CoLET Meetup Format

I. Opening

Hi, my name is _______, and we welcome you to the CoLET Meetup.

CoLET (The Collective for Liberation, Ecology, and Technology) is a small, Brooklyn-based, community-centered, radical feminist and anti-capitalist community of study and practice. We work to maintain, develop, extend, and promote open tools and documentation for political communication and organization.

We especially lift up the often overlapping struggles of black people, women, people from the Global South, poor people, indigenous people, queer/trans people, imprisoned and trafficked people, and those persecuted for their documentation or religious status. We aim to contribute to the development and nurturing of digital and ecological commons where all can learn, share, and grow themselves and their communities with dignity and joy.

CoLET is a community of study and practice. We view our technological work not as liberatory work in an of itself, but rather support work for radical political and ecological interventions. To that end, we believe we can be most useful to the movements when we have a deep understanding of the challenges and goals. Through continued reading, discussion, and debate we hope that we might not only increase camaraderie within our group but, more importantly, deepen our analysis of the roots of oppression and broaden our vision of liberation.

We will now go around the room and each share our names, what we work on, and what brought us to CoLET.

II. Meeting Purpose & Guidelines

The structure of this meeting is opening statements and meeting guidelines, followed by a 90 -minute discussion group on a topic or reading that was selected at the previous meeting. The group will be facilitated by the facilitator (aka me).

During this meeting, we will discuss the readings and how they relate to CoLET and its projects. All are open to participate and  put forth proposals. A simple majority is enough to decide on a course of action; however, in the case of projects, those members who are actually working on the projects have oversight on how the project is ultimately run.

After the discussion is closed, we will take up any necessary collections and share general announcements.

A special note for anyone new to this space, the restrooms are (chair should point and explain where they are).

Opening the Floor for Shares

(If there was a reading or theme, remind the group what the reading or theme was. )

Is someone willing to be the timekeeper? (Select someone) Thank you.

Please set the timer to 90 minutes and give us a warning 10 mins and 5 mins before time is up.

We now open the floor for shares. We gently request that everyone speak personally. We also ask that we all refrain from interrupting, judging, or challenging people directly. Remember, many people — especially women and people of color — may have had few chances to speak freely without being interrupted, teased, or challenged by a family member, a partner, or another person of assumed authority.

Please keep an open mind as you speak and as you listen.

We also ask that people quiet their mobile devices and try to speak slowly and clearly.

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(when group sharing time is up, the chair reads from here)

III. Announcements

That is all the time we have for sharing. Thank you all for sharing openly and honestly.

We’ve been meeting on the third Saturday of every month. Would someone like to suggest a reading or topic for next time? We maintain a list of past and possible future readings at colet.space/readings. We can put it to a vote if there are multiple suggestions.  (group can vote if there are multiple suggestions)

Are there any announcements anyone wishes to share? (Announcement for collections here if necessary).

Are there any report backs from current CoLET projects?

Does anyone have any projects they need help with?

(If we have a hired babysitter or any other expenses to cover, read this)

CoLET has no dues or fees, but we do have expenses like snacks and childcare. We ask that anyone who can contribute please throw in a few dollars to keep this sustainable (pass around a hat or bag)

IV. Closing Statements

In closing I would like to say that the opinions expressed here were strictly those of the person who gave them.  No one is perfect, and in the case of disagreement we encourage you to first try and  reason things out directly with the other person. While we welcome the discomfort that comes from healthy political discussion, we do not condone  harassment or abuse. If you feel you have been subjected to this, please contact us in person or via the website.

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