INVITATION TO ATTEND 3RD ALL ISLAND IRISH SOCIAL FORUM GATHERING

by Irish Social Forum - Irish Social Forum Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:37

Latest ISF News
latest ISF News




This weekly ISF-News email contains the following information:

1. Programme for 3rd all-island ISF Gathering, THIS COMING Sunday, Sept 21st 2003, Belfast.

2. Change of venue for weekly Dublin-based Co-operation and Solidarity Summit Group meetings [to Comhlamh, 10 Upper Camden St., Dublin 8]

3. Minutes of Dublin Based ISF Co-operation and Solidarity Summit Group from Thursday 11th September 2003.

4. Cork Social Forum now meeting monthly, + issues monthly CSF newsletter; + CSF website up; + minutes last meeting.

5. Latest ISF Cooperation and Solidarity Summit 17th-19 Oct.?03 Invite Letter; + invite to run workshops; + more details of the Sun. 19th Oct., Carnival4 Change.

- all the best,
Barry Finnegan - on behalf of ISF Communications Working Group
[progress of updating ISF website and setting up weekly ISF-News email
is slow but progressing]
1. PROGRAMME FOR 3RD ALL-ISLAND ISF GATHERING, SUN. SEPT. 21ST 2003, BELFAST.

[Brief note 1: the mandate for this 3rd all-island ISF Gathering emanates from the July 6th ?03, 2nd all-island ISF Gathering which took place in Dublin. - B.F.]

[Brief note 2: From: Emily Kawano [SMTP:kawano@ntlworld.com]
Could you please post round this email which highlights feedback that we're seeking in relation to the Belfast ISF on 21 Sept:
1) If anyone needs lodging for Sat and/or Sun nights, please contact j.barry@qub.ac.uk

2) If anyone wants to avail of the creche, contact kawano@ntlworld.com
Please include your name, and the name(s) and age(s) of each child.
3) There are 3 workshop slots that have been left open for folks outside of the NorthEast. If you would like to facilitate a workshop, please contact eoinobroin@hotmail.com
4) If you have topic suggestions for the discussion in the afternoon (see agenda that was sent round) please contact eoinobroin@hotmail.com or
kawano@ntlworld.com
Hope to see you all on Sunday, the 21st in Belfast.
Emily Kawano, (048) 90605091]

Invite to 3rd All Ireland Irish Social Forum Gathering - Belfast Sept 21st
by eoin o'broin - North East Irish Social Forum Tuesday, Sep 2 2003,
9:07am
eoinobroin@hotmail.com
Cooperation not Competition - Human Rights not Privitisation
Below is an invitation to attend the 3rd All Ireland Irish Social Forum Gathering, being hosted by the North East Irish Social Forum in Belfast on Sundat September 21st 2003. For further details contact eoinobroin at the mail address provided below.
NORTH EAST IRISH SOCIAL FORUM

Invites You To The 3rd All Ireland Social Focum GatheringCooperation not Competition
Human Rights Not Privitisation

Sunday September 21st
Crescent Arts Centre
Belfast

The NEISF is organising an one day event under the title 'Cooperation
not
Competition, Human Rights not Privitiation'. The event will examine issues of privitisation, neo-liberalism, human rights, peace and democracy.
The gathering will also discuss the future development of the Irish Social Forum and its European and World counterparts. This event is open to all those involved in the evolving Irish Social Forum networks, all those who are opposed to neo liberalism, privitisation and global capitalism and all those who believe that another world is possible.

Agenda

Registraton: 10am

Morning Plenary Discussion: 10.30 - 12.00
Neo-Liberalism - From the local to the global
Communities Against Water Tax (Manus Maguire), Firebrigades Union (Jim Barbour),
ICTU (Alisa Keane), Refugee Rights (Refugee Action Group). Chair (Emily Kwano)

Morning Workshops: 12.15 - 1.45
workshops on
?trade justice
?anti war
? another world is possible
?poverty
?Ireland in the global economy
?consensus facilitation skills
?ghandiism
?open
?open
?open

Lunch: 1.45 - 2.45
Food Not Bombs
Lunch will take the form of a public food Not Bombs event at the Venue.

Afternoon Discussion: 3.00 - 5.30
The Future of the ISF
The agenda of this session will not be set until one week before the
event.
Partitipants should feel free to e.mail their suggestions or issues
they
would like to discuss by September 15th. Possible elements to the
session
could be:

? reports from regional social forums
? workshops on specific themes such as ISF national structure,
priuorities
etc
? open plenary to discuss workshop report backs and decison making on
way
forward

Social Event: 7.00
Theatre followed by,
World Music Disco, with resident DJ Steve Mc in Cresent Arts Centre

Additional Details
For more information on travel, billetts or childcare or to suggest
topics
for workshops or the afternoon ISF session contact
Eoin O?Broin at eoinobroin@hotmail.com


=============

2. CHANGE OF VENUE FOR WEEKLY THURSDAY EVENING DUBLIN-BASED
CO-OPERATION
AND SOLIDARITY SUMMIT GROUP MEETINGS.

Due to the recent imposition of a charge for the Teachers Club meeting
room,
it has been decided to move the weekly Thursday night ISF-Dublin
planning
meetings to the offices of Comhlamh, at: 10 Upper Camden St., Dublin 8
(or
is it 2?). - No. 10 is opposite the Piseog hotel/bar, which is on the
same
block as the Bleeding Horse Pub. No. 10 is beside a bakery and the door
is about one metre in off the footpath. Same times: 7.30 to 9.30 pm.

===========

3. MINUTES OF DUBLIN BASED ISF CO-OPERATION AND SOLIDARITY SUMMIT GROUP
FROM THURSDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2003.

