Minutes Making Worlds September 1 2012

Present: Marcos, Begonia, Vicente, Susana, Rachel, Francis, Bahereh, Maleny

 

Organization:

Marcos will buy the website makingworlds.org, bring a server and host a lesson in building the site in a future meeting.

Vicente made a smaller googlegroup for more local information on meetings etc., freeing the larger email group for announcements, newsletters etc.

Francis is emailing Brooklyn commons contact. She suggests Brooklyn Free School @ Clinton and Washington

Suggestions for Forum:

Francis suggested the forum include a discussion of what “the commons” is/are. She would like a historical background, perhaps included in the invitation.

Marcos reiterated, as he mentioned in the last meeting, that each group should emphasize what steps are taken to “commonize”—for example open licenses and making knowledge available. He would like to discuss the alliance academia should have with publishing like occucopy. The idea that academic journals be published under open licenses and publish hard copies through cooperatives live occucopy (e.g. publishing houses in Argentina include worker-controlled facilities).

The group decided to invite a librarian from CUNY involved in open access policies, possibly Maura Smale (and group radical librarians):related to knowledge as a common good.

Vicente suggested a global/local/regional situation of topics: US/Americas/World

Someone from Occupy Seattle had been interested in the last forum and wanted to know more, perhaps we should contact them. Pacific northwest would be interesting as a regional presence.

Susana suggested we generate questions for potential speakers.

Following a discussion of fall meetings Susana suggests we alternate between meetings devoted to “organizing” the forum and “doing”: Momenta art gallery, meeting with la Unión, etc.

Vicente: in the coming months we can make a general invitation, and think of things we can share with people as we participate in various activities (those who go to Momenta can start a discussion about art; those who go to rent strikes at Sunset Park can discuss such events.)

Vicente suggests MW organize a few meetings for example with Tech Ops to build alliances with other groups. For instance: hear from people coming from Tech Ops, but also how do they frame their work…the Forum then becomes the end of a process. Saturday encounters could focus on 1 issue + the commons (like a June meeting on media and the commons; Sunset park on rentstrike; etc)

For next Saturday: generate a list of groups with whom we would like to meet.

Everyone bring an idea for next year.

Susana: we have 7 categories for the forum, we can use one for each month: September Free University—do something related to education: a discussion on the libraries.

Momenta is September /October (Jim is participating); Antonio will talk possibly

Jim will talk on alternative economies and was going to invite food coops (re: CSA in Bushwick near Momenta).

Susana suggests we write up after each activity: everyone who is doing something should write short notes so it can be shared.