Contents
Introductions and Check-ins
Jerome Scott, Chris Bufford, Rose Brewer, walda katz-fishman, Ashley, Spence Mann, Anna Lee-Popham Facilitator: Jerome Notetaker: Anna
What it means that we are 1 Year Out
1 year is a very compact time frame for getting all our work done in prep for the next social forum. Especially to get several work groups up and running, we need to do that in the next month or so, or it may be too late to get them up and running. (Rose) The PMAs will be a big piece of the work that needs to be done. (walda) We need to share with the world the information about the 2015 social forum and the 2016 assembly or assemblies. Can we get that info out in a week? The messaging and sharing of info and website is critical as well. (Chris) It’s crunch time. A lot of groups are interested, they need a lot of time to prep to come. The more time we can give, the better. There is a sense of urgency. Let’s make the best use of the time we do have. (Jerome) We need to get info out. Also need to get out general statement re: three-year process, # of PMAs around country, and what it means for movement building in this country that social forum process is one-year out. This should be assigned as part of this phone call.
Reports regarding specific fronts of struggle and working groups
Indigenous Peoples WG (Spence)
This WG is in an important relationship building process. In late April, there was an initial call of some of key folks who will be involved. It was a small group but with representation from different regions. There is a plan to schedule a second call and to invite others. My role is to support the group. Tia and Lewis from Seventh Generation Fund have been holding it down. Alicia Macy has also been involved in west coast. Hoping to get all these people together soon to be able to move that forward. (Rose) There was a good explanation on last call re: lots of diversity re: position of naming of state (US Social Forum). (Spence) That is one of main pieces to talk about at next meeting. There appears to be some clarity re: what not to call social forum (US Social Forum). Saw that Alicia was saying that because some nations have treaties with US, so it is important to recognize the relationship with US. The question is more if land on which social forum is happening represents multiple nations, not just the US. THe idea is not to remove US from conversation or language, but how to name the overall context of social forum in a way that supports a decolonizing process. There is a goal of trying to be aware of keeping non-Native folks on call to a minimum, so that it is Indigenous Peoples. Spence and Ashley will talk about ways to be involved in WG.
(Jerome) Until we make a decision on language on change of language we will be using, we should continue to use language we have been using and then when we make a decision we inform everyone re: use of language.
Language Justice So far it doesn’t seem that there are folks who are interested in kicking this off. We should ask Comm/Tech if they are interested in bottomlining WG. Can this be sparked through relationship with migrant justice organizing connections that people have? If you have connections with people involved with language justice, please pass them along to this WG.
Youth Walda, Jerome, Chris, and two others who are interested will schedule a call to see where to go from here. Anna will send contact info to each other.
Arts and Culture Is in motion. No one on call representing Arts and Culture. We’ll check in with Shamako on that.
Upcoming Outreach Opportunities
Peoples Social Forum Spence and Anna have had peripheral contact with PSF and more with Ana Collins, the Indigenous organizer with the Peoples Social Forum. It will be August 21-24, in Ottawa Will be series of workshops and assemblies (16 themes running throughout) and there are some caucuses (Indigenous, POC, QC). There are scaling up meetings taking place right in cities and Indigenous Nations. And there have been calls for and workshops. USSF folks are doing PMA and workshop focused to communicate about communication re: USSF process and need for hemispheric unity.
PMA organizing kit & PMA template This is the year of the PMAs. Encourage others to hold PMAs as way to get to know people you are organizing with. A map has been created of past and upcoming PMAs. If you know of PMA that has not been captured. Please send info to Jerome, Anna, Spence. The PMA website is currently very inactive. Spence and Anna will be putting some energy into reworking that PMA website so that it is functional and dynamic again. This rebuilt PMA website can then eventually be folded into or linked into the new integrated Social Forum website once that larger site is complete.
On this website, the relationship between past PMAs and future PMAs will be laid out so that it is easier for people to navigate and filter through the various PMAs. This site may also allow us to visualize the fronts of struggle and how these relate to PMAS so we can see the gaps, etc…
(Jerome) PMA WG is trying to reach out and know about all PMAs happening. PMA WG is trying to follow up and point folks towards SF and looking forward to 2016, assembly of assemblies. Also trying to coordinate upcoming PMAs with fronts of struggle developing – and making sure PMAs are connected with fronts of struggle – hooking up with those, as part of movement building process. We could check in with David to ask him for update re: how connection to political process is happening in PMAs.
Check in on fronts of struggle mapping process This conversation was started in Jackson. Some folks there said they could do process. Anna will follow through with getting in touch with Carlton re: mapping of fronts of struggle.
Update re: Comm/Tech Background: Comm/Tech is really important for Outreach work.
Possibility of an outreach comms tech group Anna and Spence have been connecting with liaison between Outreach and Comm/Tech. Shamako in Bay Area had some folks he was recommending to be involved. Do let us know if there are others who are interested in also being involved in this. Survey questions It’s been slow to get new website going. Spence has been in touch with some of the folks, specifically Jamie, who is reaching out for support. A survey has gone around to the leads of the WG to ask WG about their needs re: website. Spence will be calling to check in re: WG needs and have clear sense of priority re: website direction.
Rebuilding the PMA website Given year out, we are going to be rebuild PMA wbeiste, want to be sure to not have redundant websites. The goal is to have one integrated site. Since this is year of PMAs, we need to have site up and functioning. We will share the website for feedback etc. We’ll be building mcok-up around old site with new information. Feedback that as idea?
There are reps on the comm/tech WG from Philly and San Jose – not sure about Jackson - and people in Pacific NW.
CRM (Contact data base). From past SF and from PMAs, there has been contact info has been gathered and saved in data base and used to send out newsletter and other communication. Is not actively being used and peoples info isn’t being labeled when come in to know background info on folks. Would be great to make more use of database. This has been pretty supported by comms/tech folks. Outreach comms/tech will put work into this.
It would be great to support Comm/Tech, specifically regarding Outreach areas. There will be an upcoming MayFirst PMA.
Suggestion to send out doodle for scheduling
First Monday of each month at 4pm eastern. We will send out Doodle with some suggested times. First Monday of month at 4pm eastern works for folks currently on the call.
Year-Out Report/Article Jerome, walda, Rose, and Anna will work on this. Jerome will bottomline. Focus will be:What is means we are a year out? How important this is for our country, world? Use this to mobilize and introduce people to three-year plan. We will develop draft in the next two – three weeks.