[HacktionLab] some info on movement support gathering

[mickfuzz]

This is the event I'm aiming towards getting the Tech Tools for Activism
leaflet printed at. I know anyone on this list interested in attending
will be very welcome. I'll forward an HTML email to network but I'll
also forward this as it has some more info about how it is being put
together.

--//
Hello all,

This is an email circular to confirm that the Movement Support Gathering
will happen in October 5-6-7 at the Edge, a converted warehouse space 15
minutes walk from the centre of Birmingham.   More information and
updates will be posted on

 website: https://network23.org/msg2012/
 contact email: ukmovementsgathering2012 at aktivix.org
 e-list for organising groups: movementsupportgathering at lists.riseup.net
to join send email to ukmovementsgathering2012 at aktivix.org or
gbclegal at riseup.net

We will also send the call-out.  Please feel free to circulate it as
broadly as you feel is appropriate with your members/and/or the people
you work with

Solidarity & Autonomy,
 MSG organising groups

ps. below is notes form most recent organising groups meeting:

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:     [movementsupportgathering] Skype Meeting notes
Date:     Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:37:34 +0000
Reply-To:     movementsupportgathering at lists.riseup.net
To:     movementsupportgathering at lists.riseup.net
CC:     ukmovementsgathering2012 at aktivix.org



Movement Support Gathering planning meeting by Skype
  August 30th 730pm GMT

In attendance there were 8 people on 5 skype addresses:
 Cambridge (3)
 London gbc legal (2)
 London roots collective (1)
 Birmingham (1)
 Aberdeen (1)

Agenda
 1. Venue
 2. schedule/agenda for the weekend
 3. Sunday- what will be happening
 4. invitation/call-out/outreach


1. Venue
 Venue is not confirmed but it has been requested for 1pm on Friday
Oct 5th (collect keys) until 3pm on Sunday Oct 7th (return keys).  If
this venue confirms with us we will have both floors.  There is 1 big
room downstairs that might conceivably hold 3 workshops simultaneously
if they weren?t too loud and 1 small room upstairs.  There is
disability access downstairs only.  The kitchen and toilet are both
downstairs.  The building is 15 minute walk from down town and central
train station.  On-street parking is available around the building.
It probably can be used as crash space (it has been before).  There is
access to a projector and a PA system.  The estimated capacity of the
building is 200 people.  Less for sleeping- perhaps 150 people in a
squeeze could sleep there.  The Edge is a small converted warehouse.

LOGISTICS- These are not yet worked out.  Only 3 people in B?hm gbc
group (most of whom work full time).  Food Not Bombs group in B?hm
doesn?t have volunteers.  There are 3 fridges and a freezer, 4 hobs
and other stuff that is usually in a kitchen.  (Cambridge offered to
bring a kitchen kit if necessary but it likely won?t be).  We may need
cutlery, mugs, etc.  People coming to the gathering will have to take
a shift in the kitchens or washing up, etc.  Suggested that we collect
2-3£ per person per meal during the gathering.  GBC can front money to
rent the venue and will then ask for some money back from groups in
attendance.

Plan B- There is currently no plan B if we cannot use this venue on
that weekend.  *Action Point- B?hm will confirm the venue in the next
few days or get back to us. [NOW DONE]

2. schedule/agenda for the weekend

The previous skype meeting had discussed two purposes
 a) working together&  building connections/networking (Friday),
b) skill sharing workshops ( Saturday) for people both
   involved already in groups and new folks,

Factors limiting goal b) above:  Proposed venue doesn?t have much
workshop space; B?hm doesn?t have big activist community;  the Tory
party conference doesn?t attract the type of direct action movementwe
would normally support; email discussion had emphasized desire for MS
groups to come together; many people would not arrive Friday so
Saturday was more important day.  Therefore we elected to emphasize
goal a) above rather than try to do too much.  (There was one
suggestion that a second gathering could focus on skill share
workshops for the movement.)  We also were happy enough to carry on
into Sunday so that conversations from Saturday could be continued.
..although some medics and others had committed to supporting any
anti-tory demo that day.  Friday afternoon and Sunday morning would be
part of the gathering but Saturday will be the main day.

