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GIVE & TAKE 2010

Activists and sympathisers of self-organised money-free economy projects will meet at the 6th Gib & Nimm (Give & Take) in Bremen from September 23rd to 26th 2010. The Gib & Nimm (Give & Take) has been founded as a linking-up of free shops in Germany. People, active in self-help projects, groups practising collective using of objects and abilities, a project of non-commercial agriculture (Lokomotive Karlshof), an intercultural garden, community movement or the Travelling School of Life took part on the last gatherings in Berlin and / or Cologne.

It is our idea to reflect theory and practice of money-free economy projects and to point out basic approaches, that can not simply be integrated as a charitable project-practice to cushion the results of social clear-cutting.

A few topics are going to be prepared by the organising group. Neither a free shop nor a self-help garage is able to free people partly from economical necessities. But: Local networking of different projects of money-free economy can open this perspective. The working-team local economy Hamburg (www.akloek.de) prepares an input to agreed economy. This input will show the potential and the limits of such local networking. But: We are not striving for a small free space. An activist of the free-shop garage at Bremen (www.umsonstladen-k108.de.vu) is going to hold a final speech about abolishing money. Every money-based economy will always be part of a society of rule and control. Such a society permanently reproduces the categories class, patriarchy and racism in new varieties.

We also realise that this kind of money-free economy is a privilege for people living in capitalist metropolis-regions. Last summer a spontaneous small, but very interesting international meeting of money-free economy projects took place at the Anarchist camp in Lower Austria. It became clearly visible that the situation of free shops heavily depends on the economical prosperity in the different countries. Budapest free shop can hardly organise the fresh supply of things. Contrary to that, the London free shop shares out many new or nearly new things of high standard, unimaginable here in Bremen. We look forward to meet people from other countries, beside those from England and Austria who are already in contact with us. Can we realise workable possibilities of networking and mutual aid in this question? If necessary, the Gib & Nimm (Give & Take) will be multilingual.

The Gib & Nimm (Give & Take) will have an open structure and will be formed by the people who join it. We want self-organisation in practice. We think that it will also be interesting to reflect on internal structures of rule and control within our projects and on all kinds of dominance in behaviour. Wheather political money free action will take place or not in Bremen during these days will depend of the participants' interests. For Saturday evening we have invited bands with left political background to play live music.

Please contact us in time if you decide to participate in the Gib & Nimm (Give & Take). This is important especially if you have or anyone of your group has special wishes - questions upon childcare, wheelchair-accessible accommodation, translation into other languages, or whatever. Many things will be possible. But: If many questions reach us only in the last minute, we will not have the capacity to realise what you need. Early feedback also will give us hints on the number of accommodation needed and allow to organise and prepare enough tasty vegan food together with the cooking-group.

No one shall be excluded by a lack of money, but donations will be necessary.