“ORGANISE YOURSELVES!” has a long and many-voiced history. A little over three years ago, we launched the project “Spedition Stadtmachen” – a kind of forwarding agency specialising in the import and export of initiatives and their expertise. Or, as we also like to call it: a self-help group with output.
Anna and Sabeth from Urban Equipe, together with Gunnar from Raumstation Wien, began to initiate exchanges between groups in the German-speaking region (Switzerland / Austria / Germany). At first, it was on a small scale with just a few friendly collectives, but once we had enough resources, the circle grew wider.

We conducted interviews with over 30 inspiring people and set up a database of practical tips. In August 2019, 13 of these collectives met in Zurich for a three-day workshop festival to share hands-on experiences. In working groups, we gathered further practical insights from participants and began developing applicable content for the handbook.
After this intense exchange, the initial ideas went into the “logistics centre” for revision: they were digitised, supplemented with material from the interview database, compiled into chapters, and fully written out. Early drafts of the chapters were passed back and forth between collectives, meaning that in the end, countless people contributed to this handbook.
And now the handbook is finally here – for you!

This book cannot change the world on its own, but perhaps it can help you to do so. Because one thing we firmly believe: every change begins with the first collective step.
So go for it!

And: Organise yourselves!