[Ssf] Re: [eulsf] skteches of "Ivry" -contribution to UK LSF partiicpant encounter in sheffield

[spodulike at freeuk.com]

Thanks for your contribution Pierre, and Dan also. I was rushed and 
somewhat simplistic in dividing social forums along those lines, 
however these models do differ quite a bit in their focus and how they 
operate - one is what I would consider closer to the idea(lism?) of WSF/
ESF, the other is more a unified campaign group model. However there 
are no clear set boundaries, as we well know in Sheffield.

And didn't mean to 'brand', just that I have been organising the notes 
from the ESF meeting and Ivry SF came up as a good example of a social 
forum which has a facilitation group providing an open space, rather 
than the group wholly self-organising. In Sheffield we wobble between 
the two, however sometimes the group does not self-organise very well, 
so having a group working to facilitate the open space may be better. 
The other point is whether the group can call/support an action, or if 
that is seen as possibly alienating members of the SF who may not agree/
support the action - another debate we are having in SSF.

And very much agree that "if the 'social forum years' are bound to last,
dynamics of each forum
process will indicate 'best practices'", Cheers,

Jason


> As "Ivry" has been quoted by Jason from SSF , in the preparation of a 
UK LSF
> participants encounter ( see mail below)  ,  I  would like to 
illustrate
> more a vision  associated to "Ivry"  and step in this exchange , with 
two
> inputs
> 
> A-a light package of 3 texts contributed during  our London european 
LSF
> participants encounter (2 chico whitaker texts on local social forums 
and
> another  , and a contribution on "facilitation guideline" )
> 
>  B- 6 points about forums , which,  considered  "locally",  with 
conviction
> that local expansion and rooting of social forum practice  is a key 
issue
> for alterglobalization movements,  might sketch the contours of  the "
social
> forum concept " that has been branded " Ivry" by   Jason
> 
> Pierre   - Participant to Ivry social forum and  to WSF methodology
> comission
> 
> 
> 
> 1 - forum processes are "organisation" processes; the concept is to 
build
> and maintain a "space" ( that is what "facilitation" is about )  
where
> interactions of any kind ( from just "feeling good together" to "
designing
> concrete plan for a  specific campaign")  occur  on a free 
determination
> basis between people interested somehow in alter-globalization
> This means clearly "organizing self organization"  which implies that 
if
> "activities organizers" do not appreciate and legitimate the space  
that
> "facilitator -organizers" build and maintain  they will self organize

> somewhere else
> 
> 2 - each forum process is an autonomous organization construction 
initiated
> by a group of people,  with others stepping in along the way and 
being
> included to the level  they wish in the "space facilitating 
activities"
>  The way these "facilitating people" envision their role ,  their
> organizational/political culture,  and their agenda,  shape "the 
forum
> space"  their "offer" to other participants , and those react,  come ,
go,
> participate in the forum facilitating process or not,  depending on 
their
> expectations and , on whether they find this space  inclusive , 
useful,
> whatever criteria they have
> 
> 3 - so  no wonder we have noticeable differences between  world 
social forum
> process   and european social forum process  (particularly stressed 
in the
> case of  UK based ESF process
> 
> and so no wonder we have noticeable differences between local social 
forum
> processes , (even more stressed because we are dealing with smaller 
groups
> of people  at the beginning )
> eulsf networking  between local social forum participants is  helping

> formulate and assess those differences
> 
> if the "social forum years" are bound to last ,  dynamics of each 
forum
> process will indicate "best pratices"
> 
> 4 - objectives of forum  can be defined as  to foster self determined

> creative and meaningful interactions between people standing in some 
way for
> others possible worlds , acting on domination mechanisms  between 
human
> beings and overcoming many divisions between dominated people
> Forum facilitation activity thus aims at diversity , inclusion, 
expansion,
> quality of interactions, clarity and volume of self determined post 
forum
> convergences  for "actions" of many different kinds  ( resistance,  
mutual
> education,  alterantive practices , alternative policy buidling  etc;.

> 
> 5- Regarding those objectives , the  world social forum process has 
already
> gone a long  and interesting way
> 
> Starting from  a set of leftwing academic conferences meant as an 
anti davos
> forum   in 2001  to the WSF 05edition  a "2000 self organized 
activities
> forum without any "forum organised " activity  ( decision was taken 
in porto
> alegre last november 15th )  and with  4  new "articulation 
facilitation
> services"
> 1- consulting everybody in advance about their activity intention, 
and
> implementing  spaces of 200 activiy size to have people interested in 
the
> same theme live together  and learn by proximity/diversity
> 2- open "space facilitating groups" service making suggestion to 
entities
> organising activities , but not having organizing power in the name 
of the
> forum
> 3 - a fourth turn every day ( from 1900 to 2100)  reserved for "self
> organized" convergence meetings
> 4 - a service of collecting and "visbilizing" on panels and on a 
website
> "the proposals" made in the forum  in their own name by entities
> participating
> 
> This forum space organization  changes  have been worked on in 
several
> meeting this year  from after WSF04 in Mumbai (april - may - july - 
august -
> november by the "open" methodology and content commission of WSF
> international council  ( over 100 people) mandated to do so ; and 
acting as
> collective facilitator  for WSF2005 preparation  in connection with 
the
> Brazilian Organising comittee
> 
> 6- in this new context "self articulation process"  has still a long 
way to
> go ,
> -concrete supporting tools ( web site logistics guidelines , 
workgroups)
> for these changes are not yet developped to the level they should be ,

> -everybody is short of time,
> -time is needed for participants to understand get involved and 
practice new
> type of interactions suggested in this newly configurated forum space 
, and
> also  increase the participatory content of activities they organize
> 
> Anyway there is a clear indication  of a new WSF coming ,  and  it  
can
> reasonnably be expected that  WSF 05 will have a higher " action 
oriented"
> flavor for participants,  being clear that the intensity of the 
flavour
> depend on each of them , not on a "organizing committee"  whose 
mission is
> the offer the space+ methodology  not to define classify priorities  
and
> make calls in the name of participants
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <spodulike at freeuk.com>
> To: <eulsf at lists.riseup.net>; <ssf at lists.aktivix.org>;
> <democratise_the_esf at lists.riseup.net>
> Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 2:43 PM
> Subject: [eulsf] Re: [Ssf] Uni social forum?
> 
> 
> > There are two basic models of LSF, I'll use these for the 
discussion on
> > Sat, there is voting as a third option but no LSF's seem to use 
this (
> > apart from in the last resort of concensus). The models are:
> >
> > Working group organises open space through concensus, participants 
meet
> > in open space and form working groups outside LSF. Nothing is 
called
> > for in name of LSF, acts purely as open space (e.g. Ivry SF)
> >
> > Forum meets, organises and calls for action by means of concensus. 
LSF
> > can act as a body (e.g. Manchester SF)
> >
> >
> > I think the central question for LSF's is which of these models to
> > follow. Sheffield SF tends towards the open space model although 
there
> > has never been formal agreement on this. Thinking about the 
advantages
> > and disadvantages will make for interesting discussion (I hope!)
> >
> >
> > Jason
> >
> >
> 

--