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The United States Social Forum – June 27- July 1, 2007
PLAN IT! BUILD IT! BRING IT!
The US Social Forum will be a unique opportunity for all participants to develop relationships, collaborative campaigns, and a greater awareness of others’ issues and programs. The Forum will bring hope, insight and inspiration to all those who attend. The USSF will send a powerful message to people’s movements around the world that there are active movements in this country that oppose US policies and are developing strategic community-based alternatives to our current destructive economic systems. The USSF will gather social and economic justice organizers, environmentalists, peace & justice activists, community-based organizations, Indigenous nations, unions, and students to confront our most pressing contemporary concerns. The
US Social Forum will address key issues facing our communities such as white supremacy, local/global economic justice, and movement building. Your minds, hearts, visions, voices, and hands are needed! ORGANIZE & REPRESENT YOUR COMMUNITY! v Bring a delegation = Organizations and sectors around the country have committed to mobilizing young people, women, regional caravans, and members. Host educational events to prepare and organize buses to come to
Atlanta. For example: Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective is coordinating a national women’s caucus to participate and generate ideas.
v Bring a Workshop, Strategy Session, Cultural Project, Action Plan, or Celebration = The Program Working Group will coordinate with facilitators and presenters to provide a broad spectrum of activities in order for all participants to learn, share, and strategize. If you want to submit a proposal to present a workshop, read the guidelines and fill out the form online. v Plan your annual meeting/gathering to coincide with the Forum = Gather your members and meet in
Atlanta during this unprecedented national forum. Holding your meeting during the Forum will allow your leaders and constituents to build bridges with others, connecting issues and groups. Jobs With Justice, for example, is committed to hosting their 1,500 person Annual Meeting in
Atlanta at the USSF.
v Organize a Tent = Social Forums are open spaces. Apply to set up a tent to host events on any issue or to gather people and discuss specific strategies to move your work forward. Coordinate with the Local Logistics Working Group to establish site – You will be responsible for bringing what you need. For example: the Poor People’s Economic & Human Rights Campaign is planning to set up a Bushville Tent City and lead actions on water rights. The Youth Working Group will host a Youth Tent. PARTICIPATE IN THE
US SOCIAL FORUM!
v Register! Organizations at $125-$300 sliding scale & Individuals at $15-$100 sliding scale. Register online and/or send in the Form. v Bring your work = Reserve a table throughout the forum to present your information. Tables cost $50 and you bring the whole set-up. To register for tabling or to sell merchandise or food, contact Alice Lovelace at alovelace@ussocialforum.org or 404.586.0460 ext.32
v Participate in the national planning process by becoming Organizational Sponsors = Participate at 3 different levels: Movement Builders (participate, raise money, and mobilize members), Movement Mobilizers (bring a delegation), or Supporters (contribute financial resources). GET INVOLVED! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
go to www.ussf2007.org for more information.
PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNING PROCESS
Bring your skills & Share your resources = If you have specialized skills (including medical, media, technological, translation, documentation, volunteer coordination, training, etc.) participate in the Working Groups. Dedicate organizational staff or intern time to work on this monumental event. Call or email Alice Lovelace, USSF National Lead Organizer at 404.586.0460 ext.32 or alovelace@ussocialforum.org
Questions? Need more information? info@ussocialforum.orgJoin a Working Group:
| Working Group | Responsibilities | Contact Person – National |
| Program | to develop themes, content, and flow for the Forum | Colin Rajah, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: crajah@nnirr.orgMaria Poblet, St. Peter’s Housing Committee: maria@comitedevivienda.orgAllison Budschalow, AFSC: abudschalow@afsc.org |
| Culture | to work closely with the program group and organize cultural workers to participate | Melanie Joseph, Foundry Theatre: mjoseph@thefoundrytheatre.orgAlice Lovelace, USSF National Organizer: alovelace@ussocialforum.org |
| Fundraising | to organize resources for the infrastructure of the USSF | Michael Leon Guerrero, Grassroots Global Justice: michael@ggjalliance.org |
| Outreach | to engage organizations and plug them into the process | Tammy Bang Luu,
Labor Miami |
| Youth | to ensure youth participation at all planning levels and to develop youth recruitment | Monica Cordova, SouthWest Organizing Project: monica@swop.net |
| Logistics | to work with the Atlanta Organizing Committee to address logistical questions | Jules Dykes, Taskforce for the Homeless: julesdykes@earthlink.netDianne Valentin, Atlanta Organizing Committee: diannevalentin@hotmail.com |
Atlanta Organizing Committee |
to develop local plans around fundraising, logistics, & actions | Glory Kilanko, Women Watch Africa: Gloryk_99@yahoo.comJerome Scott, Project South: Jerome@projectsouth.org |
Join a Regional Organizing Committee:
| Region | States & Territories | Contact Organization |
· = Acting chair until permanent representatives are selected from the complete Working Group or Region
Who should attend? Organizations working for domestic and global justice, as well as people in struggle for a just world – community members, artists, students, workers, immigrants, teachers, etc.
How do I register? You can register online and pay by credit card, or you can download the registration form and send it in with your check or money order to the address on the back of this sheet. If you are an organization or school, you may register up to three participants on one form. Organizations ($125-$300 sliding scale) and individuals ($15-$100 sliding scale) are invited to register. We encourage you to copy the registration form and share it with other organizations that may want to attend.
What will happen during the 5 days? The first day, June 27, will be a festival, with a welcoming procession, performances, film festival, arts & crafts, popular education classes, and more. The following three days, June 28-30, will follow a structured flow, informed by stories of struggle and relationship building. The Program Working Group has created a focus for each day: Day 1 – Sharing Information & Building Consciousness / Day 2 – Connecting our Visions / Day 3 – Strategizing & Taking it Home. On the final day, Sunday, July 1, we will hold a joint action/demonstration to both celebrate our work and show our strength.
