THE EXPERIENCE OF POST-SF (SOCIAL FORUM) ORGANISATION

Greetings, colleagues.

The big task of the previous (III) Russian Social forum was to construct some organization, which will unite RSF participants. But there was no such a result that time.

Now we managed.

RSF organizing committee did quite a serious thing after Forum – wrote so-called deputy request to Gosudarstvennaya Duma (Russian parliament), we asked to figure out the situation with Kirill Ukraintsev – member of couriers trade-union, arrested for no reason.

There was much left-wing attention to the event, so the court slowed down. That was the first little victory.

Few weeks later a part of RSF organizing committee – former initiative group – had a online conference. We collected the problems, mentioned on RSF, and made a list of its participants to call. We also defined goals:

1. To link activists with useful persons;

2. To make requests, official letters and so on more massive;

3. To help in organizing special (e.g. trade-union) conferences, congresses, forums and so on with practical outcome;

4. To offer technical help, using our resources.

Next time we understood that members were interested, so we officially formed Coordination Committee of RSF.

Few online conferences later there appeared a question: should we be left-wing organization or none-ideological organization?

After a discussion we decided that, though most of social activists tend to left-wing movement, the key principle of Committee and of membership is social activity, helping people, and left-wing declaration suits political organization more than the social one.

We chose actual certain directions. Now Committee connects social movement experts with videobloggers to inform the society, helps to organize two major special conferences, creates its site and develops one international project.

There are certain tasks, members seem to be motivated and enthusiastic, so Committee, being a very young organization, will work at least few months more. We also have plans to widen.

As for me, I suppose that every social forum may create such an organization for helping and integrating social movements.

Thanks for your attention,

Alexander , member of Coordination Committee of RSF