Participatory conference in Leipzig 2017

From 17 - 19 November 2017, the MitMachKonferenz "Für den Wandel sorgen" (Caring for change) took place at the Nachbarschaftsschule Leipzig. Over the course of the weekend, around 200 people took part, including 21 children, and the MitMachKonferenz focused on three main topics: "Exchange and networking", "Post-growth and care work" and "Alternatives". The focus on "Exchange and networking" was about letting people with their everyday experiences from the paid and unpaid care sector have their say. There were opportunities to do this not only in many workshops, but also in a moderated exchange of experiences on Saturday afternoon and in the café, where many conversations were held in a cosy atmosphere over the course of the weekend. The aim of linking the topics of post-growth and care work was to show where the corresponding concepts and movements overlap and can work together, but also where they can complement and learn from each other. To this end, there was a panel with representatives from both the care work and post-growth movements and many workshops that dealt with the link between the topics. A video of the panel can be found here. Another aim was to make various alternatives to care work visible. For example, a group that is working on setting up a district health centre in Leipzig introduced itself at the MitMachKonferenz and a person who was able to report on many years of experience with self-organised care for the elderly sat on the podium. Furthermore, the idea of the Care Revolution as an alternative social concept was presented in a lecture by Jette Hausotter from Care Revolution Berlin. But there was also a varied programme beyond the lectures, panel discussions and workshops. The conference opened on Friday evening with a play on the subject of motherhood, on Saturday there was the opportunity to meet up at the end of the day in a relaxed atmosphere in the bar of a nearby socio-cultural centre and on Sunday the MitMachKonferenz was rounded off with a colourful closing event, which was documented on film. The whole weekend was characterised by a very lively yet relaxed atmosphere. In addition to the time frame, which allowed plenty of time for dialogue and discussion, the structure of the MitMachKonferenz also contributed to this. There was childcare and a children's programme, which made it possible and easier for parents to attend. Catering was also provided. The café served drinks and cakes throughout the event, which led to many lively conversations. For the main meals, participants were catered for by AR Kitchen, a "kitchen for all" organised by refugees, which provided vegan food. All of these catering structures were very well received by the participants and there was a lot of positive feedback in this regard. In conjunction with the successful events, this gave the organising committee the feeling that the intensive work in the run-up to the MitMachKonferenz had paid off.