Coverage 2026

Press release · Berlin, 15 July 2026

Prepared, not paralysed: 1,000 people get ready for crises together

Kollapscamp 2026: 5–9 August, Kuhlmühle (Brandenburg, Germany). Press welcome.

From 5 to 9 August 2026, around 1,000 people will gather in Kuhlmühle, north of Berlin, to practise dealing with crises in solidarity with one another. Over five days, Kollapscamp offers more than 100 workshops, plus panels, talks, film screenings, concerts and plenty of space to connect – organised by an open group of people from civil society who take the prospect of collapse seriously. The idea behind it: not to retreat into isolation, but to prepare together. They call it solidarity prepping.

“I spent years with Fridays for Future trying to push governments into action – in vain. Climate collapse is coming, and we need to be honest with ourselves about that,” says Therese, one of the camp’s organisers. “But that very acknowledgement opens up new paths. For me, solidarity prepping is the way out of helplessness and into action.”

Solidarity prepping is not only about the practical side of difficult situations, but above all about social skills: keeping a cool head, sharing supplies and know-how, being there for one another. In practice that can mean many things – doing the shopping for elderly neighbours during a heatwave, or knowing how to support each other in a flood. It is also, fundamentally, a question of justice: those who already have little are hit first and hardest when crises strike.

Across the five days, the programme ranges from the big picture to the very concrete. In the Theory strand, sessions explore how collapse actually shows up in everyday life – from power cuts to medicine shortages. In the Practice strand, participants can learn things like first aid, storing and propagating seeds, or building resilient communication that keeps working when networks fail. A dedicated strand is devoted to emotional work: through grief rituals, sharing circles and training in psychological first aid, the focus is on staying able to act when the strain of crises and disasters grows.

This year’s central theme is connection. On several days, the programme deliberately brings together people and groups from the same region to build lasting networks. In panels and talks, the camp also wants to learn from people who already live, or have lived, through collapse – for instance in countries where democracies have broken down.

“When people hear ‘prepping’, they picture tinned food and bunkers. We practise something else: staying calm, supporting each other, standing up for one another,” says Gerriet, from the camp’s organising team. “What matters most in an emergency is the people around you.”

The background: heatwaves, wars and the fear of war, financial insecurity, disinformation, the rise of far-right parties – ecological, economic and social crises increasingly feed into one another. Collapse, as the camp understands it, is not necessarily the single Hollywood-style bang, but the sudden or gradual breakdown of systems we rely on every day – from the power supply and supply chains to a stable climate and functioning democracies. Denying it breeds fear and paralysis; acknowledging it creates the basis for preparing effectively. Kollapscamp sees itself as part of a growing movement for solidarity in the face of collapse, and is open to everyone who wants to prepare together.

Press services

Kollapscamp is a self-organised camp for solidarity-based crisis preparedness – and journalists are warmly invited. Attendance is free for accredited press. On three days – Thursday, Friday (in English) and Saturday – we offer a guided press tour (“Walking Press Conference”) across the site at 2 p.m. All conditions and registration can be found at kollapscamp.de/presse-en.html

About Kollapscamp

Kollapscamp 2026 is a non-commercial, self-organised event for solidarity-based crisis preparedness, run by an open group of people from civil society who take the prospect of collapse seriously. It brings together people from all kinds of backgrounds to understand together what lies ahead, and to build the emotional and practical skills for facing it side by side.

Press contact: Therese & Gerriet · presse@kollapscamp.de · +49 1523 6868033
Info & tickets: kollapscamp.de

We welcome media coverage. Kollapscamp is also a place where people experiment, argue and show themselves vulnerable. That's why clear rules apply here.

Registration

Please register in advance at presse@kollapscamp.de — with your name, outlet and the days you'd like to attend.

Press tours („Walking Press Conference")

At 2 pm each day we invite you on a guided tour where we present the camp and are available for questions:

• Thursday2 pm – German
• Friday2 pm – English
• Saturday2 pm – German

Here you may photograph, film and record. We'd like to approve anything we say during the tours as a quote before publication.

Personal rights

Outside the tours, the following applies: every person must consent individually and actively before being photographed, quoted or recognisably described. There is no blanket consent by entering the site — we ourselves ask before recording faces. This is to be respected without exception. Children and young people are never recorded.

Protected areas

No recording takes place in sleeping areas, in the kitchen and — especially important — in the awareness area.

Consideration on site

Please work with restraint: workshops, conversations and individuals should not be blocked or put under pressure by coverage. Anyone who says „no" or does not respond means no.