ACT meeting 6/4/13
Jerome facilitating; Jackie on notes Check-ins: Walda, David, Rose, Jerome, Jen, Jackie
1) USSF Strategy paper (Draft circulated) Jackie & Walda (20 min.)
Focus of discussion is to:
(1) see if we can get consensus on a text that can be used by external outreach/working groups;
(2) identify items needing larger political discussion—mainly the idea of ‘social transformation’ and how the USSF process challenges hierarchies. Also needed is concrete discussions about how we will implement USSF goals and how we will evaluate achievement of goals.
Walda: Distinguishing between this document-oriented towards funders—and the document needed by working groups. Working groups will need to adapt/develop their own working documents and thinking. There has been some work, e.g., in thinking about addendum to PMA organizing kit and other work on road to USSF3 that helps further this particular work. This document may be a resource for this, but it is not the same as these other documents we need—which will have more political and practical content.
David: Notes that the origins of this document and need for text for funders (1-2 pages is ultimate goal). It may be hard at this late date to get funding for retreat, as we had initially thought.
Rose: Funders have some discretionary resources that they can disperse on short notice.
Jerome: There is good material for a fundraising document and for outreach; but the document as it is written doesn’t really do all of either task. We need to be consistent in the overall direction and vision for where process is going; the role of USSF as a tool for movement building for social transformation. Consistent language is important. This can be a framework for creating shorter, more precise documents for working group use.
Rose: The political tension between social democratic tendency and anti-capitalist/social transformation tendency is real. How do we navigate this tension which is on the NPC and on minds of funders. We need to be clear about this and how we want to deal with it? Notes that this tension is behind some of the loss of some NPC folks.
Walda: Heightened tension with deepening crisis: these are conversations also happening in global level. Social democratic tendency uses ‘social transformation’ term as well; meaning differs to different folks. First page and anticipated outcomes—it may be worth focusing on these two parts for shorter doc. And checking to see that the anticipated outcomes listed at end include all the pieces mentioned in the middle part of document.
David: Need to be explicit: are we wanting to be more explicit about anti-capitalist stance? How do we communicate this to potential funders? We may be able to find funders who would be open to these goals.
Rose: Notes that the social democratic/radical anti-capitalist tension is important- contributes to some NPC members falling off. This needs to be on retreat agenda.
Jackie: Asks if we have consensus on the document as a working text for work groups. Offers to clean/trim it for final 5 page version. Notes that we have identified some important ideas that will be important for the retreat.
Jerome: Yes, this tension between social dem./anticap. Will be the key discussion at retreat. IN outreach, we’ll use document to help frame the PMA organizing process and framing the crisis we’re in and where the USSF process can grow.
2) Left Forum dinner/meeting with OWS folks (David/Rose 10 min. ??)
Notes the Left Forum panels that USSF and a few OWS folks are on.
Notes how OWS has had trouble (in Strike Debt) over race/intersectionality –so this is a challenging relationship. Occupy Theory group has taken most seriously our invitation to engage with the USSF process. They have developed mechanism of accountability/process that are consistent with USSF principles and are committed to working with us.
Notes the issue of how to respond to individual request to meet—with an individual as individual. This should not trigger a need for us to respond to individual as a group. We should respond (or not) as individuals/not ACT.
Shawn C. has been involved in outreach-as an individual-and he makes constructive offers to help. But it is at a late date/impossible to coordinate, and the context is one of deep conflict among OWS people.
Jerome: We don’t really have space in schedule to do this. We can say thank you but no thank you. But given the context, individual responses may be most approp.
Rose: He was involved in global square –has been raising lots of questions about whether OWS should stay involved. The motivation seems to be to respond to Occupy Theory’s initiative.
Walda: recommends that we respond individually. David: Proposes responding to open conversation with Sean/& others? To see what possibilities are there. Jerome and Jackie willing to meet along with David so at least 2 ACT folks are there.
Jerome: Notes that this kind of discussion is helpful for us to develop our thinking about how we make collective decisions; how we respond to ongoing developments. How we act as a collective.
3) USSF Coordinator Search update. (Jackie < 5 min.) (see: http://wiki.ussocialforum.net/wiki/Applications)
David and Walda are on sub-group to review applications. David recommends that, if the numbers are small enough, we try to have phone interview with all the applicants.
[Walda: Notes that we should make a practice of checking in with Makani on a regular basis as ACT—on details regarding fiscal sponsorship. Jerome and David will follow up their earlier conversation with Mac. And update/invite her to retreat.]
4) ACT Retreat Updates (see http://wiki.ussocialforum.net/wiki/ACT_Retreat_Planning ) (Rose, Jen, Liz: 10 min)
Rose: Will have draft framework to ACT very soon—on agenda/orienting questions. Jen: Hotels—committee will review bids—a number of possible venues. Invitation letter needs to be developed; Check-ins with working groups about nominations. Rose: Sylvia has a document /survey for other NPC meetings that we can use. Need to develop the budget, etc.
5) Draft Agenda for NPC call on 6/12/13 11:00 AM
Facilitator: David Note-taker: Walda/Jen (Jackie not sure if available)
Check ins 1) Welcome new members: Right 2 Survive; Hip Hop Congress; Peaceful Uprising 2) Report on Left Forum work of USSF 3) Update on national coordinator search (Walda) 4) Working group reports Outreach (Jerome) Road to USSF-3 (Walda) Resource Development (David) Communications-Technology (Jackie) International (Jen) 5) Call for NPC help with outreach for new members/allies/ Site applicants 6) ACT/Work Group Strategy Retreat updates Political issues for retreat
Next NPC meeting 7/10/13
- Jerome will send welcome to the new NPC members.
• Next ACT Meeting 6/19/13 11AM Eastern
Facilitator: Walda
Notetaker: Jackie