LSFs at ESF2004 open space guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR AN OPEN SPACE LSF

Guideline #1 About forum inclusiveness

“ We want our local social forum space to be INCLUSIVE – we don’t want it to be another (cosy) activist group ” We make sure that anybody stepping in the LSF space feels comfortable in it and feels certain about the fact that in this space nobody will speak in somebody else’s name

So we intend to respect World Social Forum Charter of principle effectively

NO COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATION AND ACTIVITIES OF POLITICAL PARTIES

They have their own agenda and see the forum as in instrument for this agenda - they have to be modest and to listen to what is produced in the forum – organizing civil society

NO DOCUMENTS, NO DECLARATIONS, NO CALL FOR ACTION IN THE NAME “ OF THE FORUM

who would effectively sign those document among the participants to the forum space ?
no problem to have forum facilitation clearly identified bodies like organisation committee or outreach workgroup make declaration; referring to their facilitation tasks

DECISIONS IN FACILITATION/ORGANISATION ACTIVITIES MADE BY CONSENSUS

sticking to these basic rules will form a lasting forum space. Many people are different from us - it will bring inclusiveness

Guideline #2 Use and “inclusiveness” of forum language

When somebody in the forum space says “ we” - it is always useful to wonder: WHO IS “WE”? who is ready to sign with this person the statement he/she makes? in many cases this question can be asked out loud to help clarify things

“ We” can be an identified workgroup within the forum organizing/facilitating group – it has a mandate formalized in the networking organization, restricted to facilitation work – this group is not supposed to make calls for action or intervene on the contents of forum activities, the members can act only as individuals.
" We ” can be an organisation, either a group connected to the forum or outside it, delegating somebody to speak in its name. Who is this group, have they authorised this member to speak on all subjects, should this member be given greater space/resources/consideration because of this?
“ We” cannot mean “we the forum” or we “all the participants in the forum” - this is speaking in participants name – of course it will be used orally for effect but should never be written in publicity or reports.

It is also useful to check where the word “ forum ” appears – does it mean a space where participants act, or as active body like any standard organisation

one useful guideline is to scan text and look for sentences where the forum is named as the subject of the sentence –are we personifying the forum making it an active body ? : “ the forum will do this , will do that “.
One can try to reformulate those sentences in an accurate way “people/ participants in the forum will do this and that”

Guideline #3 about social inclusiveness : who is coming speaking and performing in the forum?

All participants are using the forum in principle on an equal footing but there is not an equal social distribution of oral or written speech ability training. One important task of the organisation/facilitation forum process is then to grant local population access to the innovative “social forum experience” in equality, correcting socially created distortions as much as possible

which means for facilitating workgroups

encourage people to join in, whatever their view or background – give equal opportunity to speak out – and have a spoken, visual or written record
allotting a solidarity fund to correct economic distortions (transportation – lodging – food)
making it clear that people have to work together and to be aware of their own prejudices – not to pre-judge what people might think or want to do

which means for communication

not relying on internet/email – using phone trees – snail mail
using plain language, not falling into jargon
have clear facilitation which encourages people to really communicate rather than stating isolated points of view

Guideline #4 About forum political efficiency

“we want efficient broad based creative motivating democratic transforming social and political actions of various kinds (not just taking to the streets) - we do not want boring dividing political speeches or lecturing by ‘experts’ ”

We identify and prepare actions together with others inside the forum space, – We are careful to implement them outside the forum space

INSIDE THE FORUM SPACE WE ARE A PARTICIPANT AS ANY OTHER ONE - exchanging contents : ideas practices dreams – identifying problems – reasons why and what we want to do working together, exploring how we work together – preparing plans to work together
OUTSIDE THE FORUM SPACE , WE MAY BE ACTIVISTS getting together with other fellow activists that we have met in the forum, trying to mobilize other people on a common goal that we have identified in the forum - creating for that purpose an efficient broad based creative democratic COLLECTIVE CAMPAIGN involving persons, organisations, parties with a specific area and kind of action

