OC working group reports 3-8-10

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Working group representatives: prior to the 3/8/10 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

March 8, 2010 Report

Gender Justice

1. Weekly conference calls continue

2. Held a NYC regional meeting on 3/2/10 from 6:30-8pm

• Approximately 14 people attended
• Feedback from the meeting will be incorporated into GJWG strategy
  • Focus on how we can connect to, work with, and learn from Detrot groups
  • Developing a pre-forum PMA
  • Attendees stated that they would like to meet face-to-face again in approximately 1 month
  • Would like to establish connections with transnational issues
  • Would like to see space for strategy sharing in the canopy

Outreach

6 people on first English call 30+ on second English call 25+ on third English call 3 on first Spanish 6 on second Spanish

Schedule Tues. 3/02. 2pm eastern (en) Thurs 3/04 6pm eastern (sp) Tues. 3/9 2pm eastern (en) Thurs 3/11 6pm eastern (sp) Tues 3/16 2pm eastern (en) Thurs 3/18 6pm eastern (sp)

Upcoming Schedule Tues 23 2pm eastern (en) Wed 24 6pm eastern (en) Thurs 25 6pm east (sp) Tues 30 2pm eastern (en) Wed 31 6pm eastern (en) Thurs 1 6pm east (sp)

Outreach subcommittee working to find 30 representatives of communities mobilizing in the forum to be profiled in communications work.

People's Movement Assembly

NEXT STEPS:

• proposal (including budget) for national assembly process to be prepared for OC mtg in Detroit
• begin synthesis process for before and during the forum
• connect and coordinate with field organizers to support PMA development and outreach
• FAQs online
• sync up the proposal process with online tech requests

Exciting updates about PMAs happening around the country. Many of them are now listed on the ABCD site: www.abc.ussf2010.org – Check it out! (and much thanks to the ICT for amazing work to get these mechanisms functional!)

PMA HIGHLIGHTS - Houston had a successful PMA on February 27 and the group committed to becoming a Houston Organizing Committee to mobilize towards the Forum and hold a reportback after the Forum.

- The Detroit 313 PMA is gearing up for March 13th PMA on community responses to economic, social, and community violence. The PMA will lay out several powerful Actions in Detroit to connect the USSF to community struggles.

- Ruben Solis of the Southwest Workers Union has initiated a SW tour and is on his way to California for a PMA in the Mission District of San Francisco on March 13th and organizing meetings for future PMAs (in LA, San Diego, and Albuquerque)

- The Ordinary Peoples Society & Project South will have a PMA and organizing meeting on Friday March 5 in Selma AL in conjunction with the Jubilee 2010 events.

- Knoxville has evolved the PMA model towards a community organizing method to hold 4 smaller kitchen-table meetings that will culminate in a larger Assembly on April 20 to share resolutions and craft something for the USSF.

- Portland, OR has been holding meetings for months to facilitate a city-wide PMA on May 8th. A group in Olympia WA has committed to do a South Sound PMA simultaneously with Portland on May 8.

- Healthcare NOW, a national organization fighting for single-payer health care through grassroots chapters and national policy work, is interested in getting members to PMAs that are already happening, organizing PMAs through their chapters, and potentially organizing an Assembly at the Forum.

- The National Day Laborers Network is working with other groups including the Domestic Workers Union to hold an Excluded Workers Congress at the USSF and connect to the PMA process.

- New Orleans organizers from the Organizing Roundtable are working with Amnesty International organizers to hold a Gulf States PMA on April 10th to coincide with Amnesty International’s Annual Meeting.

- The Pick up your Peace Youth Summit & Youth Movement Assembly for March 27 in New Orleans. Project South youth leadership delegation will be there!

- Several PMAs are in the works including an Appalachian Youth PMA, a PMA to be held at Highlander, one in Minneapolis/St.Paul, and more.

Organizations and groups are planning larger Assemblies to converge at the Forum around many issues: healing justice, peace/anti-war, Solidarity Economy, immigrant justice, anti-zionist forces, food justice, arts & cultural transformation, queer liberation, Chicago student movement, and many more. We’re working with the ICT and the Program working groups so that groups can submit a PMA as a 4-hour bloc and connect to the larger process.

