NOTES: USSF Outreach Working Group Call -- October 14, 2009
Agenda:
- check-in
- update + next steps on field positions
- update + next steps on design
- update + next steps on consulta
- report on the local outreach in Detroit
- NPC agenda - what are outreach working group agenda items/decisions that we need to cover at the NPC?
- attendance for NPC meeting in ATL (October 23 - 25) - who's coming from outreach?
- schedule time for working group to meet at NPC meeting - what do we need to cover? subcommittee?
- Outreach Working Group Rep for the Organizing Committee
- next call
Roll Call: Brigid Flaherty, Pushback Network Ahmina Maxey, EMEAC Tammy Bang Luu, LCSC B. Loewe Cindy Wiesner, GGJ Fran Tobin, JWJ Ricardo Martinez, Padres Unidos Maria Escobar, SLAP
Updates: Delegation just got back from the Quebec Social Forum. Will have a report at the next NPC meeting.
World Social Forum on the Economic Crises in Mexico is happening the month before the USSF. Folks are planning on coming from Mexico to USSF. We should have a conversation on international participation, because there are a lot of people wanting to come from the International community.
People are starting to discuss caravans to the USSF (NE, South, Southwest, etc.).
DC - first social forum planning meeting Chicago - already ongoing planning meeting, talking about bike trip National Domestic Workers Alliance - excluded workers track at the social forum Minneapolis & Wisconsin -bike trips planned - Bringing extra bikes to leave in Detroit
Talk about everyone bringing a book to build a social forum library in Detroit Social Justice Leadership & Kindred - healing track desire to do community-based accupuncture
JWJ having meeting in Dayton, OH JWJ reaching out to national labor bodies
Next Steps on the Field Positions: TOP 3 and TOP 4
1- B.Loewe 2- Pegah R. 3 - Celeste Faison
Doyin Ola Rodrigo Rodriguez Michelle Brown Hevily Esperanza
Hold on decision until NPC for a cashflow analysis to see what's realistic There has not been interviews yet.
Update on the poster design: DLOC gave the comments, it was emailed to Karlos and Nadia. Nadia has been in correspondence with folks on the call. They have a new version of the poster. There has been conversations happening. They have been working with Nisa and Reg. The goal is that we need to have a final design by the NPC meeting.
The decision needs to be made at NPC meeting. There needs to be coordination.
Everyone has been making their own materials and there is no uniform look.
Next steps: Tammy will send out an email to Nisa, Reg and Nadia Tammy touching base with Nadia
Update + next steps on consulta:
B and CIndy working on with the Consulta Committee:
The release of the consulta has been postponed for a week, 1 month for the actual consultation process.
Below are the questions posed to outreach with the draft of responses by B & Cindy
1. Outreach goals o Identify social networks by networks/coalitions and region that are mobilizing for the USSF, this will help us identify gaps regional and sectorally o Identify potential leads in different sectors and regions around the country o It will help us hear how people are thinking about forum to inform our messaging and political framing
2. What fields o Name (preferably required) o Address (optional) o city, state, zipcode (preferably required) o Email address (optional) o Phone (optional) o Cell Phone (optional) o Organization/Group (preferably required) o Is your organization a member of a network or coalition? Which?
3. What sector do you primarily do work in? With ability to pick more than one o Immigrant and Migrant Rights o Labor/Worker's Rights o LGBTQI Rights o Environmental Justice o Racial Justice o Criminal Justice o Economic Justice o Media Justice o Indigenous/Native Nations organizing o Student Organizing o Youth Organizing o International Solidarity o Food Justice o Women's Rights/Gender Justice o Culture o Education o Inter-Faith o Healing and Transformative Justice
Stand-alone question: How do you describe your work (comment box)
4. Audience & distribution plan o Primary Audience for the consulta are social movements locally, regionally, and nationally. o We will focus on moving the consultas through the relations and networks on the NPC and the DLOC. o We should send it out to the USSF list-serve both the National and regional lists. We can send it to our International compas on the IC as well. And lastly we should do a mapping and division of labor among the outreach working group of different sectors and regions that are not well represented and do targeting outreach to them.
This process is bringing forth alot of questions for different working groups. The Program/Culture Working Group has been ahead of the curve. Consulta is a new methodology, not everyone is familiar with the process.
Help the NPC get a sense of the pulse of the movement, what is the the state of the struggle, where is the edge. Thinking is that social movements are doing this type of anaylsis and it would be beneficial for us to have a sense of how people are anayzing the conditions.
With the feedback, the program committee will consolidate the information. Helps to define the thematic tracks. It can give us a sense of the themes that cut across the work, the transveral axises (english translation of the spanish term for cross cutting issues).
It will help the program committee arrange the workshops and the main political questions that are coming up in the work.
Can't put political positions on the thematics, not the role of the Social Forum but of the social movements. Social Forum/USSF is not an organization, it's a process.
Quebec Social Forum has example of thematic, WSF examples would be good too.
Consulta next steps -B will send consulta fields and sector list to consulta committee, including the outreach goals and target audience. ESP MALLORY -when completed, consulta can be sent out over USSF listserv, posted on website. -we need people to connect to their existing networks to give the feedback - Outreach will help develop an outreach strategy - Cindy will send out examples of thematics from QSF + WSF
-How are we going to make sure outreach is done to address gaps?
We need to get social movements feedback and ensure we get this. This will help our outreach. We have to make sure we outreach organizations to ensure they help shape the social forum process poltically.
Report from Detroit Outreach committee includes: Regional targeting 7 cities in MI. looking to integrate local/national processes
Detroit outreach to orgs & block-clubs. four links on wiki that are tools being used powerpoint, orientation kit, excel contact list (doesn't currently include sectors)
Potluck monthly in Detroit (4 so far) next this Friday the 16th at LGBTQ center north of Detroit november potluck = nov. 19th, a thursday
We should figure out a time to visit Detroit, so there can be an outreach working group face to face retreat.
Ahmina will send out Detroit Potluck schedule.
We need to figure out who is coming to the NPC meeting?
Attendance to NPC meeting: Cindy Wiesner, GGJ Ahmina Maxey, EMEAC Tammy Bang Luu, LCSC B. Loewe
Outreach Working Group Rep to Organizing Committee: Accountability Team to Coordination Team now to Organizing Committee Representative Body Help coordinate between the different working group to create functionality Coordination, Communication, Troubleshooting Meet on a weekly basis + additional meeting before the NPC meetings Review budget OC includes staff, feedback to staff reports Handling NPC expansion NPC member Alternate could come to face-to-face meetings
Turn in organizing committee rep to Coordination Team by Friday, October 16, 2009 First meeting Thursday, October 22nd before the NPC meeting that weekend.
Rep: Cindy Wiesner Alternate: Tammy Bang Luu (for now)
Outreach WG agenda items for NPC meeting: The NPC draft agenda will be ready by Friday. B, Cindy and Tammy will think through Outreach items and how we should spend the time during working group break outs.
Next Call is October 28th at 4pm/1pm PST- based on the Consulta getting out that week and us having a working meeting to do the consulta outreach.
November 11 at 4pm EST/ 1pm PST, is our regular scheduled time for Outreach Working Group.