By Gema Martínez (Las Gildas)
I believe our structure, call it an ‘assembly,’ when we sit down together, is getting better and adapting and I think it’s due to the care between all of us. Of course there have been situations in which some people haven’t felt able to participate because it was difficult for them or because, in a particular moment, they have ideas but they don’t know how to express them clearly and they don’t find the right time to intervene. So part of what makes the group unique is being aware of this and saying “well maybe it would be worth talking about this when we get together for a glass of wine in a couple of days”. I came, like the majority of us, from being in groups and doing things collectively by voting and it was so easy to say ‘seven said yes and four, no, so the “yes” vote wins.’ For us, if there are seven people and three say yes and four say no, it’s a clear ‘no.’ It means that the group is not at its strongest at this moment unless we continue working on this, reflecting on it and discussing and eventually you start to see it differently. I think that if anything makes us unique it is the consideration we have for those who are present. I don’t know if this is a pure assembly or a mixed assembly or what, i don’t know…
By Javi Vazquez (Sosterra)
It’s a work in progress. We haven’t been taught how to work in an assembly structure.
By Patricia Manrique (Pasaje Seguro)
We need to demystify spontaneous assemblyism. I’m a loyal believer in assemblyism, but it requires a lot of work, it’s not something that is spontaneous. We don’t have protocols, but there still is concern and work behind assemblies. I don’t remember having ever arrived at an assembly of Pasaje Seguro and saying ‘let’s just see what happens.” There’s always an agenda, there’s someone who’s in charge of facilitating the meeting, there’s someone who takes minutes, and there are various people in the group that I consider to be quite empathetic and caring of the rest who make sure that the assembly functions. So, spontaneous it is not.
