Réseau d'échanges de pratiques alternatives et solidaires

The Réseau d'Échanges de Pratiques Alternatives et Solidaires (REPAS) is a French collective founded in 1994 by the association Le Mat in Viel Audon. It brings together around thirty enterprises, associations and cooperatives that operate on principles of self-management (autogestion) within the social and solidarity economy. The network's purpose is to structure and share concrete, lived practices of cooperative culture — from collective decision-making to daily life in collectives — through training, publishing and mutual exchange. REPAS is best known for two complementary activities. First, it runs an alternative apprenticeship program (compagnonnage) in partnership with the Le Mat training center. The first compagnonnage session began in 1997, and by 2022 the network was hosting 310 compagnons aged 18 to 40, trained across about thirty member structures. Second, it operates the Éditions REPAS publishing house, which publishes books and testimonies of alternative and solidarity-based experiences in its 'Pratiques Utopiques' collection. The publishing arm was a member of the co-errances cooperative and has more recently experimented with podcasting through an audioblog. Member structures include Ardelaine, SAPO Ambiance Bois, Les Nouveaux Robinson, Oxalis, the SCIC Le Champ commun, the self-managed SCOP bakery La Conquête du Pain in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), and several farms. The network is based in France and operates nationally, with official sites at editionsrepas.free.fr, reseaurepas.free.fr and compagnonnage-repas.org. In 2021, the association announced that its compagnonnage would not take place that year due to funding difficulties, illustrating the financial fragility that can affect alternative-economy structures.

The Réseau d'Échanges de Pratiques Alternatives et Solidaires (REPAS) was founded in 1994 by the association Le Mat, based in Viel Audon, France. Its original purpose was to structure a training program inspired by the traditional compagnonnage model, adapted to the values of self-management and the social and solidarity economy. The first compagnonnage session took place in 1997. Over the following decades, REPAS grew into a network of around thirty member structures across France, including cooperatives, associations and farms. It also developed a publishing arm, Éditions REPAS, which publishes testimonies and stories of alternative and solidarity-based experiences in its 'Pratiques Utopiques' collection. The publishing house was a member of the co-errances cooperative. By 2022, the network was hosting 310 compagnons aged 18 to 40, trained within about thirty structures. In 2021, the association announced that its compagnonnage would not take place that year due to funding difficulties, highlighting the financial challenges faced by alternative-economy organizations. The network continues to operate, with official websites at editionsrepas.free.fr, reseaurepas.free.fr and compagnonnage-repas.org, and has recently expanded into podcasting through an audioblog.

• 2022

  Network hosts 310 compagnons aged 18 to 40, trained across about thirty structures.

• 2021

  Association announces that compagnonnage will not take place due to funding difficulties.

• 1997

  First compagnonnage session begins.

• 1994

  REPAS founded by the association Le Mat in Viel Audon.

A grassroots network promoting self-management and the social and solidarity economy through training, publishing and mutual exchange.

• Éditions REPAS publishing house

  Publishes books and testimonies of alternative and solidarity-based experiences.

• Pratiques Utopiques collection

  Original book collection featuring stories of alternative and solidarity-based adventures.

• Compagnonnage alternatif et solidaire

  Training program in partnership with Le Mat center, sharing concrete learning on cooperative culture.

• Audioblog/podcast

  Podcast series featuring self-management stories.

1. 1Éditions REPAS official websiteeditionsrepas.fr
2. 2Wikidata entrywikidata.org
3. 3French Wikipedia articlefr.wikipedia.org