(this text is a start draft incorporating some personal view on this matter- a discussion will take place end of septembre in wsf ic about this notion )

A- how did " belem expanded" notion appear ?

wsf has been announced as a process since its beginning

up to 2008 centralized events have been the only manifestation of this process

then with the call for action started by the IC in 2007 , a practical move to expanding the forum pratice has been made : the message was make your actions at home

many of the 800 actions had a " forum" dialogic aspects , so many actions were indeed "activities" in a local forum, and could have been " actvities" in an expanded forum

also and this empowered people : "we can make forum at home while being connected to something big"

this fresh flux of participation, which is the only way of expanding significantly wsf rpocess

wsf2009 event could not recede to centralized format of previous wsf events

hence the notion of event is modified : the event expands potentially to the whole world : notion of belem expanded

B -what does" belem expanded" mean precisely ?

belem expanded is all the decentralized activities that want to position themselves as part of wsf2009 event

they abide by the same methodological practices as in the center of the event : approve charter of principles and organize activities in a public and inclusive way with a clear cut set of organising organisations for each activity, bearing political responsibility for what is made and said around their actiity

so there is a proposed equation : wsf2009 = belem + belem expanded

"expanded event" = " all activities in central territory" + "all decentralized activities"

C -distinguishing " decentralized activities" and "moments of interconnection"

it is important to note the distinction between a decentralized activitiy and linked to it , but potentially distincts, possible moments of connection wiht other activities in the expanded event

the notion of decentralized activities does not imply that these activities have to make a connection with other activities in wsf2009 expanded

of course a moment of connection is a concrete way to feel itnergrated in something bigger, but it is not a necessity

( during GDA2008 there were about 50 moments of connection while there were 800 actions )

logistically speaking a moment of connection can take place in a different time and place then the decentralized activitiy

 

D -responsibilities and tasks in the development of wsf expanded event

there are two different thinigs

1/ creating a frame for participant organisations that want to "expand wsf process at home" by organizing decentralized activities in wsf2009

methodology commisison and expansion commisison are involved in establishing this frame and supporting energies

2/ supporting paticipants in their efforts of connection with other activities

this support is done through an open working group of communication commission and belem comunication group

it is a public service of the forum , brought about by the communication commission of ic that has development of intercommunication as part of its working plan

 

E -in term of implementation

1/ supporting belem expanded : a responsibility for ic and belem GF

general communication about belem expanded

system of registration of decentralized activities if possible very intergrated with the system for belem activities,

this shows that there is one wsf process and that decentralized actiites are treated as belem activities

a program of decentralized actiities will be published by GF/ wsf office

the system of registraion of decentralized actiities can usefully include a non compulsory section about moment of interconnection ,

data generated there that will be used by the interconnection working group to generate program of interconnexions

2/ suporting interconnexion in wsf2009 : a project for intercommunication

approach :
moment of itnerconnections are expression of a will to communicate on agreed topics between organized groups that are remote from one another

moment of interconnexctions is a form of intercommunication

it comes after existence of organized groups that wish to make activities either in the center of the event , or in a decentralized part of it and want to have a moment of connection

F-in terms of numbers

there is no challenge of numbers in wsf2009 expanded, 

it is the first move towards expanded process, after dynamisation that came from GDA2008

there is no call to make decentralized actiiteis , there is a mobilization process similar to mobilization towards participation in belem

the number of decentralized activities

the number of moments of interconnection

will be ......what they will be

the responsility of IC  is to prepare the frame in methdological , logsitical ( registration ) terms and make the forum friendly to those that want to participate in a decentralized way 

 

H -how to support those that wish to prepare such moments of interconnection on occasion of wsf2009 ?

there is a club

where potential activity organisers can exchange about their activities and which whom they might get into intercommunication and about what

there is a working group on line

that informs about modalities

and mke visible interconnections wherever they are , as a way to promote them - interconnexion program

and will operate from belem an interconnection hub

threre is a physical "space /hub" in belem

this intercommuication hub is not pretending to channel all interconnection during wsf2009 :

there will,be tangential interconnections between decentalzied activities

there will be in itnerconnexions in belem made in other places than this hub

there are other ways of intercommunicaiton than live chat on internet

the hub serves three purposes

1/ it is logistically meaningful to mutualize ressources

2/ it also makes more visible the belem expanded actiities in the central event by having an identified space

3/ it provides a well motivated public for moments of connection with belem but without partners in belem - moments that people in the decentralized actiities may feel useful as a symbolic "get together"

see intentions of decentralized activities present in the informal club belem expanded

see more information about the working group set in place to support interconnections place

back to club  belem expanded  home page