A-Infos (en) Czech, AFED: Spring Congress of the Anarchist Federation (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In March, the spring regular convention of the Anarchist Federation took 
place, and we are pleased to state at the outset that, even if it meant 
locking ourselves together in one room for nine hours, it was a very 
intense, encouraging and motivating meeting. It was also positive that 
we managed to discuss everything that was needed, almost exactly 
according to the pre-planned timetable. ---- As our readership has 
gotten used to recently, it wouldn't be a proper report if it didn't 
include a gastro window. So know that we are alive not only with 
revolutionary plans. At the very beginning, the participants were 
treated to a morning snack, which consisted of sandwiches with a spread 
of chickpeas and roasted sesame, decorated with paprika and mung bean 
sprouts, lentils and black lentils. So it wasn't so much a key meeting 
as it was a key meeting of the federation, because there was so much of 
this fresh delicacy, which you can enjoy without much effort at any time 
of the year, that it could be eaten until the evening. For lunch, which 
had a fixed time between two and three-thirty, there was a choice of two 
hot - and very good - dishes. Either chili sin carne with rice, or a 
thick potato stew à la co house dal, or a combination of both.
But back from the material base to the convention program. It was 
started in an unconventional way (a good half of the convention took 
place outside the framework of the constantly repeating pattern), namely 
with an introduction game where you get to know a lot about each other 
without having to talk, and at the same time you get an idea of how 
things are in certain issues collectively you are. The innovation was a 
success and completely destroyed the usual slower starts with its dynamics.
The reports of the local groups - sometimes more, sometimes less 
comprehensive - were therefore well covered, as were the subsequent 
reports of the individual working groups. Plans for content and series 
on the federation's website were discussed, and AF Publishing presented 
the publications planned for the upcoming Anarchist Book Festival. They 
will be dedicated to Charlotte Wilson, Václav Tomek and the history of 
the anarchist movement in Bulgaria. Slowly but surely, the broader 
project "Anarchism for Beginners" is being continued, which was started 
with the pocket pamphlet of the same name.
As part of the action planning, further activities to support anarchism 
in Ukraine were discussed. After the delivery of two 4x4 pick-ups and a 
successful collection for anti-drone defense of our friends, other 
similar enterprises and expeditions to Ukraine will follow in the 
future. Likewise, we continue networking in Central and Eastern Europe 
with other solidarity anti-authoritarian collectives and organizations.
Next on the agenda were the events of this spring, which AF either 
directly (co)organizes or participates in them in some way. So the 
blockade of the clero-fascist March for Life, the Day of the Fallen, the 
Anarchist 1st of May or the Anarchist Book Festival were dealt with... 
The 30th anniversary of the founding of our federation, which we will 
celebrate in 2025, also came up for a shakeup. which would develop this 
jubilee in some way.
The afternoon program was dedicated to reflection and sharing. No one 
knew exactly what to expect from him. But in the end, the preparation 
and preliminary consultation of this block paid off. His goal was to get 
to know each other individually as well as collectively; make room for 
less heard voices and opinions; get a basis for further discussions and, 
last but not least, name, or to resolve some of the issues that arise 
from the debate. The impetus for the inclusion of this block was partly 
the earlier partial debates, but also the inspiration brought by 
recently published books, such as Mutual Aid by Dean Spade or The Joy of 
Fighting for a Better World by Carly Bergman and Nick Montgomery. In 
addition, everyone had the opportunity to go through the "study 
material" before the congress, which consisted of a structured and 
interactive overview of the lessons learned from the history of the 
federation.
Fortunately, it turned out to be no problem to fill the space very 
quickly with a sense of trust, openness and respect. Thanks to this, 
those present got to know each other better and left more motivated, 
both for participating in individual activities and in terms of building 
a collective activist environment in which no one should be left out. It 
was about how someone got into the movement/AF and what it means to 
them; which activist topics are important to whom and what they enjoy in 
their personal life; what frustrations and joys one feels in connection 
with activism. It was possible to generalize some outputs, just as it 
was possible to define some problems based on what was said and discuss 
their solution and prevention.
The last, and as it quickly turned out to be important for everyone, 
point of the convention was the outline of the queer experience and the 
subsequent debate about inclusive language. We ourselves were surprised 
that relatively soon, despite the fatigue that set in, we managed to 
find a consensus on the framework for using language, which would 
already communicate that everyone is counted on.
Now there is a greater number of activities ahead of us that will 
require increased commitment. That is why we are glad that we managed to 
generate a highly motivating collective atmosphere

https://www.afed.cz/text/8141/jarni-motivace)
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