Assembly Cookbook

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A recipe is meant to inspire, but it is rarely necessary to follow it to the letter (unless you are making a soufflé). The same goes for this Cookbook, which aims to whet your appetite by offering different perspectives on how to put together a dish, combining ingredients to create a new alchemy. But these recipes should in no way be considered an exhaustive step-by-step guide whose sole purpose would be to list the tasks to be accomplished. On the contrary, these recipes and experiences are there to inspire you to create your own recipe, your own assembly. 

But how? As in any recipe, there are recurring elements to consider. Who do you want to invite to your table? Academics, erudites, people who could be described as Mr./Mrs./They-Them Average, or perhaps artists, creative minds who have the ingenuity to see our interactions and the way we practice democracy on a daily basis from an angle that you and I would never have thought of? 

There are also essential ingredients that you cannot do without: where does an assembly take place? In an enchanting setting such as a park in the heart of Palermo,  in a public square that everyone is trying to reclaim such as in Florence (Italy), in a lively place covered with soft carpets nestled in the small town of Kuopio (Finland), or on the bustling banks of the Danube river in Budapest (Hungary)? 

An assembly is, above all, a time shared by complete strangers who decide to pool their brainpower for a given period. This gathering combines political reflection, social conflict and creativity, which clash and intermingle to give rise to what every pro-democrat praises: compromise. An assembly is a way of formulating a common project without having to impose one’s ideas by force and violence at the risk of being excluded from the discussion. Rather, it is the ability to listen to one another, to accept different points of view, to exchange one idea for another that is sometimes better suited to addressing a common problem, which will ultimately make it possible to put forward a shared vision of lasting change. An assembly is about viewing politics as a democratic endeavor, not only in form but also in essence. It is a new way of helping each other to build a new, fairer and more balanced world, where nuances take on meaning beyond polarisation. 

So try out these assemblies, which have been led by inspired and inspiring people, all connected to the European Alternatives community. Draw on these recipes and adapt them to your own taste: get cooking!