NOTES: USSF Outreach Working Group Call -- December 9, 2009
Next scheduled call is Wednesday, January 13, 2010 (1pm pacific and 4pm eastern)
Agenda
Old Business: (45 mins)
* Check-in * Consulta Report-back + next steps - 10 mins (Mallory, B, Program WG) * Materials Report-back - 5 mins (Ahmina) * Staffing Update + next steps - 10 mins (Tammy) * Grassroots Fundraising - 10 mins (Brigid) * Other subcommittee report-backs
New Business (45 mins)
* Plan of Action for outreach at NPC meeting sites - 10 mins (Albuquerque coming up Jan 7-10) * Youth Working Group - 10 mins (Cindy) * Outreach WG + PMA - 20 mins * Detroit Expanded - 10 mins (Mallory) * Announcements: NPC mtg January 7-10, Outreach Retreat in Detroit January 24-26 - 5 mins
Roll Call:
Ahmina Maxey, EMEAC
B Loewe, USSF
Brigid Flaherty, Pushback Network
Rich Feldman, City of Hope, Detroit
Tammy Bang Luu, LCSC
Mallory Knodel, Mayfirst/People Link
Lee Sustar, Center for Economic Research and Social Change
Darryl Jordan, AFSC/Third World Coalition
Akudo Ejelonu, USSF
Cindy Wiesner, GGJ
Reg, JwJ and Communications WG
Check-in:
Rich: 20th anniversary of ADA and Homestead Act
Creating caravans for Detroit.
Ahmina: Left Turn Magazine is interested in getting involved. The event is in January but don't have an exact date.
Cindy: First meeting in south Florida on Monday. In 2007, took 150 people to Atlanta. The meeting this week had about 40 people at the first meeting. Our goal is 150, and maybe more.
Mallory: Food justice is mobilizing. Take Back the Land movement made a mention during the battle in Seattle.
Daryl: A meeting is scheduled on Friday. Needs help to track down Sherry H.
B: Tabled at Educators for Social Justice in Chicago with 700 participants,
Brigid: Pushback Network discussed their involvement in the USSF
Tammy: California Fund for Youth Organizing: 40 member organizing commitment to do a youth caravan from four regions in CA
Consulta Report Back
Cindy's Analysis of Types of Organizations: 400 results as of last week
Intermediaries/Networks/Coalitions/Policy Organizations 110
Grassroots Community Organizations 45
Individuals/Non-Affiliated 41
Activist Formations/Solidarity Organizations 34
Universities/Campus Organizations 34
Media/Culture 23
Collectives/Cooperatives 22
Parties 13
Youth Organizations 12
Unions/Worker Organizing 11
Foundations 8
International Allies 2
Sectoral Breakdown (Self-Indentified and Multiple Selections)
Not Listed 87
Economic Justice 69
Racial Justice 47
Labor/Worker's Rights 46
Women's Rights/Gender Justice 46
Environmental Justice 43
Education 38
Youth Organizing 38
Immigrant and Migrant Rights 37
International Solidarity 34
Student Organizing 34
Culture 30
Media Justice 30
Healing and Transformative Justice 28
Food Justice 24
LGBTQI Rights 21
Criminal Justice 18
Indigenous/Native Nations organizing 12
Inter-Faith 10
Breakdown by State
Map available at http://josue.mayfirst.org/node/2026
Results available at http://josue.mayfirst.org/consulta-cities
NY 61
CA 51
MI 28
PA 26
GA 22
MA 21
IL 20
DC 18
NC 18
TX 11
FL 9
KY 9
TN 9
LA 7
MD 7
WA 7
NJ 6
NM 6
OR 6
WI 6
AZ 5
MN 5
RI 5
OH 4
VA 4
CO 3
IN 3
SC 3
AL 2
HI 2
ME 2
MO 2
VT 2
WV 2
AR 1
CT 1
KS 1
MS 1
NE 1
Consulta:
B: The consulta closes on Monday. We need to look at results and figure out where we want to prioritize. Results were 400 organizations as of last week. Reviewing Cindy's analysis which is pasted in the notes.
Cindy: Interesting piece is that there is a gap between sectors and that organizations identification. Still weak in unions, independent workers centers and youth organizations in terms of sectoral participation. Regionally, there is a gap in the Northwest and the Rocky Mountain/Great Plains. The Mid-west, with exception of Chicago and Great Lakes is a region that needs greater outreach.
Mallory: Is excited to see second wind. Josue made a map of where the consulta forms have been collected so far. The people who fill out the consulta will be aware of registration process.
