OC working group reports 2-22-10

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Working group representatives: prior to the 2/22/10 conference call, please submit your written report below. This information will be used to help draft the agenda and will allow other working groups to be prepared with feedback.

Each report should include the following:

• Summary of working group projects, activities, and/or organizing work.
• If applicable, summary of working group (sub)committee projects, activities and/or organizing efforts.
• Upcoming deadlines or milestones.
• List of feedback, direction, and support needed from the OC and/or specific working groups.
• Name of representative(s) who submitted the report.

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Comm-Media

Coming soon...Internet, snow delay (Adele)

Gender Justice

Gender Justice Report 2-22-10

Work done and in process:

• Have continued with weekly meetings at 9pm EST
• Have begun to focus discussion on events/marches/workshops GJWG will participate in during forum: decided to host a Gender Justice Tent in collaboration with other organizations, discussed holding a gender justice march
• Will have a regional meeting in NYC on March 2nd from 6:30-9pm in association with the UN Women's commission on gender justice and climate, site to be announced soon
• Begun process of refining budget

What we need:

• Specifics on how to access funds for regional gatherings and other events
• Contact and regular communication with logistics given accessibility questions and gender sensitivity security and bathroom issues

ICT

After wrapping up the registration system we have:

1 -- dealt with fixes and adjustments to the system based on ticketed "issues" from people in many working groups

2 -- wrapped and launched the "cultural activities" participation form

3 -- in several work sessions, have contined developing the "organize site" as a community-based organizing project. Site has been launched as the repository of workshops

4 -- handled about 40 tickets since last meeting -- most working on Stage 4

5 -- modified Stage 4 to limit it and make it more manageable, modified dates of termination

6 -- prepared for trip of Alfredo and Mallory to Detroit

Language Access

Had call with emerging Language Access Leadership Team on February 18

1. Sent out mass email to NPC, OC, and other workgroups

2. Labor Division and Coordination a. Folks stepped up to work as teams to coordinate following work areas i. Translation pipeline ii. Terp Recruitment and Logistics iii. Equipment research and logistics iv. Budget and Fundraising v. On the ground logistics vi. ASL – liaise with Disability Justice WG

3. Financials a. Working out an amended budget based on current timeline b. Current budget roughly half of ’07 while being asked to do double the work

4. Technology a. Josue working on both a database to capture interpreter/translator recruitment info b. Josue/ICT working on a translation pipeline process. Hope to unveil on Friday’s call c. Researching different tech options for the forum – will be informed by projected attendance both in terms of numbers and targeted communities

5. Languages a. Not selecting official languages (not wanting to create hierarchies) b. Building a structure to meet actual need c. Ideal v practical: frames expresses desire to facilitate access to any/all language combinations possible. d. Possibility dependant on capacity and resources e. Invited communities asked to help build this capacity by providing interpreters/translators for the forum and/or sheparding interpreters/translators into the recruitment process f. Pending discussion – can the desired political goals of providing Arabic be accomplished another way if there is not enough capacity to build a structure g. Input needed/requested from Outreach re targeted communities, Registration re responses

6. Interpreters a. Massive recruitment needed/started i. Call letter ii. Personal invites iii. Tapping into existing networks/orgs b. Need to develop tracking system for travel and logistics c. Need to develop interpreter travel budget d. Developing politic about skill level e. Need to schedule call with Program/Wksp Proposal groups re coordination

7. Translating a. Massive recruitment needed/started i. Call letter ii. Personal invites iii. Tapping into existing networks/orgs b. Developing politic around glossary/consistency c. Translation pipeline i. Working groups will be able to submit requests ii. Translators will be able to access electronically, translate, and return d. Immediate need: prioritization of web pages and documents

8. Working with Disability Justice WG a. Need: Set up call specifically around ASL interpreters b. Proposed division of labor i. DJ WG identifies need based on program ii. LA WG recruits and coordinates ASL terps with input from DJ WG

9. To-do’s: a. Set up call with DJ WG b. Set up call with Pgm/Wksp Proposal WGs c. Draft and submit budget d. Set up interpreter/translator dB e. Rollout translation pipeline f. Continue researching tech options g. Recruit, recruit, recruit h. Make decision re glossary/consistency i. Develop core interpreter/translator policy re skills j. Develop interpreter policy re budget

10. Specific asks: a. Outreach – data on targeted communities b. Registration – registrant date re language needs c. DJ WG – registration data re ASL interpreters d. Finance – relook and upping budget e. PRIORITIZING TRANSLATION QUEUE – (who?) Submitted by Roberto Tijerina

Logistics

We had a second conference call and are continuing to discuss 2-3 team areas per call. So far we have discussed hotels, solidarity housing, transportation, opening & closing march. We expect to have soon the hotels list ready to go on the website. There are also new persons helping at the local level to identify solidarity housing and home purchase options. The DLOC Logistics Committee is in conversations with a transportation coordinator who helped the National Baptist Convention with airport shuttles. We agreed to go forward on working with contacts at couchsurfing.org and agreed we should not post housing ads through Craigslist--feels unsafe. Our full call notes are at Logistics Working Group.

