Summary of Communications Working Group Plan
US Social Forum Communications: Beyond Publicity - Building Progressive Infrastructure
Since the last US Social Forum in Atlanta in 2007, Barak Obama was elected President on the strength of a massive grassroots campaign that engaged tens of thousands of new voters and widened the playing field of democracy in the US. Since then the economic bubble of US exceptionalism has burst, and the free market is in question at a level unseen in the US since the Great Depression. As the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress continue to play to the center of the political spectrum, there is both a new opening and a new need to articulate clear left positions on issues while advancing progressive values – including affirming the role of government in providing for the poor, working class and other marginalized communities.
Within this context, the US Social Forum and similar movement-building efforts can play a key role in articulating left positions on critical issues to influence public debate and push legislation to the left of center while organizing against neoliberal solutions. They can also play a key role in continuing to question the free market and neoliberal globalization worldwide, while providing concrete solutions for redress and reform. Without this voice the current crisis will be cast as just a bump in the road of boom capitalism – and solutions will reinforce the current system without addressing the root causes that threaten our communities with increased poverty, sickness and violence.
The social forum process provides an opportunity to build ideological convergence/power as we build power on the ground. We can portray the social forum as both an open space that can attract a broad swathe of left, progressive and certain liberal elements involved in grassroots movement building – and as an agendasetting, movement-building space that can feed people’s hunger for real change in the US and beyond. With the right-wing attacking the administration, and using racism and red-baiting to stir up fear – particularly among certain elements of white America -- the social forum process must cast itself as a growing force of civil society representing the majority of the country who do not benefit from the current system, a powerful convergence of the people who elected Obama pushing government to do what is right, and organizing for change from the bottom up.
Goals: Internal
I. Recruit a team of communicators representing all regions of the US, who can commit to ongoing support of the USSF process through a minimum of sharing lessons learned and resources on the USSF wikki, and coordinate with the USSF writers network to move USSF messages through monthly stories through a diversity of mediums including expanded electronic and other social media II. Develop a working model for cross-working group coordination around messaging, communications infrastructure and fundraising needs III. Coordinate a core team of left and progressive media including print, radio, TV and new media producers who will develop original stories that echo core messages on key issues, before, during and after the forum IV. Coordinate and train a USSF speakers bureau of grassroots organizers and leaders representing key regions and issues V. Develop a fundraising goal and strategy to resource communications materials including press kits, propaganda, and technical supplies
External
I. EXPAND WHO “WE” ARE – In coordination with the Outreach team, promote the USSF to dramatically increase the “buzz” around the forum and its appeal to likely audiences (see below). Frame the USSF as an open space for everyone who is hungry to become part of a global movement for real change from the bottom up. II. CLAIM VICTORY, PROJECT POWER - Place feature stories on the successes of the alliances that emerged from the Atlanta Social Forum in 2007, to highlight concrete impacts of the USSF. Frame the USSF as an agendasetting, movement-building space linking local and regional struggles in the country, and connecting them to similar strugles worldwide. III. LOCALIZE THE GLOBAL CRISIS & THE GLOBAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT- Spotlight Detroit as both the ground zero for the failure of neoliberalism and a vital center of a global movement organizing for another world –with solutions already in place that work, and with concrete improvements left by the social forum process. IV. BUILD RELEVANCE - Echo developments on critical issues emerging from the Detroit forum including health care, job creation, workers’ rights, housing and homelessness, immigration, and climate change. Frame USSF as a convergence of community experts with solutions to critical issues.
Full version - Communications Working Group Plan
II. I. OVERVIEWLONG-TERM COMMUNICATIONS GOALS (5-10 years) External I. The USSF will be a grassroots convergence that’s popularly known, as almost “kitchen table” conversation - it will be known in the popular imagination at the same level as the “Battle in Seattle” but with more depth - as a bi-annual opportunity open to all who support grassroots organizing to plug into and strengthen US-based movement-building, and to participate in the growing global justice movement around the world. II. Alliances and political platforms emerging from the USSF process will impact key national policy debates and helped win concrete victories in issues including employment and workers’ rights, the green economy, health care, sustainable communities, social and environmental justice and immigration to name a few key issues. Internal I. The USSF has succeeded in engaging more than 150,000 people representing all sectors of the US grassroots including children, youth, students, teachers, labor and worker centers, unorganized workers, cultural workers, the unemployed, migrants, indigenous nations, women, as well as organized allies including left academics, politicians, health care workers etc. II. An organized network of left and progressive media producers and outlets has emerged from the USSF process. This network can be engaged to constitutes “left echo chamber” strategic and coordinated enough to counter the right-wing and advance left/progressive values and master narratives III. USSF communications workers have potential infrastructure and networks to develop and strategy to move messages through liberal and mainstream media, including strong relationships with key producers, editors and decision-makers in the liberal and mainstream media Since the last US Social Forum in Atlanta in 2007, Barak Obama was elected President on the strength of a massive grassroots campaign that engaged tens of thousands of new voters and widened the playing field of democracy in the US. Since then the economic bubble of US exceptionalism has burst, and the free market is in question at a level unseen in the US since the Great Depression. As the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress continue to play to the center of the political spectrum, there is both a new opening and a new need to articulate clear left positions on issues while advancing progressive values -- including affirming the role of government in providing for the poor, working class and other marginalized communities. Within this context, the US Social Forum and similar movement-building efforts can play a key role in articulating left positions on critical issues to influence public debate and push legislation to the left of center while organizing against neoliberal solutions. They can also play a key role in continuing to question the free market and neoliberal globalization worldwide, while providing concrete solutions for redress and reform. Without this voice the current crisis will be cast as just a bump in the road of boom capitalism – and solutions will reinforce the current system without addressing the root causes that threaten our communities with increased poverty, sickness and violence. The social forum process provides an opportunity to build ideological convergence/power as we build power on the ground. We can portray the social forum as both an open space that can attract a broad swathe of left, progressive and certain liberal elements involved in grassroots movement building – and as an agendasetting, movement-building space that can feed people’s hunger for real change in the US and beyond. With the right-wing attacking the administration, and using racism and red-baiting to stir up fear -- particularly among certain elements of white america -- the social forum process must cast itself as a growing force of civil society representing the majority of the country who do not benefit from the current system, a powerful convergence of the people who elected Obama pushing government to do what is right, and organizing for change from the bottom up. United States Social Forum Communications Plan Detroit 2010