LSF Facilitation Network - Reference text

link to LSFpn  local social forum participants network

1 - Overview

LSF facilitation network (LSF = Local Social Forums) has the overall goal to work towards facilitating the consolidation and the emergence of LSF being in accordance with WSF Charter.

Participation in the network, is on personal basis , and based on the opinion that future of WSF process depends to a significant extent on a local level rooting, into the heart of populations, hence on the building of LSF (in terms of events and processes, with autonomy of each LSF).

Registration and integration of LSF activities in Social Forums processes of broader scale is one way to create the necessary link between global and local.

2 - Objectives

LSF facilitation network aims at fostering among its participants and within LSFs:

• reciprocal visibility,
• exchange of autonomous  local experiences, contacts, information,
• reflection on the problems of development (sociological extension, nature of activities carried out in different LSF, etc..)
• pooling, if possible and if desired, of methods and / or means to stimulate LSF processes and  also to maintain them or put them in contact with larger scale processes,
• the organization on a voluntary basis, of collaborative initiatives for participation in  larger scales processes
• reflection on WSF/LSF process.
• Effects expected from the network are:
• LSF visibility: in the media, in organizations to which members of the network participate, and within WSF process at large,
• registration in a maximum of locations of LSF events during global initiatives such as the Global week of action in January 2008 , or Belem expanded  scheme(which is not incompatible with LSF events occurring at other times)
• later on, progressive link weaving between French-speaking LSF and LSF in other countries and therefore the development of a more embodied culture of international solidarity.

3 - Means

 Means (not limitative list) to sustain LSF facilitation network LSF are:

• exchanges on a mailing list hosted on the WSF provided website "openfsm.net” (facilitation-de-fsl-discussion@lists.openfsm.net and et facilitation-de-fsl-information@lists.openfsm.net)
• contributions, including those related to the activity of the network, in a private workspace on the WSF provided website "openfsm.net"
• publications in a public space on the WSF provided website "openfsm.net (http://openfsm.net/projects/facili-tation-de-fsl). Do include a LSF directory with links to existing LSF websites, a calendar of LSF activities, outputs made within the network, etc..,
• During a LSF event, setting up meeting gathering participants from several LSF,  taking form of a workshop, with possible implementation of an audio or video conferencing,
• the joint build up of workshops at WSF and ESF center events,
• participation in video conferences in the frame of schemes  such as Dakar extended.

4 - Operation

LSF facilitation network, which gathers now facilitators of LSF events that took place in late January 2008 and / or late January 2009 and/or february 2011 on the occasion of the events in Belem and Dakar, but also facilitators ( facilitators) of LSF events having been held (or to be held) at other times, is by nature open.

This network is not in any respect a coordination - from the perspective of the network, participants are not considered as delegates of their LSF - or is not any other structure that may have some verticality or prescribing anything onto a LSF or a network participant

There is no limit to the number of participants from the same LSF. It is better that each LSF location /process be present  in the network through several people, with various organizational affiliation.

While it is important that this LSF facilitation network be composed in large part of LSF facilitators, it is open to persons who, without being in a LSF – not any more or still not - are in agreement with network overall objective and are willing to work towards it, for example by promoting LSF building  inside their national or local organizations.

 
Updated April 8, 2011