Workshop during the 2nd Social Forum in Germany in Cottbus

Dear friends,

We intend organising an international workshop concerning solidarity economy during the Second Social Forum in Germany. It will take place in Cottbus from 18.- 21. October 2007. We are a small group of activists of solidarity economy in Germany and personally engaged in different cooperative projects. The workshop will be partly financed by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation.

You may find the concept below.

The conference languages are German and English.

Thank you in advance

Best regards

Judith Dellheim

Workshop during the second Social Forum in Germany:

Cottbus, 19./20. October 2007

Social question and Solidarity Economy in Eastern Germany, Central and Eastern European Countries

1. What we want

In Germany the debate about solidarity economy is orientated on experiences from Western and South Europe. It excludes experiences from Central and Eastern Europe. We want to change this situation and to enlarge the debate.

2. Our aim

We want to elaborate an overview about solidarity economy in some countries (Poland, Czech, Romania and Russia). And we want presenting self help in different branches and fields

- production and realisation of coal

- occupied and self managed enterprises in the textile and metal industries

- cooperatives in agriculture

- self managed housing

- fair trade

- self managed credit economy

- cooperative health insurance

- social and ecological projects

- self managed regional transport

3. Our questions

- Conditions and framework for solidarity economy - are there cultural and/or political traditions?

- What about the concrete social problems and social system?

- Which actors are active and what is their motion?

- Which possibilities for action (social, cultural, economic resources) do they have?

- Does the self help cover the social minimum?

- What about the differences and the interaction between the alternative projects and the "normal" economy and the local/regional administration?

- Are there connections between the different projects of solidarity economy?

- Does a cooperative movement or a movement of self management exist?

- Are cooperatives and self management elements of a discussion about alternative economy or/and another society?

- Are there connections between cooperative and self managed projects and trade unions and/or social movements?

- Which developments do promote or hinder solidarity economy?

- Are the projects a "niche" or a bridge to other fields of the society?

Programme

Friday from 09.00 until 17.00

Saturday from 09.00 until 13.30

Friday 9.00 until 13.30

Conference "Social question and potential solutions on the part of Solidarity Economy"

Examples in real practical life

13.30 until 14.30

Break



14.30 until 17.00

Discussion in two working groups



Saturday from 09.00 until 13.30

Discussion about political conclusions in two working groups
***
From zb.eco.pl: for more:
www.sozialforum2007.de
www.sfid.info