Program & Culture Working Group

Program

what we're working on:

• finalizing the list of tags that will help to index the workshops that are submitted
• bringing together the team of workshop reviewers and getting folks familiar with the online review process
• working with the communications working group to make sure that the deadline for the workshops is getting disseminated widely
• working with ICT to generate an automatic response once workshops are submitted, to let people know that we have received their workshops and they are now in review
• coordinating with the program design team to help interlock all of the moving pieces (printed program, logistics, online program)
• clarifying and solidifying the criteria for acceptance of workshops (making sure that all are aligned with the 5 goals of the USSF)
• preparing for upcoming OC meeting
• working with ICT to get downloadable forms for registration and workshop submission (done!)

what is coming up:

• a discussion with the outreach working group about the workshop submission deadline of March 20; hope to have a decision by this week

where we need support:

• (to be determined)

submitted by: Alicia Garza, OC rep for program side of Program and Culture Working Group

Culture

Right now the focus is on submissions and acquiring artists. The submissions for culture are sporadic. We have received more submissions via mail and through outreach than the cultural submission form. We have not heard from the Resource and Mobilization Working Group on our budget yet, so some projects are on hold.

We are going to write a proposal to receive funding for artists to attend and to help with housing/food support.

We are meeting with community artists to solidify the vision for the Children's Art Village at the Social Forum.

We receive dozens of requests each week for cultural ideas and proposals. One group wants to bring an art series to honor the Cuban 5. I am looking for a gallery for them to connect.

Several artists have asked to connect with local galleries and clubs to help defray the costs. Would you be willing to work with me on this project? We will set up a meet and greet with local gallery and progressive club owners and present a proposal to them.

We are coordinating with artists locally, nationally, and internationally from diverse communities in an expanded range of cultural expressions.

Oya Amakisi did a culture information presentation on a national Arts and Democracy call.

We have been working closely with the International Committee to do outreach to international artists.

We will establish a Culture Lab with Arts and Democracy and other organizations across the country.

Culture is coordinating with logistics to create spaces for the culture lab, the film festival, and designating locations for the cultural tour.

Next Steps

Confirm all artists/stage managers/MCs for the opening march, cultural expressions at Hart Plaza/Cobo Hall/WCCC(?) and solidify the schedule for the USSF 2010 Program Booklet.

Resource Mobilization

Foundations

We received $10k from Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Foundation. We received a commitment from Wallace Global Fund, but it looks like they will contribute the following. - $30k for general support - $15k for youth travel (we need to start a process in the Youth WG for determining these scholarships) - $25k for Africa and Asia participants (the International Solidarity Committee will develop criteria and process for this) WGF asked that we amend our request to reflect this breakdown and Praxis has done this. We are awaiting official word which should come at any minute.

We should have received the following grants by now: Peggy Meyerhoff: $10k UU Veatch at Shelter Rock: $40k Ben and Jerry's 3rd installment: $50k (due in January), another $50k is due this month Solidago Foundation: $25k New World: $20k

We are waiting to hear word from: Kresge Foundation for $35k, should be decided soon. Solidago Foundation for an additional $25k - probably decided in May Surdna Foundation for an additional $150k mainly to support youth organizing - not sure when decision will be for this. Needmor Foundation for $10k - this is a discretionary request that could come soon.

Car Eth Foundation also has expressed interest in funding the USSF and will send us an RFP. Their grants are usually up to $15k.

Non-foundation Support

Based on the report from Outreach WG yesterday, registration has brought in $23,545 in pledges, we have received $12,589 We also have an organizational commitment of $5k from AFSCME and Sha is working with the labor folks on setting up a program to get $5k contributions from other unions.

Travel Support

If people know of any foundations that are planning to give travel support to grantees or others, please let the Resources WG Co-chairs know ASAP: genaro@swunion.org, priscilla@grassrootsfundraising.org, michael@ggjalliance.or genaro@swunion.org.

NEXT CALL: Thursday, March 11, 3pm edt, 2pm cdt, 1pm mdt, noon pdt

• Youth Working Group is finalizing the Youth Outreach Packet. This is set to be completed by Friday, March 12. The Youth WG would like to know what housing options are available to include in the outreach packet. • There will be a National Youth Organizing Day for solidarity around raising funds for youth to attend the USSF. The date of the fundraising day will be decided upon tonight (March 8) on the National Youth Working Group call. • The Youth Working Group is still in the middle of finalizing a budget plan. Focus groups have been organized for the Youth Working Group and include the following groups: Logistics – Tracy Chacon Responsible for: working with the Logistics WG, serving as a liaison between youth and Logistics WG, being a resource to youth for housing and travel needs.

Finances – Sandra Garcia Responsible for: developing a budget and drafting fundraising proposals.

College students - Cindy Responsible for: understanding and targeting college students/organizations and their resources.

Outreach - Jardyn Lake Responsible for: communicating to student/youth groups and connecting them with information and resources.

YouthSpace – Corina McCarthy-Fadel , Mishara Davis Responsible for: developing the YouthSpace for the Forum in June.

Communications – Veronica Hill Responsible for: unifying communications within the Youth WG and making information/projects visible and accessible to the NPC.

• Jardyn and Corina will be attending the OC meeting in Detroit. • Upcoming Youth Outreach Dates: Youth Lobby Day March 15-17