OPDX Remodeling
July 12, 2012 in New Proposals by Ciara
This is just a brief skeleton of ideas that have been forming around restructuring OPDX community meetings. Any feedback is encouraged.
This is now broken up into seperate proposals:
Proposal 1:
General Assemblies will continue to be held weekly. GAs will be used so that the community can discuss ideas and proposals. This is an opportunity for the proposers to gain feedback from the community, including evolutionary amendments, concerns and statements of support. Then the proposal is sent to spokes for consensus (does not have to be the same week, but can be). This gives the community at least 3 days to talk amongst themselves and with their groups prior to coming to consensus. Agenda Settings for GA and Spokes will happen half an hour before GA.
Proposal 2:
Spokes Council will come to consensus on ideas and proposals that have been discussed at GA (the representative bringing the proposal does not have to be the same person). Spokes will also be utilized for internal OPDX discussion and decision making – what actions do we want to focus on? to what capacity?
Proposal 2a:
Finance and Spending will occur during spokes (either weekly, biweekly, or monthly). Finance/FOOP will off report backs on how much $$ we have and Spokes will act as the spending committee – taking time to discuss spending options and approve of spending $$.
Proposal 2b:
Open Caucus will now have a consensing voice at Spokes.
Proposal 3:
Movement Building will happen once a month and become sort of a spokes/roundtable for the broader community (community organizations, neighborhood associations, churches, etc.). The broader community would be invited to participate and “spokes” would be more broad. For example, the food and garden spoke would be open to anyone working on food security in the community, not just the food and garden team of OPDX. This would be more informal and less structured. I’m thinking report backs/updates from community/organizations then break out sessions for networking. Either a working group will be formed to organize these monthly events or a current working group can volunteer to take on this task.
Proposal 4:
Occupy Cafe will be what current movement buildings are – however, we need buy in from the community – we either need a working group or for facilitation to agree to maintain this meeting – aka – make sure it happens and that notes are posted. This will be every three weeks and then once a month it will be structured as Movement Building, as described above.
Proposal 5:
During these meetings the office will be closed so info can attend.
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*the community encourages folks to announce their future proposals at GAs and Spokes and utilize pdxga.org to announce/form/discuss agenda items prior to in person meetings.
***note cultural night and feather circle would be removed from the schedule. not to say that they can’t happen/or shouldn’t but that it is unclear to the larger community about whether or not they do happen and/or when, so it’s hard to have that info on flyers / website. if anyone is interested in bottom lining these events to make them more accessible, then maybe we can incorporate them.
In my opinion tying GA to a food event like a Sunday in the park. MAybe an action in the morning (it can be a neighborhood cleanup, paint “a person in needs” house, plant a garden, or a march; all are actions) Then we meet back in the park, where food is set up and fun can be had. And then in the evening we can have a GA, in addition discuss the day and plan the next weeks “action”. Maybe each spoke can plan a weeks action, so food and garden can plan a garden and the medics can maybe plan a health fair or something….. we can put ourselves out there every week, and then welcome the community to join us in the evening.
We need a larger presence, we need people to see us contributing, not just wait for the press to trash us. Would you be as fast to believe MSM calling us a bunch of free loaders if you just saw us last week cleaning up your neighborhood???
lets say this was your plan for August forward. I propose you have an interim July plan.
1. Put signs everywhere around the plaza “Mic Check! Occupy Portland General Assembly (GA) tonight 7pm, always open to everyone. Come on in!” and some with an arrow and the address of Terry Shrunk Plaza over at City Hall, Pioneer Square, Director’s Park and Chapman/Lownsdale Squares.
2. Reformat GA to begin with something silly and irreverent like a puppet show or lip sync. End with open mic.
3. In the middle, we encourage people to get work done- to bring ideas into action. Lets not get bogged down, be boring, be hostile or negative. Keep in mind what the public is seeing should be interesting and positive- inspire community activism. Sometimes its business internal stuff but not allllll of it. Also, lets be real and say how we feel – and what is needed. The amphitheater encourages being loud and free- and its home. Occupy needs to loosen up again. I don’t mean bad behavior. It’s positive spirit and action.
Please fix this GA now and utilize the amazing spirit that TS inspires. It’s very inviting for people who are curious about us because they can sit on the steps and just look. We need to get people there and then conduct our business with the public we’re reaching out to in mind. These GAs could be really good now. There is Power in Terry Shrunk Plaza!!! And then I’ll totally back you on future changes and the other people seeking to improve GA and other meetings. But I’m not sure you were at this last GA. It felt soooo right to be there. Mic Check!!!