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Minutes of second business meeting and decisions for future.
Last Business Meeting, Wed. July 26, 2006 - Bob's & Arturo's Notes, at Workshop: "Another World is Necessary"
Present in Quetzal Room: Farley Wheelwright, Cliff DuRand, Betsy Bowman, Robert Gold, Mitch Cohen, Barbara Larcom, Bob Stone, Cathryn Swan, Gregory Diamant, Karsten Struhl, Steve Martinot, Regina Cochrane, Carl Bloyce, Barry Devine, Luis Guerra, Holly Yasui, Murray Sklar, Sandra Bartky, Margaret McClaren
Gregory and Cliff suggested non-SMA writers affiliated with the Center also write popular articles for Atencion. Bob proposed fund-raising gatherings with speakers or films on the East Coast organized in NYC by Robert Gold, Mitch Cohen, Silvia Federici, George Caffentzis and others, and on the West Coast in the Bay Area by Steve and Carl Bloyce. There were no objections.
We thanked Pablo of the Café Santa Ana, Miguel general manager of the Biblioteca, Jose Luis Mendoza of the Teatro Santa Ana.
Betsy noted without objection that the Workshop had generated 6 "Working Groups:" worker control; popular education; environment; nation-state/imperialism/democracy and social justice; Cuba/US studies; Mexican migration studies. These are open to and invite further members. Just write to Beatriz, who will put you in touch with others in the group. They will aim to publish results of the 2006 Workshop. We won't publish these in print by ourselves but seek journal special numbers or other print outlets.
A series of proposals was then put before the Meeting:
Barbara Larcom had proposed at the July 25 Business Meeting that we piggy back on the Nicanet conference in Managua July 20-22, 2007.
[Derrick Naidoo had proposed at the July 25 meeting that in January 2007 the Center send delegates to the International Institute for Self-Management meetings in Capetown, South Africa, timed to preceed the World Social Forum for 2007, which is planned for Nairobi in late January.]
Graciela invited us to Buenos Aires in January 2008 where she will be for the 2007-2008 academic year, including a tour of recuperated factories.
Betsy proposed that we simply take a 1-year breather until 2008.
Bob proposed for July 2007 a smaller conference to fit into the Quetzal Room. Atenea said with fewer people it would be more cost effective, only $1000 for equip. This did not exclude sending delegations of volunteers to Managua and South Africa. But even if a group goes to Managua that July, Bob said, we should also meet in SMA. A smaller conference would bring in less money and would need grants.
Cliff proposed that there be a Cuban-Northamerican meeting in the summer of 2007. SMA is convenient for those academics on both sides that study the other. Bob said Mexicans should be included. While that was not excluded, Cliff said, grantors will go for the Cuba/US dialogue.
Betsy, speaking in favor of her proposal, urged that focus be on: developing relations with the communities; our cooperative loan fund; our internships; and our dialogo comunitario - led by Ata and Yolanda. We are not so much conference-holders as solidarity economy builders. Conferences are lots of work. For every participant there is a San Miguel volunteer; and for everyone who pays there is one on scholarship.
Gregory, also speaking for Betsy's proposal, said we need to get our house in order, especially financially, by getting grants to do the things we project. We must pay salaries and turn on lights.
Karsten asked what is being proposed: a smaller conference or no conference? Are we deciding this here, he asked?
Peggy, speaking in favor of a gathering of Working Groups, said the internship program could be part of dialogo comunitario AND bring in money. [Peggy and Mike are applying to Berea College for the right to award transferable credits to study interns and hope to have it by next summer.] The Cuba/US/Mx meeting and the Working Groups could also boost our internship program which needs academic integrity so as to award 4 hours credit. Since the interns will be on home-stays for part of the time there will be room at the Center for our fellow scholars.
Steve, adding to Peggy, said he valued the political process the Center has come to represent. Since we may face a big economic/political crisis this year I favor a small gathering of Working Groups in which all participants are bi-lingual, to reduce technological dependency. A few people could handle the whole thing, perhaps others than those who handled it up to now.
Betsy: I think we should have a set of Working Groups to finish this Workshop's work, but not restricted to bi-lingual folks since we would then lose activists like Esther Muñoz, Elisa Curiel, and Octavio Bernal, who have no English. Besides, who says who is bi-lingual? On what criterion?
Karsten: There's a hierarchy of issues: Is there to be a big conference? Where? If there is to be one and it is to be in Nicaragua, then will there be a small conference here? What KIND of small conference is it to be?
Betsy: if we don't have to put out a Call we avoid a huge amount of work.
