Dear all,
today's chat was useful for us to clarify issues on the Extended
Iraqi Social Forum. Even if the whole text of the chat will be
available online, I sum-up here the main agreements. Additional
options need to be discussed again because there was no consensus
that they are sustainable, and many of us think that offering too
many options may scare/confuse/demotivate participants in the
Extended forum.
I ask the ISF Committee in Baghdad to confirm soon if they want
to stream the main events, like the opening event or the final
plenary assembly. Internationals are very interested in following
these moments, and would like to know when they take place.
Another chat of the ISF Extension Team will take place on Monday,
August 26, at 5 pm (Italian time). If you want to participate please
contact the skype user: isf.extensionteam
The next general chat of the International Solidarity Committee for
the Iraqi Social Forum (ISF) will take place on Wednesday 28th of
August, at 14:00 GMT (that is 16:00 in Italy, 17:00 in Iraq).
Info on the Extended Forum follow.
Best
Martina
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EXTENDED IRAQI SOCIAL FORUM
Definition of activities:
1) SOLIDARITY ACTIVITY happens before the forum, in Iraq or abroad,
trying to establish a Skype connection with someone from the ISF
committee
2) TELE-PARTICIPATION happens during the forum, through events
organized abroad or in other Iraqi cities (who ask to connect with
someone at the ISF, and hear about what is going on in Baghdad) or
events organized at the ISF which are open to internet participation
from internationals and from other Iraqi cities (through streaming
or a collective Skype call)
3) TELE-EXCHANGE is the more complex and rewarding activity, with
two or more groups preparing the workshop together and doing it
simultaneously during the ISF, through internet connection. One
group will be in Baghdad, other groups in other Iraqi cities or
abroad
How to organize them:
1) SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES: Martina will ask those who proposed them
to write us : when, where and at what time they plan to do the
activities and what is the content, and set a deadline to get all
this info (September 10). The ISF Secretariat will convey the same
info to Martina about solidarity activities organized in Iraq.
Afterwards, the Iraqi Extension Team will have to find relevant
activists from the ISF Committee to participate through skype calls
in every event. This way we can do a schedule of Solidarity
activities before the ISF, this program can be ready on September 15
2) TELE PARTICIPATION when the EVENT is ORGANIZED ABROAD, OR IN
ANOTHER IRAQI CITY during the ISF: we need to know again when and
where and at what time they plan to do the activities and what is
the content, Martina can send a similar email to internationals with
the same deadline (Sept 10, that can be moved of a few days
eventually), Ismaeel will write to the Iraqis who proposed
activities through the international website. The extension team in
Baghdad will have a program of these activities before the forum
starts, and look for relevant persons during the ISF who can come
to the Extension Office at the ISF venue at each time.
So we will have an Extension Office where people go to connect with
people outside, and make a speech on what is happening at the ISF.
TELE PARTICIPATION for EVENTS ORGANIZED IN BAGHDAD, at the ISF: 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 within Sept 15 one person of their organization who can
follow the extension, and teach this person how to manage a
streaming or a skype conference. The Iraqi Extension team will also
convey to Iraq groups the interest of internationals to follow their
activity online, if internationals signal it before September 5.
Links of streaming channels and skype contacts can be collected
before the ISF, and all these activities will be allocated in
Extension Rooms. These Extended Activities will be signalled in the
ISF program.
3) TELE-EXCHANGE needs to be discussed by the Extension Team during
the next chat on Monday.