Next Steps:
[ ] Fran, Sarita, and B were mapping connections and will reconnect to map out weak points.
[ ] Tammy, B, Akudo to make plan
[ ] B will call Eddie Acosta, rep for AFL-CIO and NDLON worker centers
[ ] Reconnect with youth organizations
[ ] Cindy will pull together program & consulta analysis before next call
Right now, the consulta information only has individual names listed. We do not have the organizations connected to the individuals.
Rich: Tension between framing Detroit as ground zero for crisis vs. the alternative vision that Detroit's creating.
Mallory: Using web site to post inspirational comments on consulta process.
Materials Report-back
· Final designs for logo and postcard were drafted November 16th.
· Posters, postcards, and stickers were printed (10,000 – 15,000)
· The first printing was rushed because of the need to get something for the anniversary of the Battle in Seattle.
· Next printing of posters and postcards will be in other languages
Stuff has already been sent to:
Detroit: USSF & MWRO offices (Maureen)
Atlanta: Project South (Steph)
Albuquerque: SouthWest Organizing Project (Louis)
L.A.: Labor/Community Strategy Center (Tammy)
Philly: Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (Cheri)
San Antonio: Southwest Workers Union (Genaro)
Miami: Grassroots Global Justice (Cindy)
NYC/Brooklyn: May First (Alfredo)
DC: Jobs with Justice (Sarita)
San Fran/Berkeley: Design Action Center (Nadia's holding some for Bay Area orgs)
Anything left will be taken to Albuquerque for the OC-NPC meetings.
Contact National Staff member Sylvia Orduno at sylvia@ussf2010.org if you want some sent to you
Ahmina: If you're interested in getting materials, you can email Sylvia: sylvia@ussf2010.org. Question: video is helpful in regional outreach. Is it possible to get it available on line? Someone can digitize it and get it online. Also can email Mallory for help to get it online: mallory@ussf2010.org.Inventory of materials: Not final but ballpark: 10,000 4x6 postcards, 4,000 posters, and 10,000 stickers. Idea to ship some materials to Albuquerque and also to Akudo and B.
We should also send the materials to places where we're weak and get it to them earlier so not to reinforce the trend we're seeing.
Check in with Roberto from Language Access and see where they're at. We need the materials translated in Spanish and Arabic. Brigid will check in with Roberto.
Ahmina: In Detroit and national working group process, we need to strengthen collaboration with communications.
Cindy: If there's another run for materials, we need to edit and update language.
Subcommittee to do this work: Akudo, Rich, Cindy, Reg. Coordinate with communications, language access, and tech and get point people to create additional language.
Cindy: Get materials online so people can print their own materials. Reduce costs for shipping.
Mallory: Finished design of website, on the landing page there is a get involved menu and this is where the materials will be downloadable.
Grassroots Fundraising:
Grassroots fundraising materials:
Flyer now in postcard form called Feed the Roots, Grow the Movement
What it will cost document is waiting for the final registration rates, should be done next week.
Grassroots tool kit, waiting for the GIFT toolbook + another workbook from Appalacian Community Fund
Sha is the consultant for fundraising. Question for Outreach: first online fundraising appeal Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Also last day for consulta is Monday, December 14, 2009. Are we going to do any last email blast, should their be coordination? No current plans to send out a last email on the consulta. The email and website should have a thank you for folks filling out the consulta.
[ ] B will follow up with Sha on the email
[ ] B, Rishi, Brigid and Sha will figure out how to thank participants.
USSF Field Staff Update:
Congratulations and welcome to the US Social Forum process, B Loewe & Akudo Ejelonu.
Job Responsibilities include:
Develop and oversee national organizing infrastructure, including overall plan, development of materials, contact spreadsheets, benchmarks, etc.
Develop familiarity and connection with participating organizations so as to assist mobilization and coordination of participation from existing bases
Attend events, convergences, and meetings to mobilize communities to the Forum
Work with the Outreach Working Group on targeted outreach plan, progress and planning leading up to the forum, including via the website planning tools
Support and coordinate participation in the People’s Movement Assembly, based on schedule and targeted outreach plan developed by Working Group
Identify, coordinate, and support, the organizing needs of marginalized groups, particularly with resource mobilization networks, transportation/caravans to Detroit, connection to housing options in Detroit
Support and coordinate with regional gatherings and forums to mobilize
Hold regular outreach and orientation conference calls to introduce the Forum
Received 49 applications. Tammy, Will and Stephanie interviewed 6 people for this position. B has donated his labor. He is going to donate his staff time back to the social forum. We have two field staff positions that started on December 1.