WE REMEMBER THAT OUR NEIGHBOUR IN THE FORUM MAY NOT SHARE OUR GOALS OR WAY OF ACTING IN OUR COLLECTIVE/CAMPAIGN –

So we should not involve the forum name in the action of our collective campaign, because then we associate our neighbour in the forum with actions they may not agree with and with which they have not given their permission/consent
What one these collective can do is give a tribute to the forum in some document or declaration “ this collective has emerged thanks to the dynamics created by the local social forum - and stress that “ actions of this collective DO NOT ENGAGE the local social forum and are made in the name of an explicit array of organisations and persons undersigned”

Guideline #5 Dealing with political parties (always a touchy point to be worked on)

Members of political parties

are welcome in the space as persons with a political affiliation, expressing their personal opinion, listening to other participants rather than feeling compelled to deliver a formatted party speech
are not welcome as political body representatives competing for the control of the space, and “killing the hen that laid the golden egg” by trying to make the forum space an instrument for their own political agenda

Parties as organisations

cannot directly organize activities in the forum space
can -and do- set up associations with a milder approach, that organize activities in forums
can be participants and active members of “action collectives” emerging from the forum outside the forum space

Forum space and radicalism

persons and organisations advocating radical views can use the space and organize their radical activities in it. Should they want to be “unreformed reformers” there can be discussion in the forum about the links between radical action and that taken by more co-operative alliances
Those who are radicalised should respect the views and actions of those who are not, and visa-versa

Guideline #6 Creating maintaining developing the forum space : everyone can contribute! facilitation tasks

We want to CONTRIBUTE TO THE FORUM SPACE, to the creation, maintenance, development of our local forum space. We do not want just to USE it. Being a participant and facilitator we bring service to others by organizing the space for them – we know that this role gives us no legitimacy and permission to speak in their name.

We should always be clear about when we act as FACILITATOR of the space and when we act as a USER of the space

As a user

we step in the space that is there, and use it as we wish, respecting its rules of use (charter of principles – no activities by parties or organization promoting violence)
as simple participant – we get included in the forum process
as activity organiser - we use the space to organize activities alone or with others – we relate to organization/facilitation task groups for organising/planning etc…
in both cases the charter of principles GUARANTEES that nobody will speak in our name in the forum space

As facilitator

we attend open broad base organisation/facilitation committee meetings working on CONSENSUS basis dealing EXCLUSIVELY with creation maintenance and development of the forum space, with enhancing inclusiveness, quality, spectrum of activities taking place in it – not controlling contents of activities
and we contribute EFFECTIVELY in workgroups in charge of related tasks (see point 4)
in facilitating activities we do not need to make in the name of the forum general statement on the ideological content of activities taking place in it - in fact we better stay low key about that : - the charter of principles ideological and political positioning is explicit enough and have high legitimacy in the alternate globalisation movements - let us stay inclusive, stop framing the contents, concentrate on practical forum space development tasks

Guideline #7 Facilitation :“what can we do for our forum”?

We want to TRANSFORM the world, make a better world possible. Let us start with the forum space, and help making it a SPACE OF GOOD QUALITY SOCIAL PRACTICES Contribute to making the forum space a better space, more participatory, more inclusive, producing a higher quality of content and developing new ways of working together

The space and method of the forum is a tool for social transformation , where people can feel think and speak differently – and GATHER COLLECTIVE STRENGTH TO ACT TOGETHER
So listen, observe, interact, respect, ponder, propose, invent, experiment
What kind of knowledge, ability, idea can we bring in this space, as user or as facilitator, to make it better ?
Join in FACILITATION TASK GROUPS set up within the forum process to improve how the forum includes people and how it develops ACTIONS
offer volunteer service to translate, transcript, install facilities, develop software, draft, sketch, play, perform, interact with forum participants - questionnaires – collection of certain content – activity reports, proposals, suggesting modes of activities, helping emerging contents, producing collective representation of contents produced

Original guidelines by Pierre (Ivry SF) amended by Jason (Sheffield SF)

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