From May through July 2017, Lauryl, Dana, and I gathered these unedited ideas and resources in a pirate pad as we began to think through what CoLET would/should be.
Brainstorm and Resources
Name Possibilities
Something with architecture
some variation on bldg. new world within shell of old
- Tools for Another World Institute (TAWI)
- Institute for Study and Service to Self and Surroundings (ISSSS) first association on reading this is ISIS so maybs not?
- The Center for Ecology, Technology, and Liberation (CELT)first association: celtics like the sports team/indo-european language
- Ecology, Technology, Liberation (ETL or The ETL Collective)
- Liberation, Ecology, Technology (LET or the LET Collective or – And this one, starting with liberation may be more powerful too. into this one also for the association – “let” as in “enable”
- The Cooperative for Liberation, Ecology and Technol0gy) (CoLET) – This acronym name could read as a name, which I like ditto
- Center for Liberation Ecology Solidarity and Technology (CeLEST)
- Center for Ecology Liberation Economic Solidarity and Technology (CELEST)
Vision
- an economy not based on fucking over people/planet
- Focus on building stuff/DIY and sharing findings/experience rather than protest or book club or holding endless panels
- Transparency around process and output
- Working at human scale
Mission
“Building tools, skills, and communities for radical interventions. “
* We are a small, Brooklyn-based, community-centered, radical feminist anticapitalistcollective. We work to maintain, develop, extend, and promote tools and documentation for likemminded groups to communicate and organize. 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.Our aim is to contribute to the development and nurturing of digital and ecological commons where people can learn, share, and grow themselves and their communities with dignity and joy.
PROJECTS
How do we implement it? NOTES GO HERE!!!
BLOG/WEBSITE – SHARE PROGRESS & PROCESS, INSPIRATION (READINGS, MUSIC, VIDEOS ART ETC.)
EVENTS
TECH CONSULTING (TO START AND BUILD USE CASES)
ONLINE COMMUNITY
MEMBERSHIP TIERS IN COOP
ARCHIVE WIKI OF USE CASES AND MATERIALS- TECHNICAL & NON-TECHNICAL
Small group study and practice
Public installation somewhere – It’s [insert time here] do you know where your data is?
– Classes/workshops
Herb classes
Detoxifying your home, medicine cabinet, kitchen, etc
Fighting class – they have this at The Base and aparently it was very popular (Nabil)
DIY things
Free as in Freedom: Data audit and setting up new domains
Understanding community land trusts – the nuts and bolts
Understanding cooperatives – starting, leading, joining,
UNderstanding alternative currencies
- Brochures/materials, newsletter
- Crisis intake – dealing outside the system/ mutual aid society
- Neighborhood assemblies – enabling registration and voting
Simple website to help people find spaces to meet in NYC- radicalactivist.space is available for $0.99 spaceforactivists.nyc is also available for like $32 – findyourcongressperson.com seems to have something like this , built with Drupal. We would need a Search function and a Submit function and then a contact email address for all other issues. We could also just do it as a wiki
Suite Tools
* WordPress
* With BuddyPress provides community aspects, groups and member profiles, but needs some UI/UX
* CiviCRM
NextCloud – could have collaborative doc, but already has calendar, email client, tasks connected to calendar and more apps are being developed by community.
Piwik
PiratePad
Electic Embers
Eventbrite replacement – invitations and invite management (I think people can use CiviCRM for this)
Powerbase
Other Dreams/Projects
Camille would also like to have a member-run physical space for coworking, social events, and a cooperative gym!!
Conferences
Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners conference
Tactical Technical Interventions
- Development, documentation, and training.
(Longer-term vision of having a physical space. Maybe some sort of neighborhood tech clinic) Without the space, conduct gatherings in spaces within the community.
Org Structure
Transparent governance and membership – which just means people know how things work, we actually do our best to adhere to that system, and it is clear how to change things . Also clear to know how is involved and how
Well documented communication and tasks
Decisions made collectively – agree, disagree, non-blocking disagreement (not consensus please!!) Agreed
Embracing impermanence (if it doesn’t work out we should have a nice way to dissolve it) very true this x100; also into the idea of not fetishizing process/structure or ‘organizations’ e.g. only so much as is needed to do the things ur trying to do
Conflict/dissent welcome (CA has good phrasing around this) again agreed x 100 (lol, agreeing with ur comment about disagreement)
#nomorepanels2017
Membership Tiers
Foundation/ Organizing – People that are part of/ work on the core group. I think of the work as being: figuring out strategic direction, coordinating technical efforts, building and nurturing membership, cooperating with likeminded orgs.
Members – People or Organization that consume the technology/ services and give feedback
Partner Organizations – committed to building platforms and sharing resources
Supporters – People who believe in our mission (I am concerned about non-stakeholders giving money. Will have to think this through)
I think we’d also have partner orgs like Palante
Incorporation/Legal Structure
(contact details of people who could help with this are MUCH appreciated!)
Urban Justice Center
Michael Haber lawyer from Hofstra at the comm. economic development clinic who might be able to find students to support us: Michael.L.Haber@hofstra.edu
Conflict Resolution
To quote activist Berniece Johnson-Reagon, “If you’re in a coalition and you’re comfortable….your group is too small.” As practitioners of radical global feminisms, we welcome the discomfort that comes from misunderstanding and disagreement as an indicator that our mission is gaining support and our network is expanding. We will entertain petitions from dissenting groups and individuals within the community, and use the above-listed principles as our guide as we attempt to understand, mediate, translate, and (when appropriate) resolve conflict.
Useful Links:
- DAWI the folks who may or may not continue working coop network platform from the past 2 years.
Values and Principles
- Another good read – Territory, Presence, & Building a Base of Support (https://itsgoingdown.org/territory-presence-and-building-a-base-of-support/) << thanks for sharing this! especially interested in/curious about how to act out the shift in emphasis from instiutions that claim to ‘represent’ groups to geniuine relationships w/ individuals & w/ groups pushing against the social order
- Permaculture – earth care, people care and fair share
- Communitarian / Focus on community – both local and collaborators
- Educational- externally and internal
- Impermanence and imperfection
- Transparent conflict resolution structure
- Loose rule structure see Ostrom
Potential Partners
CEANYC
DAWN
Center for Family Life
Interference Archive
Cypurr Collective
Open Mastery
Wild Seed Collective
Black Womens Blueprint
Loconomics
Save Our Streets
One People’s Project
It’s Going Down
Art Against Displacement
Data and Society
radicante.media
AORTA
CryptoHarlem
Palante
Cooperative Jackson
Plan C UK
West Harlem Environmental Action
