• isfextension about facilitation-2

last modified August 21, 2013 by facilitfsm

Iraq Social Forum |

Here is an amended version of the text martina and ismael have sent on the team list

Comments welcome

This about 2/ EXTENSION TEAM INTERNAL DISCUSSION

Plan

 

 

GENERAL PRELIMINAR OBSERVATION

 Give A CHANCE  FOR SELF ORGANIZING until September 5th BEFORE BEING DIRECTIVE

I have a preliminary point which is  that we should first be inviting contacts and stimulating them and only after a certain deadline  is over we should be  defining matches  - this process is the same  in all three cases

if we select and match ourselves the mutual desire for dialoguing  between organization  is not respected and we risk  to have passive reactions on both sides–

At the moment we have started inviting the abroad people to choose some  counterparts among iraqis http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/lists/extended-participants-isf/archive/2013/08/1376646614097/forum_view

Baghdadis  should be also offered the possibility to express their desire or absence of desire to  develop extended activities proposed by the 33 organizations abroad and make their selection of possible counterparts –

That is why it is relevant in my opinion to send the message prepared here  which “give information that allow motivation to express itself :

http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/isfextension-message-for-baghdadis

With a common deadline  that we can announce for self organization  of contact of  September 5 in all 3 cases and only then we intervene in a directive way having announced it beforehand to all

IMPORTANT We inform  that this phase of "making contact"  with possible counterparts is open both to "abroad" and "baghdadi" organizations, until september 5th

After that , considering the results, and  who was active in looking for partners,  isf extension will make the remaining decisions

Our action will  based on the  "first come-first supported" principle and will have certain logistical limits 

So organizations which have registered but have been passive untill september 5th  may not  concretize extended activities

This will allow to see who is really motivated  on both sides  and this is coherent with the social forum values

         CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF SKYPE INFORMAL COMMUNICATION WITH ACTORS OF EXTENSIONS in the next two weeks     

  • 1/ Statistically, out of 70 iraqi organisations/groups  visible, a certain  proportion will be willing  used to skype and English speaking and able to take initiatives regarding extended activities proposed by "abroad" . And we should give this proportion an opportunity and time to take those initiatives untill september 5th to develop relations with possible counterparts . This  " look for contacts "  is also part of  the "experience" of  a social forum.  Not doing this might look disrespectful  or paternalistic to them.
  •   The message prepared for tomorrow on isf arabic list is coherent with this vision     http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/isfextension-message-for-baghdadis
  • 2 -Also risk of "passivity" from the abroad organizations can be challenged with the same deadline of september 5th, making clear that « inert” organizations may be left out of extended participation  by then,  ( or just be given some last minute streaming channels, if there are ) Last reminder about skype  to the  organizers from abroad  is giving some results : 10 contact skype established out of 33 announcers from abroad –
  • The daily informal possibility of contact on skype helps to create motivation and to dismiss misunderstanding  about practicalities of extended participation, and make clear “who is doing what” and what is expected from the extended participants
  • 3 - It is veery relevant to have a proactive skype presence policy from Arabic speaking contributors to the isf extension  team  ( ismael balsam taif) to propose to Iraqi organizations interested in extension  ( those mentionned in paragraph 1 , who  will answer the message sent on arabic list for instance) to make contact with  “isf.extensionteam” skype account,  and  then to log  daily  on this account  and accompany them on skype informally  chatting with them when they connect  and seeing who is able and willing  to  jointly organize  remote intercommuication with abroad.  tHIS IS HOW EXTENSION CAN BECOME A  CONCRETE NOTION  BEYOND THE STRUCTURE AND MESSAGES RECEIVED SO FAR
    It was hoped that this kind of informal skype communication  intra-iraq  would start early august in Baghdad – it is still time to start it

 

 

 

PROGRAMMING –with  AUTONOMY OR EARLY CONSIDERATION OF CONSTRAINTS

we wanted to bring again the proposal to divide activities in a way that helps us to implement the majority smoothly and without the need to wait to finalize the ISF program. We really think this is the best way to clarify for ourselves and to others what we want from them and when.

This is compatible with having specialized responsibilities  
Martina /Balsam responsible for establishing the intervention program ( which is autonomous from the rest of the program ( just care to avoid overbooking of speakers)  

 and the group( tobe defined)  - for establishing  the tele exchange schedule  in specific extension rooms( which is autonomous as is shown in belem – just avoid overbookinga given organiation with an activity in isf program)

and responsible for dialoguing with isf committee to take into account extension in the scheduling  the  open./enlarged activity planning in isf program    (the final programming can be late  but can take early into account some time constraints coming from extension  )

All this Being understood that some proposals are missing  - UPP ICSSI for instance  - see the message here : http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/lists/isf-extension-team/archive/2013/08/1376998599790/forum_view

 

1&2- SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES & TELE INTERVENTIONS –IN SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES

1- SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES : before the forum and can be in or out Iraq  : we should ask any of those registered such activity to send us : when and where and what time they plan to do the activities and what is the content, we should set a deadline to get all this info. Our role will be find the relevant person form ISF to participate through a skype call. This way we can do a schedule of Solidarity activities 

 2- TELE INTERVENTIONS –IN SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES: to be implemented during the forum, outside Baghdad. We need to know form those who want to organize such activity when and where and what time they plan to do the activities and what is the content, we should set a deadline to get all this info.