People's Movement Assembly

2x a month conference calls continue.

Updates:

• Successful & exciting PMA held in San Antonio on Saturday, Feb 13 – Ruben sent report

• Chris Borte from the PMA Web Team is working hard on getting what we need online

• Fred, Dan, and Steph participated on national Program Design Team call to work through how the PMA will be showing up throughout the five days in Detroit

• Letter of invite & organizing packets are ready to send out

Proposal for the PMA plan for the 5 days of the Forum, including the final day and the larger national Assembly process is being prepared for finalization at the OC meeting in March

Poverty

We're finalizing our budget, it will be shared soon. Also, we are working with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign to finalize the route for the March to Fulfill the Dream--this has been a huge project. The final details are being arranged on cities and contacts and we will soon have a flyer and letter of invitation to share. Some of our working group members are preparing to go to Marks, Mississippi, for the beginning days of the march to talk about the USSF. We are also talking with some folks from W. Virginia and Massachusetts who are interested in working with us.

Program & Culture Working Group

Program

the program team is working on the following:

-the workshop submission process has been launched and we are now accepting workshops. The deadline to submit workshops is March 20, 2010. Our working group needs support in making sure that this deadline is being uplifted and publicized widely.

-we are putting together a team of folks who will help reviewing workshop proposals that we receive.

-we have been working with the program design team to help start to put all of the pieces together.

-we are working on the list of tags for workshops submissions, and working to draft review process. at this time, the process is that program subgroup will review workshops and tag them. online, workshops will be categorized under tracks and tags so people can search content in different ways. we'll review workshops preliminarily as they come in, and then we're hoping to make final decisions by April 30.

-our next full program and culture working group call is Monday February 22 at 6pm PST/ 8pm CST / 9pm EST

what we need:

support in uplifting the deadline for workshop submission (the deadline is t minus one month) from communications, outreach, and others

support in getting the workshop submission forms for culture and program live on the website in downloadable form, for outreach and registration purposes

support in ensuring that those downloadable forms are translated

submitted by Alicia Garza, OC rep for Program

Culture

The cultural submission forms are live on the USSF2010.org website. A call will be sent out to listservs, to national arts organizations, galleries, art collectives, film collectives, networks and more.

Resource Mobilization

The full notes from the last USSF Resources WG call are on etherpad: http://etherpad.com/R3vqnb8PJA.

Foundations

• Pending foundation commitments:

- Ben and Jerry's: $50,000 due in March. This is the last of four $50k installments

- Peggy Meyerhoff Foundation: This is a donation of stocks. Amount unknown.

• Pending applications

- Needmor Foundation: $10k discretionary request

- Kresge Foundation: $35k request

- Wallace Global Fund: likely $70k

- Surdna Foundation:$150k request

• To be submitted

- Solidago Foundation: $25k due February 24

- French American Charitable Trust: $5k discretionary request

Travel Subsidies We are finding out which foundations will be providing travel support to the USSF and make this information available on the website. We will also follow up with Solidago Foundation about the possibility of a Solidarity Fund being housed there.

Funders Network on Trade and Globalization The first of a series of funder calls on the USSF was convened by FNTG last week. FNTG staff will be coordinating with NPC, DLOC and staff for speakers in the coming months. FNTG is also in discussions with Kresge and other foundations about a funder briefing in Detroit at the end of March to coincide with the OC meeting.

MERCHANDISE We agreed that we would not try to do advanced sales of merchandise but would focus on making sure the materials are available at the USSF. Sylvia and Sha will work on pulling together a team to start design and production of merchandise.

ONLINE APPEAL The next appeal will go out at the end of this month. Sha has commitments from 5 organizations to set up their own web pages to track donations from their e-mail lists.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE ALTERNATE Priscilla Hung will be the RWG alternate to the OC.

NEXT CALLS We adjusted the regular call schedule. The next call will be: Thursday, March 11 at 3pm eastern, 2pm central, 1pm mountain, noon pacific

Calls will continue every 3 weeks after that at the same time:

- April 1, 3pm eastern, 2pm central, 1pm mountain, noon pacific

- April 22, 3pm eastern, 2pm central, 1pm mountain, noon pacific

- May 13, 3pm eastern, 2pm central, 1pm mountain, noon pacific