Thank you for posting this.  It sounds as though the meeting was productive in establishing and re-recognising links between those advocating parecon-type ideas across Europe. 

I hope that such a support group can lead to the establishment of tighter networks across the region which, I think, might help provide a forum for sharing new and creative ideas on organising around parecon and in advocating for other reforms (such as against current anti-austerity etc. measures) that are effecting European countries similarly. 

I look forward to hearing more about future projects.

Thanks for the report. It sounded like a very refreshing and invigorating meeting, both from the report and comments made here, but also from our brief Skype chat during the gathering. It sounded very promising for future efforts. Please keep us up to speed and keep up the good work!

Everyone seems to have described to content so well that I am left with no other account to contribute with than a more personal one... When I was younger, a great week end involved going out, meeting with friends, good laughs and often a bit of a headache on Sunday morning... My conclusion was that this was happiness, although I never could really understand the substance of it. Years later, in June 2010, I went to Woods Hole, near Boston, MA, to meet with forty odd strangers who apparently shared the same commitment for social change that I had. For a week, we followed some courses, debated issues and offered proposals and ideas on how, when and where to start. But what also happened, incredibly, was something whose substance I could not really understand. I got to know people's personal lives, backgrounds, their best anecdotes, their saddest ones, what frustrated them and what inspired them. People displayed some of their talents and discovered their hidden ones. But my perplexity didn't affect one bit an overwhelming feeling that accompanies me to thus day: I was happy. I believe that life, when given a purpose, never tastes the same after that. Can we ever go back to eating can food when we've tried homemade? Can you ever enjoy meaningless sex when you've known true love? Is life without a purpose that you find worth pursuing ever satisfying again? Maybe it is, but it certainly isn't for me. Two weeks ago, I met with 10 odd strangers (except for 2 ZMI alumni) who apparently shared the same commitment to social change that I have. It started like any other working day, with a reunion, a presentation, a summary of our respective activities and also an assessment of the situation. But soon enough the purpose took over and led us to want to know each other, to talk about our lives, our funniest anecdotes and our saddest ones. Our commitment to social change is expressed in our desire to offer an alternative to capitalism. It's called Parecon, maybe you've heard of it ;) Parecon is a serious proposal that offers a deep though very accessible analysis of our current economic institutions but most importantly it is proposal for the institutions that could replace them. It is intellectually challenging. As soon as one talks about Parecon with anyone around, questions arise. The details of the proposal are already too familiar with all of you readers of Znet. But when the question of what to do next is asked, then another set of doubts, about ourselves, about the purpose of our lives, comes and challenges the tranquility and the routine we expect from the plans we had set for our near future. Either you move, either you retreat. This past experiences, including this last one in Stockholm, where I met younger people who seem to have understood before I did that happiness doesn't involve removing the pricetag from a newly acquired fetish, nor the glimmer that foregoes the Sunday morning headache, not only gave me the will to move forward, but also told me how. John Jacobsen from SeaSol, in our Skypeconnected chat, described for us the kind of actions that gives hope and cohesion that builds long lasting communities where people of all background, all ages and all beliefs, unite to protect its members and advance the cause of social justice. One step at a time. Their struggles go from landlord's abusive use of their bargaining power to workers rights of a decent return for their best years spent at the factory. SeaSol offered us strategic inspiration for all of us who want to create a movement that is root based, that is non-exclusive, and gets things done. My other inspiration comes from the lives of people I have met during this week end. Out of respect for their privacy, I won't detail it, but it goes from a man who was doing very well off (an indisclosed amount of money) who decided to quit his prestigious job at a financial institution to others whose happiness was denied early in their lives. I was moved, inspired and often very entertained by some of the stories I heard (@Anders, you have to tell that story again, LMAO). I would like to thank our host Anders who did a wonderful job at organizing all this, and also for his generosity. Thanks to all of you for preparing your presentations so cafully and for documenting it with so much enthusiasm. Thanks to John Jacobsen for his time and ability to inspire us all and the end of the day (and what a great way to finish!). And finally thanks very much to Chris and Harpreet, who, in spite of the time difference, put up with all of us and our technical difficulties to contribute with the little time we had been alloted. This next Saturday I am meeting with people in Spain, from the ICEA, an economic institute dedicated to thinking of a self-managed economy. It seems that more and more people are interested in Parecon. At least in the economic sphere. My hope is that all the commitments that were described above will be kept and hopfully will grow into something meaningful. I am looking forward to our first "victory", in the words of John, as I am sure the beer will taste like never before and the headache will be worth it.

<div>Very good that you posted this here. I was very impressed by all the arrangements Parecon Sweden had done in preparation for the meeting. The meeting was a very good opportunity to have focused discussions about incoming activities in our respective countries, and I was also happy that we had the opportunity to talk with other organizers from US - it was especially inspiring to hear from the Seattle Solidarity Network (read more: http://www.zcommunications.org/why-you-should-start-a-solidarity-network-by-john-jacobsen). <div><br><div>Also, like you wrote, we met the people of Framtid Nu, which was really interesting as they seemed interested in the participatory model and I hope some co-operation between them and Parecon Sweden is possible in the future. We in Parecon Finland presented to another youth organization last year, and will probably this year too, and have had small but very positive experiences of such co-operation between different but like-minded organizations.

It really was inspirational to meet other people and organizations with similar objectives, and share thoughts and experiences on all sorts of topics relating to participatory economics, activism strategies, present situation in our respective countries etc. 

It was quite surprising to learn that all the different struggles going on in our countries were essentially very similar. From public sector bashing neoliberal economic policies to the everyday issues of activism efforts, it was very easy to relate to other people's stories, even though they were from a totally different context.

The weekend was very well-organized. The schedule was ambitious and I think it reflected pretty well the dedication we all put into this meeting. It definitely was beneficial for our future efforts in Parecon Finland, and I had a really good time!

Below a photo of our discussion session with Framtid Nu (Future Now).

I suppose people of ZMI 2010 can guess who the Latvian representative was :)
I cannot comment much on this article as so far at least not much is going on over here Latvia -- I still remain the lone wolf trying to get things going. 
Speaking of the above-mentioned meeting, it was both very productive and inspiring. Those present, incl. myself, still keep in touch almost daily, providing and sharing reading material and thoughts in general to each other. Not much activism as such, but still very helpful. Nevertheless, we all believe this interaction will lead further in the near future, but in the meantime, we remain active in our societies. 

Stay tuned.