The Start of Something New: transitioning GA to CA

Community Assembly Every 1st WED. of Month
From Announcement of 1st CA — December 2013

Courtesy: Sandy Parsons

The OPDX Info Team and the Friends of Occupy Portland (FOOP) have been in discussion over the decline in General Assembly (GA) attendance and whether it is serving the community needs anymore.

In a special GA next week [Dec. 11, 2013], they propose an end to the regular General Assembly (which merely confirms the current de facto situation) and will also be unveiling a new meeting format, the Community Assembly (CA).

Abstract

The CA will be a monthly meeting, first Wednesday of each month, and will focus on networking and activities, rather than on decision-making and internal organizational matters. The CA will focus on our presently evolving role as the connector and nexus. It allows participating groups/individuals to announce what they are up to, and also facilitates those who are new to the movement as easy one-stop point-of-entry.

Format

• Open floor: Each individual or a representative of a group may speak on any subject for 3 minutes. This could include a call to action, an announcement, a speech, etc.
• Temperature check: A group or an individual can solicit feedback, response or opinions on any question — not necessarily a decision-making process but is merely a sounding board.
• Overview of the month ahead: Someone from the Information Team highlights what is happening from the calendar.
• FOOP report by a board member
• Speaker or presentation, followed by Q&A/discussion and/or movie, and/or live performance
• Program followed by time for informal networking (refreshments maybe)
• A table or two for brochures, etc.

Conclusion

Having a CA fulfills our need for visible presence and sense of continuity, which GA did provide in the past, but makes it more interesting and would motivate more people to attend. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the Community Assembly will bring people out of the internet and into real world, which would also address the issue around the digital divide and need for an authentic human interactions. Upon the formal approval of two GA proposals, [proposals were approved] this meeting will shift gears and becomes the first monthly CA in 2013, with a full one debuted for the new 2014 year.

This entry was posted on December 3, 2013 at 3:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.