B and Akudo are not new to the social forum process.
For the 2007 USSG, Akudo helped with the Freedom caravan. B organized people from Chicago to Atlanta
Review the job responsibility for this position. They will be working with PMA, Outreach WG, Detroit as well as connect with the other staff. Work will focus on helping folks in motion toward Detroit, identifying and organizing the sectoral and regional gaps, and working with communications and ICT to massify the forum.
Important Missing Responsibilities:
Q: How are you formalizing travel and outreach?
There is a small budget for outreach. We will need to develop a work plan and figure out how to prioritize the travel that's needed.
Major task: how to synergize the PMA and Outreach work.
Detroit Expanded meeting tomorrow, Thursday, December 10 @ 5:00 pm EST with Oya from Program/Culture and Detroit Organizers Call-in number: 712.432.9998/Access: 841125 #
Will schedule a report back from the call at the next Outreach WG call. Transversal project with many WGs, Outreach is a big player in this!
Outreach Plan for NPC Meeting (Jan. 8-10):
Organizing Committee meeting will be on Jan. 7th.
Why the meeting is not Detroit? Purpose is to help expand the regions involved and mobilize folks to attend and participate in the USSF 2010. That is why we picked ABQ, in boost up Southwest and Rocky Mountain organizing.
Main Goal is to reach out to indigenous and Native nations in the region. Reach out to immigrants rights groups that do work in the border. Think through youth organizations that can plug in throughout the region.
Planning to have a dinner/reception, town hall meeting around the budget cuts (invite for NPC). On Jan. 9 dinner reception and party. Discussion around having another meeting to bring, orient and reactivate the region around the USSF (this is still to be determined)
Working with Louis (SWOP representative) on what can be done to help outreach to orgs in the region. Having a People's Assembly meeting occur that Monday after NPC to brainstorm who and what organizations we can get connected to the NPC and mobilized about the social forum process. SWOP has asked for our help to do outreach to invite people to the NPC meeting.
We need to identify who are the folks we want to come to all three days of the NPC meeting and who can we get to play a bigger role mobilizing for Detroit.
George Martin moved to Santa Fe, has been working with indigenous community and working on local outreach.
Main Question: Should we have an outreach meeting that is part of or separate from the NPC meeting? These additional events are alot of work on SWOP.
We need to identify folks who are in this region and connecting them to the work that is going to happen that weekend.
Questions:
1. B: What is the intention of Saturday PMA?
Cindy: Not sure. But think that the 3 hour PMA is to increase outreach and is a walk through of the PMA, in order to increase the knowledge of the PMA for all of the NPC and local allies.. The possible overlap is if we do an additional outreach event. We want to make sure that we do not add more stuff on the local folks since they have been gracious to host. We need to combine our efforts (PMA and Outreach). Check in with SWOP about what they recommend.
Suggestions: Get a smaller group of folks to volunteer to help with this issue about combining the efforts and sending invitations (SWOP, outreach and PMA).
Volunteers: Tammy, B, Cindy and Daryl
They will check in at the end of the call
Cindy: There is a lot of excitement and confusion about the PMA. One of many ways to mobilize people for the USSF
Ahmina: Our roles overlap that we must have continuous conversations between outreach and PMA
Hold for next call: Youth working Group
More for next call: Outreach and PMA
Announcement
1. NPC meeting in Alb, NM (Jan. 7-10). OC meeting on the 7th, NPC Jan. 8-10.
2. Outreach Retreat in Detroit Jan. 23- Jan. 26
Akudo, Tammy, B, and Cindy will be attending. Purpose is to connect National Outreach WG with Detroit Outreach Committee.
Report backs from Organizing Committee:
Cindy: NPC is moving into a new structure to include an organizing committee so that we maximize conversation and communication between all the working groups, the anchors and the DLOC. First committee call last friday. Second call is 22nd of Dec. After that it will be every 2nd and 4th Monday.
They downloaded reports of every working group. Registration and workshop submission will be online on Jan. 1. Registration committee is working on rates for groups and individuals. Folks who are doing workshop need to pay their organizational registration and be registered. Jan 8-10, outreach committee will use the time to finalize the conversation on promoting the workshop submission of the USSF.
Our next scheduled call is Wednesday Jan. 13 (1pm pacific and 4pm eastern)
We will connect during the NPC on promotion plan for workshop submissions.
Great meeting. Happy Holidays