Occupy Central Vermont

Check-ins: John, Steven, Heather, Colin

Standing business:

• Space: City Hall (bring umbrellas) or checking with Reach Care Bank (HP)
• Agenda for the GA:
• Intro – 5 min
• Discussion – 1 hour – E&E facilitating: Feedback on E&E talks, general discussion around waning interest in Occupy Central VT (http://www.occupycentralvt.org/2012/05/30/discussion-theme-where-do-we-go-from-here/)
• WG Reports Back – 10 min
• Facilitation, E&E, DAWG?, Finance, etc.
• Proposals – 20 min (intro: hard cap at 20 min. ga attendees can propose to extend at the end if desired. also, timekeeper should give 5 min warning.)
• Facilitation: Shift to monthly General Assemblies with activities being driven by Working Groups and affinity groups. Next GA will be on Saturday, 6/9, during the pop-up in Montpelier. The following GA will be on Saturday, 7/7. Working Groups can contact Facilitation to call for a GA at any time when necessary. Alternative social gatherings (not decision-making) can be organized by any member of OCV any time and are strongly encouraged.
• Planning/operations time – 20 min
• Direct Action – Planning and taking on tasks for 6/9 pop-up (Sue)
• Facilitation (if time) – Feedback on GA items during pop-up
• Announcements – 5 min
• Forming an ad hoc Fundraising WG
• Conclusion
• Soapbox – Open

• Roles for the GA

• speaking facilitator: Colin
• FAC proposer: Steven
• stack: Heather
• time-keeper: Heather
• notes: Emer? Someone attending
• props (big paper/white board, banner, markers): Not needed? (E&E may bring some)
• hand signals/outreach materials/agenda: Colin
• posting the FWG meeting notes to the blog/announcement: Heather
• greeter/welcomer/de-escalator: John

Other business, discussion

• Debrief last GA: Hoping process would work without Colin and Heather there, didn’t. Thought it was a top down decision, perception of Facilitation WG as leadership council or body. Automatically puts FAC-WG in a different model. Maybe instead of bringing proposal back, we could talk about what role of FAC-WG really is and how it’s supposed to function, how proposal process works, FAC-WG doesn’t need to check with everyone before to make sure the proposal is kosher. Always potential that this kind of group can be working behind the scenes. It’s not that FAC has taken charge, but that others have come to depend upon FAC-WG. Other people have to step up. Feel like this has been talked out a lot, and wondering if we can submit the proposal to figure out where to go from here. It seems like people would be fine with bi-weekly GAs or some sort of solution. The conversation about how FAC uses the process seems secondary to the fact of dealing with only 9 people coming to GAs. What happens outside of GA is more important, and outside of what the FAC-WG plans for the GAs.
• Submitting the same versus another proposal: Propose to submit in original form. Not a very political move, salt in the wound, etc. Proposals should be what WGs want, based on consensus within their group(s) and we should start there, facilitation is not different. Not sure why I come every week, not sure we have actual GA business each week, as opposed to social time. One clarifying question is whether monthly GAs would correspond with the pop-up. And if not, then almost by default we’re having a GA every two weeks. Facilitation is supposed to enable the groups to function. Maybe we should propose every other week and have whatever people want on the off-week’s. Clarify question about whether it was got across that WGs can call GAs at any time? Yes, heavily emphasized. Disagree with the notion that FAC-WG is about “enabling WGs to function,” our function is to ensure a smooth process when different WGs get together. Job of FAC is to bring together WGs in coherent fashion, and it is also a WG in and of itself. We are stepping out of facilitation role when we make proposals. Some GA attachment going on. My feeling is that we should bring back proposals as it was and make clear that amendments are welcome. It’s the same process that everyone goes through. And hopefully the visceral emotional response has calmed down and people can have discussion without getting antagonistic and confrontational. Bring proposal through the process and achieve something that makes everyone somewhat satisfied. It might turn out we don’t get the process worked through in the next GA. Discuss alternative socialization venues. Shall we propose to submit as originally submitted? Consensus from FAC-WG = YES. Hard cap at 20 mins, hopefully people will be succinct. But open to extensions of time from those in the group if they choose to request and agree to an extension.
• Next week’s (pop-up) GA. Shall we go along with process as per usual or not? Haven’t taken time to think about it. Or should it be more broader interesting to general public, less self involved. If proposal doesn’t go through, maybe table it to the following GA (on what date?). Should we ask the group if they have suggestions? Like that idea if we have the time after/during the DAWG operational time. Would it be good to have time during the GA for feedback about the pop-up? Do a quick plus/delta conversation like we’ve done before, new people have immediate way to participate. If no consensus on proposal, would recommend re-submitting with any amendments and go through the proposal process. Engage people on the issues instead, not overly procedural. Disservice to pretend that GAs are not what they are intended to be and go through the process. Process itself, if contentious but done well, can be helpful to bringing people in. Have outreach conversation with group, taking advantage of regulars and non-regulars present. What would help people get involved? If can’t be “out” about it, now there are more roles where they could help behind-the-scenes (especially outreach help). A subtle way to ask what can we help to provide, what can we do as Occupy to help meet them where they are/on their issues so that they will get involved. Heather can lead an exercise to ground people in the shared struggle with the economic situation – even if 4 or 5 people share their stories, it will be really powerful. Think about what else we might bring to the GA. Maybe meet earlier next week if needed.