Who makes decisions about the USSF? In 2005, the USSF Planning Committee held a national meeting in
Atlanta. Together, we developed a structure for the USSF planning process that includes those people from all regions within the
US who are most affected by globalization.
Regional Organizing Committees: 10 regions. Regional committees are primarily responsible for outreach, mobilization, and representing their issues at the Forum. Committees will contribute resources to Working Groups. Working Groups: Cultural/Fundraising/Program/Outreach/Communications/Youth/ Logistics/WomenEach region will have a set of Working Groups to develop local leadership and decision-making in the USSF process. The 10 regional Working Groups will coordinate efforts nationally by participating in regularly scheduled conference calls.
Local Host Committee: The Atlanta LHC will take primary responsibility for organizing the logistics for the USSF, assisting USSF staff organizer(s) in achieving the goals of the Forum, and will also be responsible for local outreach, local resources, and the infrastructure for the USSF.
Organizing Committee: The OC will coordinate the Regional Organizing Committees (ROC), Working Groups, & the Local Host Committee. The OC is responsible for making final decisions on policy and the overall organizing plan. The committee includes representatives from each ROC, each Working Group, representatives from the Local Host Committee and the USSF Lead Staff Organizer.
Who sets the program agenda? The United States Social Forum is self-planned: those who register to attend will set the agenda. Registered organizations attending the USSF can submit a proposal for a presentation. (The proposal application form is available online.) You can submit as many proposals as you like, and may submit a proposal to present either alone or in collaboration with another group. You have the opportunity to pack the schedule with sessions on a range of issues, such as farmworker organizing in the US, LGBT youth, health care justice, livable wage, gentrification, movement building, organizing in the Gulf Coast, environmental justice, prison issues, reproductive justice, black/brown alliance work, war, community arts, cultural policies, arctic wildlife refuge drilling, and war/foreign policy.
How can I participate? You can distribute information in your community, join your regional committee, participate in a working group, arrange for your organization, school, church, synagogue, mosque, or community group to spread the word about the USSF by serving as speakers, increasing people’s knowledge of the World Social Forum. You can also make a donation to the Helping Hand Fund to ensure that students and the unemployed may participate in the USSF.
How can I connect with others in my community who are coming to the USSF? Connect with your regional committee to see if they have plans to mobilize your community for the USSF. Visit our website and log onto the message board to share information about rides, room shares, and more.
How will I get there? Each individual or organization is responsible for transportation. Many organizations are planning to coordinate buses and caravans.
Who can help me attend? We urge you to discuss sponsorship and support with your organization or local church, synagogue or mosque. If you belong to an organization that receives foundation funding, we urge you to approach them about creating an additional travel subsidy grant that will not impact your current level of funding. Most foundations are willing to provide travel grants to organizations and their constituencies.
What about childcare? Childcare will be provided at several sites on a sliding scale according to the participant’s ability to pay.
Where will I stay? Each individual and organization should arrange for his or her own housing. We are negotiating prices with several hotels in the
Atlanta area. Some hotels will allow up to four people per room, which will make the cost very affordable. Recommended hotels and prices will be posted on the website. Check out the online message board for alternative housing with community members.
What will I eat? We are working to identify economical kitchens for low cost food, but each individual will be responsible for his own food.
What if I want to be a vendor? You can sign up to sell merchandise, be a food vendor, or staff an information table. Vendor information is listed on our website. You can contact the USSF staff at info@ussocialforum.org or fill out the form online.
What should I bring? Bring information about yourself, your work, and your organizations. Bring t-shirts or other items to share, trade, or barter. Bring your imagination, creativity and solutions to share. If you are sun sensitive we suggest you bring an umbrella to protect you from the
Atlanta sun. Bring friends and partners in the struggle to share this incredible experience with you.
For more information please contact:
Alice Lovelace USSF National Lead Staff Organizer Mail:
9 Gammon Ave SW Atlanta, GA30315
(404) 586-0460 ext.32 office / (404) 819-7863 cell (404) 525-4728 fax alovelace@mindspring.com www.ussocialforum.org
We, the organizers of the first
United States Social Forum (USSF):
· Believe that there is a strategic need to unite the struggles of oppressed communities and peoples within the
United States (particularly Black, Latino, Asian/Pacific-Islander and Indigenous communities) to the struggles of oppressed nations in the
Third World.
· Believe the USSF should place the highest priority on groups that are actually doing grassroots organizing with working class people of color, who are training organizers, building long-term structures of resistance, and who can work well with other groups, seeing their participation in USSF as building the whole, not just their part of it.
· Believe the USSF must be a place where the voices of those who are most marginalized and oppressed from Indigenous communities can be heard–a place that will recognize Indigenous peoples, their issues and struggles.
· Believe the USSF must create space for the full and equal participation of undocumented migrants and their communities.
· Believe the USSF should link US-based youth organizers, activists, and cultural workers to the struggles of their brothers and sisters abroad, drawing common connections and exploring the deeper meanings of solidarity.
· Believe the USSF is important because we must have a clear and unified approach at dealing with social justice issues, and meaningful positions on global issues.
· Believe that a USSF sends a message to other people’s movements around the world that there is an active movement in the United States opposing
U.S. policies at home and abroad.
· Believe that the USSF will help build national networks that will be better able to collaborate with international networks and movements.
· We believe the USSF is more than an event. It is an ongoing process to contribute to strengthening the entire movement, bringing together the various sectors and issues that work for global justice.
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