Today, throughout Europe, we have a blossoming of mobilisations and social experiments that are exciting and enriching. At the same time, however, we are facing major and often dramatic challenges. While we have a large number of thematic networks in Europe, we no longer have a common space for all the social and citizens’ movements that would enable us to share our experiences and challenges and develop joint initiatives and mobilisations. Over the last two years, numerous meetings and conferences have provided an opportunity to discuss this absence and to make a modest attempt to rebuild this common space. We intend to bring together more people from diverse origins and backgrounds to the understanding of a caring society.
Today, we want to propose a new step in this process by meeting together in the run-up to the European Union elections in June 2024. This broad encounter, which will be held in Marseille, France, from the 26-28 April, will be based on a simple premise: “To challenge the far right, we need a social, feminist, antiracist, ecological, peaceful and democratic Europe”. The event will be organised using a bottom-up approach, giving everyone the possibility to express themselves and to organise discussions and actions.
Let’s make together this encounter a milestone for change!
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The first event of ECSA will take place from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 April 2024 in Marseille at the “Friche de la Belle de Mai”, one of major cultural venues of the city, located right in the centre. For three days, dozens of workshops, conferences and lively debates will be held at the Friche and in nearby venues. It will also be a place where Marseille’s associations can showcase their work, and a place where many unexpected encounters will be possible, particularly on the roof terrace, which offers a magnificent view over the city and the Mediterranean.
Aware of the richness of our numerous thematic networks, we deeply feel the need for a common space where we can share our experiences and challenges, and develop joint initiatives and mobilisations.
Over the last two years, numerous meetings and conferences have provided an opportunity to discuss this absence and to make a modest attempt to rebuild this common space learning valuable lessons from the past.
We intend to bring together more people from diverse origins and backgrounds to the understanding of a caring society.
For the Marseille encounter, we plan to integrate an open space concept with a convergence of ideas and actions.
The open space approach, used in events like social forums, encourages participants to self-organize activities such as debates and workshops.
Meanwhile, the convergence aspect involves connecting organizations and movements to address various thematic challenges, facilitated through “containers” that encourage unity and transversality.
The event will culminate in assemblies to summarize key demands and outline joint actions for the upcoming months.
Details of the programme will be available starting March 2024.
We need you to register on the site to get an idea of how many people we’ll be, to plan the number of rooms, food and drink requirements, etc. We’ll also send you an email when the programme is finalised to ask you what activities you might be able to take part in, and again to organise the rooms and venues for the activities, as well as any translation requirements.
All associations, groups and organisations can propose activities, working groups, actions…
Registration of these proposals will begin in mid-February and will be open until mid-April. A specific form will be available on the site to allow you to present these activities, possibly register them in a container [link to the containers article] and provide some details (working languages, etc.).
Several working groups have been set up to prepare for the Marseille event. These include the containers group, to work on the content of the debates [link to the containers article], as well as more specialised groups on cultural activities, communications, social networks or the website.Â
Major activist events like the one in Marseille require a lot of volunteer work, to welcome activists from all over Europe, help set up the rooms, explain how translation works in different languages or run a refreshment stall.
To do this, we’ll need lots of volunteers, so don’t hesitate to sign up.
In Marseille we will have activists from all over Europe who speak dozens of languages. While we won’t be able to translate all these languages for all the workshops and activities, we will try to make it as easy as possible for everyone to understand and express themselves.
To do this, we will need a large number of volunteers to interpret at the conferences and workshops or to accompany those who need translating. If you have language skills, please register.