Barbara: Nicaragua or no, I can go either way. You should know that while there is no network of volunteers, the Nicaragua Network can help with logistical planning, lightening the load a lot. Second, you might want to think of a shorter conference. Third, working with another group on the same issues could create a lot of synergy.
Regina: Rachel Greenwood, a participant here, has several projects going about 2 hours outside Managua that would make a good day-trip.
Robert Gold: I was at the first Social Forum of the Americas in Quito, Ecuador at the time of the Center's first conference in 2004. I propose that we put the Center forth as a participant in social forums in the Americas. I also propose a small conference next year and a much larger one 2 years hence.
Mitch: I don't know whether the Center wants to align with other groups like the Nicaragua Network or the Alliance for Global Justice. Needs discussion. We should see written proposals on Nicaragua including costs.
Arturo: Speaking to Peggy's point, the intern study program might generate its own speakers to contribute to the Working Groups. We might send a delegation to Managua.
Mitch said the conference should be bigger, not smaller, by 30-40 people, in order to have a critical mass needed for progress.
Betsy: With more people you have all concurrent sessions like last year. This year, with many fewer concurrent sessions, worked better.
Cliff said Peggy's idea of the Working Groups gathering for a week-long work session would help build a research Center based in networks of people located in many places. If we can get the Working Groups going over the next 6-8 months then by next July the Working Groups might be able to come together to produce something. If the interns come for the whole month of July, the Working Groups could meet the last week. The meeting would not be advertised. Projects could be completed with such a face-to-face meeting. The idea of bringing Cubans here with North Americans could also contribute to the Working Groups e.g. on how the Cuban state differs from the nation-state.
Atenea said smaller meetings would cost less in technology and be more people-friendly. The more concurrent sessions, the harder it is for us.
Betsy said that having interpretation booths adds greatly to costs.
Barry MOVED that: 1.the Center have its next formal workshop 2 years hence in 2008; 2.we use this site for Cuba/US dialogues; 3.we send a nucleo to the Nicaragua conference July 20-22. The 2007 SMA gathering would be of say 50 representatives of the Center's new "Working Groups" who will share results of their year-long cooperative work in cyberspace, as part of a topically focused, integrated agenda. Study topics agreed on but not limited to included: worker control; popular education; environment; Cuba/US studies; Mexican migration studies; and the intersecting issues raised by this year's panels on imperialism, nation-state, and democracy and social justice. The Working Groups continue our work on questions and ideas raised at our 2006 conference, culminating in publishable results at the 2007 mini-conference.
Farley Wheelwright: I oppose this motion because what we've accomplished will loose momentum with a hiatus of a year. Giving up what we have started would be woefully misguided. I will work more next year.
Bob: I would like to add Peggy's and Cliff's point as a 4th item on to Barry's 3-part motion: We already have, in various states of integration, Working Groups in: worker control; popular education; environment; Cuba/US studies; Mexican migration studies; and the intersecting issues raised by this year's panels on imperialism, nation-state, and democracy and social justice. If Steve is right about a coming crisis, the best response is to find real alternatives, which can be done best in small groups. If the Working Groups can finish next year, our next big meeting might be 2 years hence, so that meanwhile we send a delegation to Nicaragua, NOT during the meeting of the Working Groups.
Cliff: If Barry will accept that as an amendment I will second it.
Barbara: the Working Groups meeting and the Nicaragua meeting should not be at the same time, and that is do-able.
Steve: This is good: without concurrent sessions the meeting becomes one long conversation that can make progress. But the themes of the working groups cannot be separated. If a small group of people can be brought together from different countries can be brought together in defiance of the difficulties imposed by the US, it will be effective. The groups should meet at the same time.
Peggy: I have already engaged Gloria Carmona to come and give a day of popular education to the interns. Low-budget, small group meetings can be more focused, more productive. Lets go for it.
Betsy: I don't think, Farley, that we will loose anything by putting off our next big meeting 2 years, in fact we should gain.
Barry: In my motion I did not mean to exclude any of the items mentioned, or any items that may crop up that need to be discussed.
Betsy: If the Nicaragua Network Conference is July 20-22, we could meet here July 24-31. Gregory is checking the 2007 film festival dates.
Cliff: Of course, it depends on which working groups actually fly.
Luis: our resources do not allow us to contribute in a financial way to the Centers work but we pledge our ideas, our work, our solidarity and our friendship to these projects as part of this extraordinary laboratory. We join in with an embrace from the Cuban people.
Everyone voted in favor of the proposal as amended with abstentions from Mitch and Steve.
Respectfully submitted by Bob Stone and Arturo Yarish July 31, 2006
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