During 2023, Hekler co-hosted a summer school at Četiri Vode (Four Waters) in Uzice, Serbia. This inaugural event in July was a retreat for artists, educators, and activists to rehearse collective care. 

Četiri Vode (Four Waters) is an initiative located in the village of Ljubanje near Užice Serbia that supports social change towards peace, equity and justice. It is a gathering space and sanctuary for artists, educators, and activists that are experiencing burnout, political and media pressure, as well as freely practice transformative pedagogical and organizing methodologies while connecting with the land. 

This year we collectively hosted 15 artists, educators, and activists from Serbia and the region for a 10-day residency. We provided them with space to rest, healthy food from local farmers, brave space for sharing experiences, and reimagining collective care. We organized public presentations and workshops focused on a range of collaborative methods that we would document in a digital publication and podcast distributed internationally and archived on our website. Our goal is to continue creating annual educational retreat programs like this to center regional and international solidarity.

Money that was donated through OCF was used to support monthly operating expenses for online communication such as Google cloud storage, Zoom, and English to Serbo-Croatian translation for hekler.org.

Challenges in 2023 continued to be budget and burnout. Despite the inherent difficulties of operating an independent organization, we are dedicated to organizing transnationally with international solidarity in mind. During the Summer School, we were able to develop our experimental approach to collaborative and collective work. As a result, our members and friendships became even more international.

In 2024, HEKLER will open a residency, host the 3rd Assembly, our 2nd Summer School at Cetiri Vode and a book launch in the Fall. Sign up for emails or follow HEKLER on Instagram.