Five elements of Solidarity Prepping

Our foray into Solidarity Prepping is a learning journey. We are trying to equip ourselves to live humanely during the collapse of human society. We have discovered already that being in community is the fundamental requirement. Now we must learn what that means in practice.

Based on reports from Kollapscamp and some early wider reading, I've identified five "elements" that go into the practice of being prepared—as a community—for disruptions in the systems that we usually rely on:

1. Emergency Preparedness: Learning skills, collecting supplies, and making plans.
2. Community Networking: Finding and participating in existing local networks.
3. Mutual Aid: Acting in concert for the material benefit of other people.
4. Disaster Relief: Responding to catastrophic events with Mutual Aid.
5. Self-defense: Protecting our community from its enemies.

Each of these builds upon the other. We start by giving ourselves capability with preparedness in the home. We reach out into the community to discover the connections that already exist. Participating in those connections, we are able to distribute material aid to those in need. If disaster strikes, we have existing networks and procedures to respond. And the communal cohesion we build up over time gives us strength to defend our well-being if we are attacked.

Note that each topic is a field of study in itself, with substantial literature, organizations, and expert practitioners. The posts on this blog will be tagged with these topics, to give structure to the information.

Other perspectives on the development of Solidarity Prepping

There is more than one way to look at these ideas. The founder of Kollapscamp and the principle proponent of Solidarity Prepping is Tadzio Müller, in Germany. He has begun to publish some of his blog "Peaceful Sabotage" in English, and his most recent entry addresses this issue specifically.

Tadzio is an organizer, and with his operational partner "Scully," (Cindy Peter), he has begun planning for Kollapscamp 2026. Also, the Kollapscamp team is planning an exercise they call "KollapsLARP" (Live Action Role Play), which will be a week-long simulation of disaster conditions, including training in vital practical skills.

Other groups are developing simulations, as well. Adaptation Radicale, the French branch of Deep Adaptation, promotes "Le Jeu de L'Entraide" (The Mutual Aid Game, designed by Julien Lecaille), to give people the experience of working together under stress. A group in Ithaca, New York (led by Tom Schloegel) recently did a "Power-Out Weekend" where they practiced living without electricity. And I am designing a local "radio game" to get people practicing with walkie-talkies.

It's No Game

Those of us who can approach these ideas as simulation are privileged. We know that throughout the world many people are already experiencing the collapse of natural and social systems, at threat to their lives and communities.

Even here in the heart of the Empire, collapse is real. People in Minnesota are using Mutual Aid to sustain their community under fascist paramilitary attack. People in New York are mobilizing their Community Networks to fend off the establishment of concentration camps in their city.

Solidarity Prepping is not about the future. It's about building strength in our communities, today. We will continue to learn and to report what we learn.

Solidarity Prepping Group meeting, Saturday 17 January

• Date: Saturday 17 January
• Time: 11am Pacific time, 2pm Eastern, 7pm London, 8pm Paris. Check the time in your zone.
• Zoom info:
  • Meeting ID: 828 6523 3927
  • Passcode: 052977
  • Zoom link