10 years of Care Revolution anniversary
Conference and celebration from 18th to 20th of october 2024 in Leipzig
The Care Revolution Network was founded in 2014 and its central aim is to fundamentally improve the conditions for people in whose lives care relationships play a major role: Single parents, family caregivers, those dependent on assistance, daycare center or hospital employees, etc. Since the majority of social work in Germany is care work, some of it paid, but most of it unpaid in families or in “voluntary work”, everyone would benefit from a society that gives care and solidarity central importance and that supports the relationships in which this takes place. The Care Revolution network brings together people who are concerned about such a fundamental change and who want to take steps towards it together. Important steps include a comprehensive reduction in working hours, employment-independent protection for all, de-privatization and democratization of care institutions, self-organized collective care solutions (commons) and criticism of all norms that assign care tasks to women in particular. In order to make progress here, it is important for everyone in care relationships to work together, which is why the network is looking for demands that help everyone.
After ten years, it was time to take stock and celebrate what has been achieved. The anniversary was organized by the Care Revolution network – the Leipzig regional group and a supra-regional organizing team were particularly involved – as well as the Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie and the Solidarisch Sorgen association. The Care for Future Foundation supported the event by paying the fees for three workshops and for the awareness team.
The three days began on Friday evening with a panel discussion. After an opening by two co-organizers of Care Revolution, Liska Beulshausen (Wirtschaft ist Care) discussed with Antje Schrupp, Mike Laufenberg and Nadia Shehadeh what the Care Revolution means to them, what has been achieved in ten years and what has not. There was also enthusiastic participation from the audience, including many active members of the network. A total of around 100 people took part in the event. A total of 120 people had registered, plus day guests.
The workshops took place on Saturday. Various rooms were used – for example the Left Party office, craft workshop, women’s center – in Leipzig-Lindenau. Six workshops were offered in each of three time slots. The formats were very different: from the classic input discussion event to readings, city walks and dance workshops.
The different approaches also became clear here: it was about care issues in the narrower sense, care work with people and their framework conditions, for example in workshops on strikes in care facilities or care centers. It was about the macroeconomic and socio-political framework, such as the financing of the care infrastructure. Finally, the interfaces between care and other social processes that massively influence care relationships were discussed in workshops on care and war or on the care dimension of a society without growth. Organizing and conflict management were also a recurring theme of the workshops.
The following workshops were sponsored by the Care for Future Foundation:
1. Forming bonds! Using the example of the feminist Mothers* Network East.
A Leipzig initiative that organizes reading circles for mothers in Leipzig East offered the following: Based on a jointly read text, an excerpt from Heide Lutosch’s ‘Having Children’, personal experiences are recounted and reflected on together. Participants were invited to bring their babies, but were also welcome without children.
2. Care into the Park Center – How do we expropriate a shopping center feministically? With Nadine Gerner and Lola Fischer-Irmler from the campaign ‘Sorge ins Parkcenter’/Berlin.
The speakers are part of an initiative in Berlin-Treptow that wants to convert a largely empty shopping center into a care center in line with the needs expressed by the people in the catchment area. They presented their ideas and initial experiences from their work in the district and reported on historical and international examples of de-privatization and the radical reorganization of care work. Against this background, strategies and paths for the socialization of care work and shopping centers were then discussed, including the problems along the way.
3. Caring with Soils. More-than-human care ethics using the example of caring human-soil relationships. With Pauline Lürig & Manuel Wagner from quEErEcologiEsCollEctivE
In this workshop, human-soil relationships were traced, with reference to the approach advocated by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, among others, and graphically tracing one’s own involvement in these relationships.
The Care for Future Foundation also supported the awareness team, which was on site during the anniversary. Part of the concept was to deliberately create a framework in which all participants were able to participate with as little stress as possible, not only by interacting with each other, but also, for example, by participants taking on work tasks and through offers such as childcare and awareness. The awareness team had a space to retreat to for any necessary discussions in a protected environment. The fact that the team was on site was perceived as very positive by participants, despite the atmosphere being perceived as friendly and supportive.
Finally, on Sunday, there was an internal network evaluation of how the Care Revolution network is currently positioned and what further steps can be taken. This part was also well attended.