Call-in: (712) 432-0075 code 388105#
You can find notes from that past meeting at our wiki page: http://wiki.ussocialforum.net/wiki/Wednesday_July_24,_2013
ACT Meeting July 31, 2013 On Call: David, Walda, Rose, Mary BJ [Jen, Jerome, Kali cannot make call today] Walda facilitating; Jackie notes
1) Check-ins 2) Follow-up Trayvon Martin statement (2 min.) THE Statement is on website and sent out to full email list. Need to encourage people to forward to networks. Jackie will forward the responses we’re getting to the ACT so we can have collective assessment
- What recommendations can we make for discussion/approval of rapid response process?
Rose: This is a big question. We need to have more reflection and discussion on this. It’s a complex process that needs to be thought through. Discussion on retreat agenda.
3) Follow-up –Guidelines for research (2 min) -Jackie a. Revised draft and comments from ACT members at: https://pad.riseup.net/p/USSF_research_guidelines b. Recommendations for a process for implementing these guidelines—connecting to retreat discussion? Lunchtime conversation during retreat on Monday. Jackie notes the need to make at least brief announcement on the thinking and work behind this document so that folks at retreat are familiarized with the process that has been behind this; are prepared for the kinds of collaboration we’re hoping will develop in the documentation/evaluation work.
4) ACT retreat agenda & logistics/ preparation/ task assignments (60 min) -Rose/Jen Lesson learned: lack of staff person hindered logistics; the financial constraints of people we wanted to have involved made it a problem to not have reimbursements until after retreat.
Wiki site for all updated logistics info (and handouts): http://wiki.ussocialforum.net/wiki/National_Strategy_Meeting_in_Atlanta_Aug._4-5_2013 EMAIL Jackie if you have anything to add. Rose will send this out with final updates to participants.
8AM access to Project South building—Sunday upstairs due to church meeting downstairs. (space for 25); Monday we’re downstairs-more space.
Rose: Arrives around 3pm-- Needs someone with a car to help get materials to Project South. Rose will bring copies of agenda. Sample PMA/poverty agenda; Walda has copies of framing documents. Jackie will bring copies of strategy paper. Planning for 6:30 pm facilitators’ dinner Saturday evening. Check-ins for facilitation team will be happening throughout the meeting. @ Atlanta Airport Hilton restaurant Rose notes there has been trouble getting people to respond/ commit to logistics details-i.e., transport, etc.
David: We need to work on building a culture of accountability and leadership. Facilitators need to model this behavior and encourage everyone to practice it.
Pick ups for Sun/Mon will be 8AM SHARP at hotels.
Agenda discussion:
- Jackie recommends adding to context discussion some of the accomplishments of USSF and WSF process. Lessons/achievements.
- David: Are we in political alignment/agreement; Note differences between trust and political alignment. We need to identify the Take-aways we want from each section of the agenda. This is part 1 on political framing.
- Walda-notes more convergence on forms than on political clarity/content/direction/strategy. We want to open up the discussion of political strategy; what is undergirding our inability to come together.
- Mary BJ-we should end this portion with some clarity about the thinking about the implications of this historical moment. Need to work on building better understanding of this moment and implications. Agreement/Alignment differences need to be articulated.
- Rose-systemic transformational analysis- needs to be articulated; and discussion of how we connect with folks still thinking in social justice/reformist terms.
- Walda- the afternoon agenda allows for some of this to happen.
Afternoon discussion: SF of a new type- more decentered/ distributed Moving from convergence to coherence-How do we structure USSF3 to do this? Discussion of WSF experiences and recent challenges in and post-Tunis with moving from convergence to coherence. Walda: suggests discussion of PMA experience as a possible model for trying to move in this direction. Need to discuss who will help hold the PMA work. Need to help move to concrete discussions of WHO will do WHAT work. What work is needed to do: i.e., need comms-tech folks to be part of assessments of sites and the possibilities they offer….
ACT and Facilitation team will have dinner together 6:30 Sunday.
Monday: Discussion of PMA methodology. Key take-away is thinking through mechanics of how to move from convergence to political coherence.
Working group discussion- need to get clarity on working groups/ division of labor that we have in place. Concrete discussions of how we can coordinate the work better. How to synchronize the work of different work groups. How do we build engagement/ recruit volunteers? How do we train and educate volunteers and help build the skills needed to do the USSF. Mobilizing and BUILDING SKILL AND CAPACITY
Need to develop more participatory culture: NPC members must be involved in at least one working group. Walda: new member/orientation calls have been working on this. How do we bring new people into the day-to day work. This connects to question of how we grow the NPC. Regular calls/webinars/etc. to help with this is important.
Closing section will continue with the HOW we will get this work done question.
Jackie notes that help is needed for notetaking. She is working on finding out whether we can have people join via Skype during meeting. Not certain about bandwith.
Mary BJ notes that Evelyn will be stepping into ACT rep. role for poverty WG, so need to help bring her in.
Rose will circulate an update to the attendees and to the full NPC as well; sharing agenda and encouraging folks to look at and comment on strategy document.
5) Financial logistics—have emerged in the course of the retreat work. Need to figure out how financial records and transfers/policies have been organized. Need to work with Sylvia, Victor and Kali to manage this.
a. Who has this type information? Who manages it? How do decisions get made? This needs to be discussed at retreat.
6) (If time) Brief working group updates