[noborders-brum] next meeting?

Shiar shiar at riseup.net
Thu Jan 4 11:32:12 UTC 2007


Hi,

Seems we've stopped meeting and not doing much again! As a new year
resolution ;) let's get our stuff together and start all over again.

As you may remember, we used to meet biweeklyd on Thursday, the other Thur
being Indymedia meeting. So, let's say this coming Thursday (Jan 11th) is
Indymedia, then the next (18th) No Borders. As usual, it's at 7:30 at the
MAC.

Please come to meetings. When you don't decisions are taken by a few, and
that's not very healthy imo. And please try to come on time :P


Some things to discuss (please add)
----------------------

- Solihul picket. This has stopped now as far as I know. We need to start
doing that again! Also, other actions: what? when?

- Detainee support: How we can be more effective in visiting detainees and
helping them. Other Noborders groups, especially London, are doing a
really impressive job in this regard.

- English language lessons: As you may know, the gov is about to stop
paying for ESOL classes, which means a lot of refugees won't be able to
afford learning English, and that would incease their isolation etc.

- Publicity: I think we've got some money from the gig(s) and we could use
that from printing out some posters, leaflets etc.

- Network gathering: There is gonna be a UK-wide Noborders gathing in
Leeds on 24-25 Feb. We need to discuss the agenda and stuff. See here:
http://makebordershistory.org/workspace/NoBordersGathering2Agenda


Some Reflections
----------------

- It's been just over a year since Birmingham NoBorders was set up
(http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/12/329455.html). It was quite an
eventful year, but surely we can be much better/active. Here's some of the
humble stuff we did.

1. A monthly picket at the Solihul immigration reporting centre with ARC.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/04/339083.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/05/341525.html

The first couple ones were quite good and lively, but then, gradually,
people started to presumably get bored or busy etc. and not turn up, until
it completely stopped. How can we prevent this from happening again?

2. Vooucher swapping:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/10/353502.html
This also was going well at the beginning, althogh on a small scale, but
then the very few people who were doing it all the time could not do it
anymore (mostly because they didn't have enough cash). If we want to do
this again, we need an effective mechanism and more people willing and
committed to do it (it's very likely that vouchers will become a big issue
soon if the gov went along and used them again for more asylum seekers and
not only Section 4 claimants).

3. Anit-deportation campaigns:
This only started late in 2006 when the West Midlands Anti-Deportation
Campaigns was revived
(http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/08/347947.html)
and some of us got involved and helped out (or was it just me?). I'm not
sure what happened with that as i left the country shortly afterwards, but
that's anoher thing we can do in general: help refugees with their
individual campaigns and struggles.

4. Some occasional 'outbreaks' like the Celebrating Sanctuary affair
(http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/06/343010.html)
and the Harmondsworth demo
(http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2006/04/337973.html).
We need to do more of this, direct actions, publicity etc.

5. Some of us have also been helping out quite a lot with national and
international Noborders work. More people need to get involved with and
imformed about this. The struggle is both local and global at the same
time!

Have I missed somethin? I'm sure I have cos am just about to fall asleep :)


-- 
Shiar






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