This June, DiEM25 members will gather in Prague for the DiEM25 Academy – a three‑day space to strengthen local organising and connect struggles across Europe and beyond.
The Academy is not another talking shop. It’s designed so that you arrive with your experiences and questions, and leave with concrete mini action plans, campaigns, and commitments to take back to your city or country. Across the weekend we’ll work around three core themes – organising, collectives, resistance – and link them to real local fights already underway within DiEM25.
Below is the programme for the DiEM25 Academy weekend and the optional Monday field trip.
Friday, June 19
19:30: Meet and greet
Location: Energy Pub, Riegrovy sady 28, Prague 3
A relaxed evening to meet fellow DiEMers, and set the tone for the weekend.
Saturday, June 20
09:30-10:00: Gathering and Sign-up
Location: Kino Pritomnost, Siwiecova 1, Žižkov, Prague 3
Arrivals, registration, coffee and informal introductions
10:00-11:00: Onboarding and Orientation
Introducing the purpose of the Academy, how it connects to DiEM25’s wider strategy, and the different ways you can stay engaged after the weekend.
11:00-12:00: Using Bits & Bytes to Grow DiEM25 at Home
In this session, DiEM25’s IT Coordinator, Judith Meyer, will help you become a power user of DiEM25’s online infrastructure and open a space to discuss the best ways to increase your group’s visibility and attract new members online.
12:00-13:30: Lunch
13:30-15:30: Lightning Round: Stories, Struggles and Mini Action Plans
This workshop invites participants to share real stories of local struggles and wins, then work in small groups to design concrete mini action plans you can take back home.
15:30-16:00: Coffee Break
16:00-17:30: Panel + Q&A: Soviet Legacies, Russian Power, and NATO Dependence
We will unpack how memories of Soviet domination feed contemporary fears of Russian aggression, alongside a deep – but often uncritical – dependence on NATO and Western military power. Together we will challenge simplistic understandings of the former Eastern bloc and explore how a progressive movement like DiEM25 can offer a grounded response to security fears in the region.
Sunday, June 21
09:30-10:00: Gathering, morning coffee
Location: Kino Pritomnost, Siwiecova 1, Žižkov, Prague 3
10:00-12:00: Turning Stories into Campaigns
Led by Kinza Saleem and Nadia Grade from DiEM25’s Comms team, this hands‑on workshop will turn your stories and mini action plans into simple, concrete campaigns with clear messages, targets and calls to action.
12:00-13:30: Lunch
13:30-15:00: How to Build and Sustain Local Collectives
Led by Johannes Fehr, DiEM25’s Organising Director for Germany, this session will aim to answer how to start or join a DiEM25 group, grow and survive over time. From finding the right starting point to defining a realistic goal depending on the local reality. What are the steps to take? When does the founding of a MERA25 party make sense?
15:00-15:30: Coffee Break
15:30-17:00: Commitments & Closing: Next Steps and Reflections
This closing session will bring together the learnings from the weekend, support you in making concrete commitments for the months ahead in your local context, and create space to connect with others and share feedback.
18:00-19:30: Panel + Q&A: Resisting Militarisation, Rethinking Security: Is Europe’s Future Beyond NATO?
(open to the public)
In this political panel, Paweł Mościcki (philosopher), Michalis Kritharidis (MeRA25 Greece), Jan Bělíček (literary critic and journalist), and Adam Hruška (VOLT) will join Julijana Zita, member of DiEM25’s Coordinating Collective, to discuss EU militarisation, what genuine security in Europe could mean, and whether the left can speak credibly about Europe’s safety. The discussion will be followed by a 30‑minute Q&A.
Monday, June 22 (optional)
Field Trip: Local History, Culture and Team Building
This optional day combines visits to historic and cultural sites in Kutná Hora with relaxed time together, deepening connections and reflecting on what the Academy has sparked over lunch in a traditional Czech restaurant.
12:00: Bus departure from FK Viktoria Žižkov, Seifertova
14:00-14:45: Ossuary and All Saints Church, 45 minutes guided tour in English
15:30-19:30: Restaurant Dačicky
20:30: Drop‑off in Prague
Register for the DiEM25 Academy in Prague
We want the Academy to be accessible to members who could not otherwise attend.
DiEM25 has created the “Rosemary Bechler grant”, an Academy scholarship that supports members whose participation depends on financial assistance.
- Candidates should be recommended to the Coordinating Collective by at least five members from their local or national collective – those who best understand their circumstances and needs.
- The deadline for recommendations is 1 June.
- Recommendations should be sent to: [email protected]
If you are able, please also donate to support scholarships – so that lack of resources doesn’t exclude committed DiEMers from joining us in Prague.
Please note that all workshops and panels will be in English.
For any further questions, contact: [email protected]
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