Order of the day proposed
1. The Assembly.
2. Organization & Communication.
3. The continuity of the process and scope.
4. The message that we want to take to Florence.
We only had time to deal with the first two points. This is what we spoke. For the 3rd point I include my proposal even though we didn’t have time to discuss it. For the 4th point I include a summary of what was spoken about this at the Beyond Agora 99 meeting.
1. The Assembly.
The basic proposal is, on the line proposed already at the Milan meeting, to have an assembly outside of Fortezza da Basso, with the place to be decided in common with people from Florenc e. We are suggesting as a possibility the square of Santa Maria Novella.
The Assembly will take place at 6 pm on Saturday, the 10th of November.
It is pointed out the importance of meeting outside even if it rains, to proof a point about approaching citizens, avoiding for them to have to pay the 20 euro inscription in order to join the assembly.
Proposed facilitation: Whoever wants may join a team of volunteers including V, V, P and Di. It is required to have at least 6 people in the facilitating team, with the following roles:
– 1 Moderator and 2 facilitators that will rotate in turns.
– 2 people taking word turns.
– person writing acta.
Facilitators manage future speakers and not moderator, which should concentrate on managing the current conversation.
We will make use of all the traditions in methodology that characterize our movements, such as the use of gestures for communication, the promotion of respect, openness, horizontality. We don’t think that the purpose is to build any manifesto but rather to show real experience of alternatives, self-management and economic alternatives (such as, for instance, cooperativism).
We aim at finding people that may provide those experiences although participation will be, of course fully open, but we don’t want to have an empty set of experiences to talk about. We think about inviting people that participate in such experiences in the occupied spaces or neighbourhood assemblies of the 15m movement or other.
We propose an assembly consisting on three parts:
– One first part about experience and practice from movements and initiatives.
– A second part to talk about alternatives for everyday life that may arise from the experiences shared.
– A third point to open a space for general discussion that could be working with division in smaller groups following whatever topic the participants feel need to be treated, using an Open Space Methodology.
It is observed that we have to focus on citizens and individuals but not close the door to professionals and participants of the forum that may be linked to organizations. Moreover, we will promote a non-confrontational profile towards the rest of the Forum on this point, trying to convince by example and not to create a firewall between the two visions.
It is pointed out the difficulty of the timeframe we have to observe impose for a small group to be dedicated exclusively to the organization of the assembly all through the forum.
It is also noticed the way in which the movements like ours are observed by the Forum but without using our practices and methodologies.
We also want to focus on the difference between consensus and majority decisions and to make an educating experience for the participants, given their possible lack of previous experience with the assembleary methods.
We need a Plan B in case of rain or any other difficulty (in terms of a space to run the assembly). It is clarified that we renounce to take part in the other proposed assembly that seems to ignore our proposals anyway.
It is announced that other groups are organizing self-managed events within the ESF for Friday, about the practice of direct democracy. We think this is a positive fact and we need to have it in mind to foster collaboration between the two processes.
It is finally signaled that, in terms of goals for the assembly, we shouldn’t focus on the number of participants but rather on showing clearly the message to those interested. We also want to be in the streets to inspire our vision of reproductivity of models rather than organizing spectacular actions.
2. Organization and communication.
There will be a next meeting to prepare the assembly with whoever wants to join, at the beginning of the ESF.
We are going to meet at the main entrance to the Fortezza da Basso (outside), on Thursday the 8th of November at 8 pm, to allow a few hours to meet participants of the ESF that may be interested on joining the organizing team.
Different people agree to assume the work on:
– Communication tools (a mailing list and an invitation to join, M. will take care of including people on it and writing the invitation).
– Linking with the Florence local groups, to which we will ask for minor infrastructure for the assembly, maybe a few ”megafonos” (don’t know that word in English, I mean a hand speaker, C and R will take care of this links).
– Linking with the ESF and WSF and further developing the content of the message that we want to transmit to the forums (Jasper and O. will be involved in this).
– As already mentioned, the organization of the assembly (V, V, P and D).
Of course, as we are a small team, we will all help in all necessary tasks, and will encourage others to join.
THIS IS THE END OF THIS MEETING
occupy firenze 99 