On Saturday 6 May, a great day took place at the Nau Bostik: the first meeting of members, a space for participation to get to know each other and train us.

A Sostre Cívic we already have more than 1200 partners of different types, between expectants (without a project, or participating in a project in promotion) and users (who live together in one of the cooperative's buildings). We all share a common goal: to promote cooperative housing in right of use as an alternative model that guarantees the right to housing in the long term without allowing speculation.

We wanted to meet; to share doubts, ideas, proposals, concerns. And with this enthusiasm we gathered more than 100 members on Saturday May 6 at Nau Bostik, in Barcelona, ​​in a day that lasted until 5 in the afternoon. 

Training workshop: internal democracy, water management and political advocacy

The morning was divided into two sections, both to deal with common issues that affect the different projects and members of the cooperative. 

During the first part of the morning, the participants were divided into small specific groups according to the topic that each one chose with the aim of strengthening transversal work between the different types of partners:

• Tools and resources to improve the internal democracy of groups and projects. During the session, Mireia Parera, consultant and facilitator of Fil a l’Agulla, shared different tools and tips to reach a good consensus, getting everyone's opinions to surface and collect.
• Sustainability and energy efficiency: The drought and the challenge of water management in cooperative projects. Carolina Fiallo, urban planner and landscape architect and PhD student in water, city and territory, contextualized the current drought crisis both on a national scale and on an urban and residential scale and proposed measures to be applied to our projects and to the sector.
• Political influence to promote cooperative housing in right of use: where we are and next steps. A session that gave an introduction to the current legal framework and the initiatives that are underway to advance its regulation, in addition to dealing with how these struggles are framed with the right to housing and how the housing sector is organized housing cooperative. In charge of David Guàrdia, coordinator of the technical team of Sostre Cívic i Jose Téllez, press technician and political advocacy.

Space for participation prior to the General Assembly

After the thematic sessions and a well-deserved break with coffee and pica pica, we all met again to generate a space for participation for the most relevant topics that will go to the general assembly in June.

We started by explaining the final document that collects the Protocol for the prevention, detection and treatment of cases of sexist and LGBT-phobic violence. The process for its creation started last July with the creation of the motor group, and will be approved at the next Ordinary General Assembly in June.

The morning segment ended with the presentation of the final document of the strategic plan and the implementation plan of the cooperative for the next 3 years that will also be brought to the Ordinary Assembly. This is a key document that will help us continue to grow with clear objectives and in a sustainable way towards the final goal of consolidating our cooperative housing model as an alternative to the right to housing.

GALLERY OF IMAGES

The day ended with a open and self-managed space in the afternoon, where any partner could open a specific debate and share a proposal. The groups were organized around three themes: senior projects, group training workshop and meeting space for existing groups.