Those of us who were at the convergence talked about writing brief summaries of the workshops and activities we each attended so that those who weren't able to make it would have an idea of what was learned and so that we could each be a resource if someone was interested in finding out more about a workshop one of us went to.

Some workshops I attended:

I-69: A presentation by anarchists from Indiana who will be working to oppose the construction of I-69 next year. This presentation will be on tour and should be coming to mke later this month.

Lead up to the Conventions: this was a discussion of general strategy and tactics in preparation for both the DNC and RNC, some things we discussed were building infrastructure, coming prepared, setting the tone of the events, being our own media and propaganda, and most importantly build up actions prior to the conventions.

"Being Better Dudes": This was a discussion about masculinity and being better men, and opposing patriarchy in our daily lives and within the radical community. This discussion was similar to the 'dudes collective' we've been wanting to have here in milwaukee. The discussion was really sucessful and should definitely happen here.

Mens Sexual Health: this was a very open conversation about mens sexual health, a topic which is often ignored or suppressed among male identified and male bodied people. It was very productive and is something we should also consider doing with out 'dudes collective".

De-arresting: this was a direct action fast-track that discussed how to prevent arrests and to unarrest people in mass protests. We went through some basic hold-breaking techniques and affinity group techniques. These are things we should definitely take into consideration in our preparations for the rnc and other actions.

Intoxication culture: this was a discussion of intoxication and its role within our community and how we should look at it.

Blue Anarchy: a workshop dealing with how to reclaim boats, radicals who have taken to the sea in recent years and the potential that surrounds sailing and the sea. It was interesting.

Service Workers Discussion: this was a workshop involving workers involved in the service industry. We discussed individual annecdotes and strategies to take back from our employers and the potential that service workers have to unite as a class and to build class consciousness against capitalism.

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"Down with a world in which the guarantee that we will not die of starvation has been purchased with the guarantee that we will die of boredom."

Thanks for posting this. What did you think of the convergence overall?

I had a really good time at the convergence, I think that the direct action fast tracks as well as the discussions about upcoming mobilizations against 1-69 as well as the RNC / DNC were really worthwhile.

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"Down with a world in which the guarantee that we will not die of starvation has been purchased with the guarantee that we will die of boredom."

all in all the convergence was super worthwhile. i don't really remember all the workshops i went to, but the really awesome and memorable ones were:

nudity: theory and practice- was a really laid back discussion about how our society views nudity, and the different connotations that being nude has for us. it gave us a chance to hit on a lot of issues, from body positivity to privacy to the ways that viewpoints chance over the years. plus everyone got naked, so that was really great too. it was a super comfortable, very nude-positive environment.

radical crafting: i definetly hit up the arts and crafts tent pretty hard while i was at crimethinc. scoff if you must, but it seriously was really sweet to meet some incredibly creative people doing amazing crafty art. i learned some sweet new embroidery stitches, how to make pom poms, shoes, knitting techniques, etc. plus met a lot of fun kids.

survivors of sexual abuse: was a pretty small, but very productive workshop. we mostly came together to share our stories and support each other, but we also came up with a list of ways to support survivors of sexual abuse and better communicate with them.

supporting survivors of sexual abuse: i helped facilitate a workshop that was somewhat based off of the discussion that was had in the survivor's meeting. the point of the workshop was to try and get around the taboo of sexual abuse so that it could actually be talked about in healthy ways. we also tried to strongly enforce that fact that whether you realize it or not, you probably know a survivor of sexual abuse, and this issue affects everyone. here's the list of communication methods we found effective:

-it's incredibly important in any relationship to follow basic rules of consent, especially in a situation where this common decency has been violated.
-rape is not sex. rape knows no gender.
-don't make assumptions. for example, don't just assume that survivor will come to you when they need help. don't assume you know the remedy to someone else's problems. when someone tells you they are a survivor of sexual abuse, don't assume that their entire life and all their decisions are formulated around that singular experience.
-if you speak out against sexual abuse, people will be more likely to see you as a safe person to come to and will seek you out for support.
-it's extremely important to restore choice to the survivor, from simple things like asking if they'd like to sit, lie down, have a glass of water to what course of action they'd like to take, would they like to handle things within the community, do they want to notify the authorities, etc.
-always, always believe a survivor. don't invalidate or dismiss their experience, don't ever assume or reinforce the fucked up idea that it's somehow "their fault", and remember that everyone's situation is unique, just as each person is. we are more than just statistics.
-it's not about you. it's not about you. it's not about you. sometimes all we need is just someone to listen. if you are unsure of how you should respond, just ask, i.e. do you want to know what i think? etc. especially when a survivor finds themselves supporting another survivor, it's important to be as unbiased as possible, and to not see the situation through the lens of yer own experience. supporting other survivors can be a really important, even therapeutic release to offer support to someone outside yerself.
-if you can't offer support, be honest about it. dealing with survivors of sexual abuse can be really hard for some people, especially other survivors. it can bring up lots of personal issues. know your limits and communicate them.

yeah, so that was a super productive workshop, i was really pleased with how it went.

communications: was basically about how to tune into police scanners and stuff like that. really important, a little too technologically advanced for me.

free running: some kids taught the basics of urban free running. the basic idea is that the city is kind of yer playground and you don't let little obstacles like fences or walls stand in yer way. these kids can climb walls, vault over fences, jump out of second story windows, and do all kinds of other crazy shit. and it's way easier than you'd think. and really handy when running from the cops.

non-normative masculinity and gender subversion: was a open discussion i facilitated during lunch one day. it went really well and continued for a couple of hours, and mostly offered a space for people to talk about what it meant for them to be male-identified without fitting into the social construct of what it means to be masculine, and also turned to what it means for individuals to be queer, communities to be queer, sex positivity, kink, consent, pronouns, appearance, you name it, we kinda covered it all.

i would give a total high five to anyone thinking about going to crimethinc next year or other conferences and workshops similar to it. there's more to it than just workshops; it's an incredible chance to network and meet new people and spark up new ideas and all in all feel inspired and motivated. there's always fun shit going on and tons of cuties and it's a chance to see what other people are doing and how they're doing it. what's more rad than that?

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'We are an army of dreamers, and therefore invincible.' -Subcomandante Marcos