There was then a go-around and discussion about what we expected from
this movement support gathering.  Variously people suggested:

a. A space to network with all the other types of support groups
b. A space to learn as a network from our mistakes and successes, so
we stop re-inventing the wheel and instead make plans to move forward
c. A space for individual areas(ie medics) to do more detailed networking
between groups.  Share BEST PRACTICE
d. An opportunity to create some kind of central directory/hub so that new
people can contact us and get involved more easily and so that we can
refer people to other parts of the movement that can support them in a
way that we can?t
e. what we didn?t want it to be ? a big meeting of 200 radicals trying
to agree upon a political statement
f. there was also a suggestion/hope that there might be some time to
discuss opposition to the G8 meetings

*Action Point- M,T,&J will take a stab at a proposed agenda/schedule
(also to contact seeds person who volunteered before)

3. Sunday- what will be happening
We don?t know if there will be a demonstration on Sunday at the
beginning of the Tory conference.  We are not going to organise
anything ourselves.

4. invitation/call-out/outreach
Initial invite went out to large list of movement support groups with
a proposed date but so far no actual confirmation that event will be
happening has been sent.  Early next week we hope to have confirmed
the venue.  Once that is done we will need to let people know 3 or 4
broad intentions for the gathering.  The current call-out focuses on
skill share workshops so it is not appropriate since we will not focus
on that.  * Action Point- M to change or take down the call-out on
movementsupportgathering2012.blogspot.co.uk/ * [NOW DONE] Action Point ?
T,M,Sto
put content on https://network23.org/msg2012  also to contact Mk with
any questions [NOW DONE].  We discussed that a facebook group for the
event was
unnecessary since we were not focusing on general outreach.  When we
have venue confirmed a new invite can be sent to all the groups
previously contacted.  (* Action Point ?)  The original list is below
[email addresses have been removed where they appear to be an
individual?s personal email].  We discussed that this initial list is
very limited and surely other people when they see it will know other
potential groups that should be invited.

?    All GBC Legal regional groups and GBC medics
?    LDMG ? ldmgmail at yahoo.co.uk
?    NMP ? spw at nmp.org.uk
?    ABC ? london_abc at riseup.net, brightonabc at riseup.net,
bristol_abc at riseup.net, leedsabc at riseup.net,
?    Bristol Arrestee Support ? bristolarresteesupport at riseup.net
?    Activist Trauma Support ? activist_trauma at riseup.net
?    Seeds for change (facilitation&  training support)
www.seedsforchange.org.uk oxford at seedsforchange.org.uk
lancaster at seedsforchange.org.uk
?    hacktionlab (email lists, websites, tech support,&  web security
workshops) techtoolsforactivism.org http://hacktivista.net aktivix.org
https://network23.org/about/
?    advisory service for squatters squatter.org.uk advice at squatter.org.uk
?    solfed (labour law, workplace organising skills workshops)
www.solfed.org.uk southlondonsf at solfed.org.uk,
brighton at solfed.org.uk,hull at solfed.org.uk,
liverpoolsf[AT]solfed.org.uk, nelsf at solfed.org.uk, wysf07 at gmail.com
?    Cambridge Action Network (mostly an activist group rather than
support, but has taken a kitchen to various actions so might be
interested from that point of view) ? cambridge at lists.riseup.net
?    Notts Defence ? hindesrichard at yahoo.co.uk (Rich)
?    Tottenham Defence Campaign ? tottenhamdefence at gmail.com
?    Defend the Right to Protest ? info at defendtherighttoprotest.org
?    Glasgow Defence ? glasgowdefence at yahoo.co.uk
?    Scottish Activists Legal Project ? scalp at noflag.org.uk
?    Activist Security ? info at activistsecurity.org
?    UK Action Medics ? contact at actionmedics.org.uk
?    Activists Legal Project ? info at activistslegalproject.org.uk
?    Antifascist Prisoner Support UK ? info at support-group.net
?    black rose martial arts collective (self defense training)
?    Occupy Legal ?
?    Corporate Watch (Movement Support Research) ?
contact at corporatewatch.org
?    Eviction Resistance ? evictionresistance at squat.net
?    Squash (Legal network) ? info at squashcampaign.org
?    Earth First (movement infrastructure working group: this has been
put on the Agenda of the EF gathering) ?
earthfirstsummergathering at riseup.net
?    London Roots Collective ?