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.