SSF05 Forward Planner

=Planning=

These are, presently, Dan's thoughts only on planning for 2005. Once we've made some conclusions, we can get an actual forward planner in here.

Forward planning using appropriate communication tools is my bag...

Money-raising
For the stuff we want to do this year, we'll need cash. There are a few things we can do.

1. Bank Account and constitution
Open a bank account, and then get people to set up a monthly standing order, as Indymedia do. A constitution would be to guarantee that funds are controlled democratically - money can only be spent after a collective decision at a meeting.

2. Affiliation
Leicester SF allow groups to affiliate to them. They pay some money - community groups £5, unions £500! However, this gives them no control whatsover - anyone can still turn up and take full part in the process. It's just a little way of raising some money. Enough to cover, say, hiring of venues, and a bit of publicity.

Communication
We've never been the best communicators in all the world, but we need to bloody well sort ourselves out. Here's some ideas on how -

1. Forward planning
We make a plan for meetings and events as far into the future as possible. This will enable us to plan for them, to get people along, and to know who's speaking at meetings.

2. Sheffield Rag
This doesn't have to be anything fancy: a simple newsletter, not a full-on magazine. Who knows what it might grow into, but let's start quick and dirty... the point of this is:


 * We then have something that can have writing from Indymedia, from VAS and other sources -
 * And somewhere to collect goings-on in Sheffield in an events listing, which can cover not only Sheffield Social Forum but everything else too...
 * Related: we could have another go at getting the writing workshop going for this.

It can't be difficult: having visited Leeds, Bradford and Manchester recently, everyone else seems capable of producing something - I'm sure we can! We could also get advertising from businesses that we like, but then it starts to get a little more like hard work...

3. Website and WIKI
The Web-site should be a lot more practical and 'sticky'. It should, on the front page, clearly say what's happening when & how to get involved, as well as including links to other events like Green Drinks and the Green Food Map. There's a vague plan for a 'speak truth to power' thing, and this can /should lead to something about how to act locally - this can go right on the front too. The web-site should be about action - of all shades. It can also have an RSS feed from Sheffield Indymedia, with a link...?

The WIKI - which is kind of a working document for those that want to use it - needs a thorough weeding.

4. Announcement list
The announcement list will be a useful tool - with forward planning, we'll be able to fill it with exciting goings on all over Sheffield.

=What are we going to do?=

1. Meetings. First and Third Thursdays of the month.
There's a general consensus that John Street is a bit poo. We should try and find somewhere else. presently, we can't afford it, which is why we need some money!

Proposal: we could stagger the meetings: 1 being purely SSF planning, and 1 a month hosting an event / speaker(s) / issues. What do people think about that? Again, with forward planning, this could really work.

2. Democracy Cafe - still going!
Book some more of these for the first Tuesday of every month. Buy a mini-blackboard, so people can come down and chalk on the issue that's on their minds.

Other stuff for this year - a lot of them partnerships. Again, just suggestions!

 * Spital Hill, Regeneration & Participation
 * G8 and mini-summit
 * Peace in the Park
 * CIRCA visit
 * Make Poverty History
 * Socials, creative, making money, T-shirts...
 * Supporting international links: funding trips
 * City Centre SSF stall...

See next e-mail for Burngreave stuff, and the one after that for the city centre stall idea...

On the G8:
... there's a lot going on! As someone at the LSF gathering said, it represents everything we're fighting against... I've started putting some links up on the WIKI.

There's so much to think about here: preparing for action, both in Sheffield and in Gleneagles, as well as pushing the positive alternatives - something I think we're yet to see. This could be a planning session all by itself, although Dave's right about not losing the local focus.

Peace in the Park
For anyone that wants to go, there's a meeting

8pm on Monday 17th January 2005 at Disc Studio, 1st Floor, Portland Works, Randall Street (off Bramal Lane)

Elsewhere, I've proposed SSF gets involved in developing the political content - perhaps to the extent of not doing our own separate event. This is something we'd have to talk about.

CIRCA visit
The Clandestine Rebel Insurgent Clown Army will be coming to Sheffield, probably the week before the Sheffield mini-summit, to do some training up. SSF has been asked to help. Not sure what form this help will take yet, but it's worth bearing in mind!

Make Poverty History
This ties to the G8: one of the two key themes is meant to be pulling Africa out of poverty (the other is climate change - it'll be fun watching Bush wriggle out of this one...) It's an opportunity to work with other local campaign groups - WDM, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam. We could / should use one meeting to get everyone together, hold some kind of educational meeting with speakers.

Socials, creative, T-shirts...
Throwing rather a lot in together here! The point: we should do something fun. Fun? Wossat? Y'know - that thing that the SWP don't know anything about. Preferably something that involves swizzling a firestick. It may likely be that this means helping PiP with a fund-raiser.

Creative-wise - I think there's quite a lot of interest in, um, street art. I know at least two people who are really really good at making stencils... all we need is a team of three... but don't tell anyone, OK?

T-shirts? Yup! I have this thing about doing designs that say things like 'it's politics, Jim, but not as we know it', and 'why don't you switch off yer TV set and do something less boring instead?' which we could sell on the stall - more of which later...

Supporting international links, and trips
Helping to get money for getting people to go to places - Palestine already happens, but there are others - e.g. there's a WSF-like youth and student event in Venezuela in August...