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

[Pierre George]

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
>
>
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