New Bochure: TRANSBORDER SUMMER CAMP III

Dear reader,

Transborder summer camp 2025: – 6 days of coming together, exchange, learning, discussing, meeting new and old friends and co-fighters.

680 participants from around 100 groups and networks, 8 days of construction, 28 shifts every day, 24 working groups for the organization of the camp, 20 announced workshops with 33 sub-workshops, uncountable informal meetings and spontaneous workshops, 8 languages translated, 67 visa-applications, 32 visas denied, 12.310 meals, 525 kg flour for breads (from a bakery on the camp, fresh every day), 150 hours dish-washing (minimum), 68 kg coffee, 250 sleeping-tents, 24 toilets, 8 pee-places, 34 vans for sleeping, 1 crowing rooster every early morning (almost ended in the kitchen), 4 big circus-tents, 16 big tents for infrastructure and gathering, 1 aggressive goose, 1 Soli-Bus collecting participants from Germany and abroad, 69 flight-tickets, 21 showers, 4 days of deconstruction.

The transborder summer camp (TSC) 2025 took place between 5th and 10th of August 2025 in the ZAD near Nantes. It was the third time – after 2019 and 2022 – that several hundred activists came together for transnational exchange and mutual inspiration on struggles and practices for freedom of movement.

We are happy to present this brochure with reports and reflections on the 3rd transborder summer camp. With a “call for papers” to all participants and a direct request to the organizing groups for various workshops we finally received a number of texts and contributions. The booklet includes several summaries and interesting conclusions, subjective impressions and critical comments, and even a touching poem. We tried to cover main contents of the program and our aim was also – last not least by some pictures – to catch a bit of the amazing spirit of this coming together.

But we certainly cannot claim to be in any way exhaustive. It is already impossible to depict the diversity of starting points and opinions. And the camp communication happened on multiple levels. Beside or beyond the official program a lot of sub- or extra-groups have been built partly spontaneously. From the experiences of the first two camps it was clear that informal exchange during mealtimes, breaks or in the evenings needs time and has its own value. All this cannot be reproduced in a brochure.

Nevertheless, we hope that our fragmentary booklet documents some key-discussions, thoughts and commitments from the summer camp. It should support the ongoing transnational networking processes and help to re-inspire us in our struggles. It should be a reminder that we built up strong and reliable infrastructures for freedom of movement with and for people on the move in the last years, which will help to face the coming challenges. We also hope this booklet will inspire people that were not present to join the struggle for freedom of movement and to engage in transnational and intersectional alliances.

The booklet is printed in both English and French. We will also try to get translated at least parts in more languages. And all available texts are published also on our transborder-website. There we also offer the space for more comments and reflections. You can still contact us there. The brochure could be one element to ensure continuities

Website: https://trans-border.net/index.php/transborder-summer-camps/