Draft texts

Reference Guide ( 6 pages)  

This  document adresses in explicitly several issues relevant to position the mission of those comitees which is same nature ( facilitation) as the one of montreal collective and its WG, with a scope centered on  "participation support". 

 

Summary sheet  - COMMITTEE FOR  PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN  WSF 2016 
(download document) 

 

This two page note  is a mere introduction  to the contents of the Reference Guide (link) with the same plan. This guide is accessible in Site http://www.fsm2016.org and Openfsm.net.

Part A / Terms of Reference - Some questions to start a committee

 

What's it ? A Local Participation support committee is an entity in the WSF 2016 process, with a mission of "facilitation" (see Part B1), described in a reference guide, which consists in encouraging and supporting local participation in the WSF2016, through local activities, activities in Montreal, and remote participation

 

How to start?

1.     Meet and discuss about  WSF 2016 local participation potential  that can be foreseen,

2.     Check our agreement to operate under the terms of reference of the Guide (Part A and B)

3.      Liaise with WG (Working Group) Mobilization of the Facilitation Collective  in Montreal

4.  Make visible the new local committee on space / website (*), and clarify gradually its goals, missions, operating rules, its name. (* OpenFSM.net provides this type of spaces)

5.      The Mobilization WG  registers the local committee  in reference list on the WSF 2016 website.

 

Who can contribute? A person or organization that

1.     considers,herself or itself - publicly for organizations - as a participant in the WSF process, such and such as described by the WSF Charter, which specifies an ideological positioning, goals,  values of participants and general operating rules,

2.     wishes to contribute locally to the facilitation of the WSF 2016

3.      agrees that the committee operates according to the terms of reference described in the Guide,

 

Where and When a committee operates ? Everywhere outside the World Social Territory August 9 to 14, and the direct action, outside  of the WSF Collective domain. Several committees may be active on the same territory. They have a limited existence between mid 2015 and late 2016.

 

With Who? With local organizations that support its action , with participating organizations, potential or declared, preparing activities in WSF2016,  with volunteers or participants, unrelated to local organizations. Finally, with the Montréal facilitation Collective WGs :  Communication, Engagement, Programming and support to participants, for which the committee is a relay.

 

With what resources? A local committee operates on motivation, talent, and resources of its contributors or those that they can mobilize. It does not receive funding from the  WSF 2016Collective, except, may be via a Solidarity Fund for Extension.

B / Terms of reference - logical framework for a  Local Participation support committee for WSF 2016

 

1 / General Purpose of a local committee: help generate and support participation in the WSF 2016,  from persons and organizations located in a local "area of action" defined by the Committee, using the various modalities proposed for the extension and the methodology WSF 2016 (extension Guide (link) and (info-consultation (@ link). It is a mission of "facilitation" (*) of the WSF 2016 process.

 

Participation in the WSF 2016 strengthens local actors through learning, networking, efforts for convergence of struggles and initiatives, media visibility their articulation on a larger scale, which occur during the preparation and progress of local activities,

 

(*) In the culture of the social forums  developed since 2001, the concept of "facilitation" refers to actions making political and logistical provision of an "open space for intercommunication" on the occasion of a social forum event, aiming at  good preparation and participation. The practice of facilitation differs from that of the control, management, and simple participation.

2 / Expected results, direct and indirect

 

1.      Implementation of local activities by many organizations, possibly togetherl, some included in self organized sets of activities, some with remote participation in and from activities held in Montreal,

2.       Direct presence of local participants in Montreal from 9 to 14 August, articulating their action in Montreal with local activities

3.       Significant local personal participation, either direct or remote, to these various activities, local or in Montreal,

4.       Better local visibility of civil society participating in the WSF, best practice understanding and ownership of the WSFprocess by local actors,

5.       Acquisition and sharing of a WSF facilitation experience among contributors to the committee, and motivation to engage in local organizations,

6.       Support provided to the committee by local organizations, with participation experience in the WSF process. It is a sign of the relevance of the committee's action.

 

3/5 Missions of a local support committee for the WSF 2016 participation

 

1.     Inform, communicate around itself  the WSF 2016 process and the reasons and ways to participate in it

2.     Boost cooperation between participating local organizations

3.     Define, prepare and announce the forms of support that the committee offers

4.     Support on their request  participants in the preparation and conduct of their activities

5.     Exchange between contributors and other committees to improve the functioning of the committee

 

4 / Some particularities to consider in connection with these facilitation missions

 

1.     Contributors are very diverse, and cooperate specifically to fulfill the mission of the committee,

2.       An individual or local organization is not required to go through a local committee to participate in WSF2016 ,.

3.     Limit WSF activities done "in the name of the committee", and promote the expression of organizations,

4.       Simple facilitating tool for the WSF 2016, no identification Committee = WSF,

5.       Informal and ephemeral nature of the committee, from mid 2015 until the end of 2016 approximately,

6.       Independence from other existing social forum processes in the region,

7.     Without  representation mandate from WSF facilitation Collectif 2016 in Montréal. Several local committees can exist in the same territory,

8.     Frequent communication with WG  in Montreal, through several persons in charge from both sides  to make the connection.

 

5 / Resources made ​​available to the a Local Committee by the WSF2016  facilitation Collective in Montréal

 

The Collective provides to the local committee  useful resources (documents, web visibility, contacts ...) it does not provide financial resources (except possibly support fund  for "remote participation").

 

6 / Some Values ​​and principles for the operation of a local committee

 

·          -Transparency Inclusion and openness of the inner operation,

·          Horizontal / decisions through consent,

·         Promotion of self-organization and own speech: not to participate "instead of " organizations of its region,

·          Independence: avoid uptake of committee by partisan persons or groups, or its instrumentalisation by specific organizations,

·          Respect for diversity and same access to support from the committee for all participants.

 

These values ​​and principles, and facilitation missions with their peculiarities, enlighten the committee on the choice of organizational form (group of persons or organization committee of representatives etc.), its internal operation, and communication.

Part C / Guidance Material

 

The content of this part of the Guide comes from various contributors, taking as a common reference parts A and B of the Guide, and writing in their names, indicative complementary elements about committees, with a diversity of views, formulations, shape etc.

It is a practical resource space for contributors to committees.