 Our role will be to have an extension team in Baghdad with a program of these activities , who looks for relevant persons in the ISF who can talk about the same issues, and be in the Extension Office (managed by Balsam) in Baghdad at that time.

1 and 2 - Martina can send emails to those 22+  who proposed such activities, setting a deadline for September 10th, so that we can publish a final program of these Extension Activities on September 15th .

Regarding implementation, Martina can lead group 1, Balsam can lead group 2

That system of deadline is fine … I have already asked about the dates of solidarity activity and   more  specialized communication is welcome

 

3- TELE PARTICIPATIONS – IN ACTIVITIES  ORGANIZED IN BAGHDAD,

 we need to identify if the iraqis who registered events in Baghdad want to open them to extension. The Iraqi Extension team should ask them to appoint one person of their organization who can follow the extension, and teach this person how to manage a streaming or a skype conference. Links of streaming channels and skype contacts can be collected before the ISF, and all these activities will be allocated in Extension Rooms. We can’t have a program of these activities till we have the ISF agenda, while programs of activities 1 and 2 can be ready earlier!

3 – An Extension Team needs to be trained in Baghdad, it should start working in early September. Taif, Balsam and Nadia are the first core of this team, they will look for more people. Taif can lead this group

Again here it is good if interested organisations  “on both sides” can be given a deadline to find counterparts   for tele participation  and those organizations  in Baghdad can be asked to assign a hosting person or a linking person  to open their activity

These people would of course cooperate with extension team volunteers  

 The training on streaming is a rather independent item –the video channels may be communicated rather late ( but the sooner the better) and the skype chat room should be communicated early

 

4- TELE-EXCHANGE ACTIVITIES– BETWEEN BAGHDAD, AND ABROAD.

This is complicated to organize for the majority of Iraqi groups.

Why so ? they have no experience  of skype? It may be less complicated then enlarging properly an activity in Baghdad- even a simple written chat can be an intense collective experience

We are afraid that by advertising this kind of activity we may confuse them and distract their attention from the events they registered for the ISF.

WHY should we be afraid  of this ? Are  Iraqi organization unable to visualize that besides the activities they have announced in baghdad  here : http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/isfbaghdad-overview-en-ar and http://openfsm.net/projects/iraq-social-forum/isfbaghdad-overview2-en-ar  they can also  some of them organize one   “tele exchange activity”, that is an activity  specifically focused on dialoguing with one organization abroad  who selected them or that they have selected?

Tele exchange activities are the best way to have a in depth discussion between two organizations – We have with martina the the experience of 30 tele exchanges in belem  in 2009 . Here is the planning we had ended up with in the extension rooms

 Therefore we propose to select some of the proposals made by internationals and match them with iraqi associations, that we will contact directly in order to propose the tele-exchange. We expect to arrange in such a way only a few tele-exchanges, but we committ to make them work well, so that they really add something to social movements that engage in them!

The problem here is that if we do this ( selecting and matching ourselves) the mutual desire for dialoguing  is not respected and we risk  to have passive reactions on both sides–- so if propose to give a deadline to establish contacts  as in the other two cases

Once we have the agreement by international and iraqi groups, we put them in touch and announce time and date of their exchange, even before the ISF program is ready. They will take place in other Extension Rooms

For me This directive mode  will be activated after the September 5th deadline is passed

 

5 – MATCHING AND COORDINATION REVIEWS

5– The whole Extension Team should have a chat next week to screen the international proposals, and propose the matchings with Iraqis. Pierre can lead this group

The matching are a common process for all three type of extended activities

I agree also to have a first chat next week - to review the situation  and  coordinate our actions with the various  actors  on the three   type of activities until the deadline is passed – not to make the matches directively as o now 

of course if we have established communication with organization in Baghdad or abroad we can discuss with them at any time and counsel them in making their choices

We can  have another chat  the next week  after the September 5th deadline is over  where WE will announce we will be  matching people who have tried to find a counterpart and have been reactive  with us helping them as they have expressed interest earlier

 And we will be dropping or giving low priority  the other participants who have been passive  between now  and September 5th – also they are probably lest reliable- and organisation who will “ wake up late”  will be dropped too -