frequently to pragmatic points such as centrally produced material that can be used by the network groups to wishes that still need to be filled in, such as a consensus-orientated culture that respects the needs of all.

In the first part of the afternoon, which continued on Sunday morning, we then tried to translate all the many wishes into agreements and recommendations for resolutions as far as possible. This was a mammoth task, as the Care Revolution network thrives on its diversity. There are people with a trade union background as well as those anchored in the left-wing subculture. There are groups who want to set up a local care centre, who are in favour of an unconditional basic income or who want to make assistance more needs-based for everyone involved. People with and without children, in wheelchairs or on foot. Cis-women, cis-men, non-binary people. Plus the different political positions and idiosyncrasies acquired in an eventful life...

From the reporter's point of view, it was extremely pleasing that there was a very strong desire for all these different people to find what is important to them in the appointments. The next few months will show how well we have succeeded in doing this, for example when the working groups start up in which the social media presence, website maintenance and press work are to be put on a broader footing.

We hope that we will be able to combine greater visibility for the Care Revolution network through clear, convincing positioning with representation of the entire breadth of the network. There are plenty of issues that urgently need to be addressed: the closure of hospitals and care facilities, the risk of poverty in old age and overwork for people who take on domestic care tasks, or the fact that these tasks and poverty are still largely distributed by gender - these are just a few of many examples. The same applies to the necessary solidarity-based responses: redistribution of private wealth to provide security for all, the repression of care corporations or the establishment of care commons are just a few examples of the many elements of an alternative. We are now counting on the momentum of the network meeting and the expanded opportunities for participation also becoming visible and tangible to the outside world. We want to learn even more from and with each other in future and develop common positions so that the statements do not become flat and arbitrary but still represent the network as a whole. We will also create these spaces.

So it was all about the common framework. However, we also took time on Saturday and Sunday to present various projects, all of which still need a little time to mature. Ideas on social burden-sharing, feminist socialisation, a campaign concept for the care-oriented restructuring of society - all of these still require discussion and further elaboration. You will hear about the ideas when they become practical. The topic of 'care and war' also requires further work. It was foreseeable that fundamental differences would remain, particularly with regard to the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, despite all the emotionality, a respectful discussion was held, which will certainly be taken up again in some form. All in all, this weekend definitely brought us a small step closer to our goal of contributing to a solidary, care-centred society with and within the network.