Irish Social Forum Co-operation and Solidarity Summit Group

Minutes of a meeting held on Thursday 11th September 2003 @ 7.30pm in
the
Teachers? Club, 36 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

Present: Christian Volkmann, Barry Finnegan, Joe Kelly, Brian Cuddy,
Joe
Campbell, Mary Kinane, Rory Hearne

Chairperson: Joe Kelly

Minute-taker: Mary Kinane

ISF Meetings
Minutes of the meeting held Thursday 4th September were read and
agreed.
An agenda for this meeting was put together by the participants
present.

For the next five Thursday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.30pm (18/09/03 ?
16/10/03),
the ISF Summit Group meetings will take place in the Comhlámh offices
(10
Camden St. past the Concern offices and opposite the Piseog Hotel) as
the
Teachers? Club will no longer be available free of charge. It was
agreed
that notification of all meetings should be pasted on the website.
Barry
Finnegan will meet with the website people to do this and will collate
and
update all e-mail contact lists.

Report from Carnival/March Group
Joe Campbell reported. There is ongoing contact with a number of groups
with regard to getting involved in the Carnival, e.g. Oxfam. Smithfield
has not yet been confirmed as the venue for the carnival. The
Carnival/March
group will be submitting its Event Management Plan within the next
week.
The group are waiting on confirmation from Dublin City Council and will
also be meeting with Smithfield residents. Things are getting done and
the
group expects to have a definite answer by next week?s meeting
regarding
Smithfield. Brian Cuddy reported that he is working on getting venues
such
as Voodoo. Christian Volkmann suggested that the group make contact
with
ICON (Inner City Organisations Network) for groups who wish to provide
stalls,
etc. and contact details were exchanged.

Feedback on contact from US-based ?50 Years is Enough? organisation
Barry announced that he had received contact from ?50 Years is Enough?,
a high profile anti-capitalist organisation in the United States, who
wanted
to know the current status of the Irish Social Forum. They had
previously
been contacted by Rory Hearne of Globalise Resistance to speak at the
summit.
As Globalise Resistance are involved in one of the plenary sessions, it
was proposed and agreed that Barry would follow this up with Rory.

Update on Plenary Sessions
There was some discussion of the up-to-date status of the plenary
sessions
despite the absence of some of the liaison people for the groups
co-organising
the plenaries. Organisations to co-ordinate the ?Peace not War? plenary
and organisations for the ?Public Services and Privatisation? plenary
have
been contacted and confirmed. It was agreed to check with Pat Clafferty
that there has been commitment from organisations for the ?Planet
before
Profit? plenary. Mary Kinane was concerned that the groups
co-ordinating
the ?No to Racism and Discrimination ? Yes to Equality? plenary may not
be broad enough. It was suggested that the Irish Traveller Movement
could
also be included as currently only two organisations have been invited
and
other plenaries are being organised by three organisations. Mary will
forward
this suggestion to John Meehan. It was reminded that Thursday 18th
September
was the agreed deadline for getting confirmation from all organisations
that are co-ordinating the plenaries.

At the last ISF meeting, no resolution had been reached on the style
and
content of the Sunday morning?s assembly session during the weekend of
the
October summit. It had been agreed that the discussion would continue
at
further meetings. It was felt by participants that there were not
enough
people at this meeting so it was agreed to defer this discussion to
next
week?s meeting.

Report from Communications Group
The mandate of the Communications Group is to relate what is happening
within
the ISF process both externally as well as internally to all the other
working/task
groups. A suggestion had previously been made that a weekly up-to-date
e-mail
would go out to everybody. Barry will co-ordinate on this. The website
will
be updated with information on the list of groups organising the
plenary
sessions, the groups proposing workshops and information on how to get
involved.
The ISF updated invite leaflet and workshop application form will also
be
made available on the website.

Joe Campbell raised the issue of publicity and proposed that the
Communications
Group would meet to work out a PR strategy. It was agreed that the
Communications
Group would meet Monday 15th September @7.30pm in the Teachers? Club.

Report from Buildings and Finance Group
Joe Kelly reported that the ISF currently has ?240. There was some
discussion
around the ISF having its own bank account. If groups are paying the
workshop
fee of ?50, it is important that there is a clear means of making
payments.
For the moment, all cheques can be made out c/o ?Campaign for Tolerance
and Choice?, TSB, Lower Abbey St., Dublin 1. Barry will look into
setting
up a specific ISF account.

The Findlater Church for the Sunday morning assembly is yet to be
confirmed.
Orla Walsh is the contact on this.

A.O.B
Rory reported that through the European Social Forum, an Italian has
been
confirmed to come over for the ISF summit. As there will be an opening
meeting
an hour before the first plenary session on the Friday, it was agreed
that
he could attend this.

Mary proposed that this group elects the chair at each ISF meeting for
the
following meeting. Anyone who wishes to report at a meeting but cannot
attend
can then forward the information to the chair during the week. Joe
Kelly
nominated Mary to chair the next meeting.

It was noted that the North Social Forum are calling an all-island
get-together
for Sunday 20th September. There was a concern expressed that not many
people
know about this. Barry will issue the invite to the full e-mail contact
list. It was proposed to place this on the agenda for next week.

Next Meeting
It was agreed to re-convene on Thursday 18th September @ 7.30pm in the
Comhlámh
office, 10 Camden Street, Dublin 2. Mary Kinane will chair this
meeting.


===========================

4. CORK SOCIAL FORUM NOW MEETING MONTHLY DECIDES TO ISSUE MONTHLY CSF
NEWSLETTER;
+ WEBSITE UP; + MINUTES LAST MEETING.

CSF Website: http://homepage.eircom.net/~csf/index.htm

MINUTES OF THE CORK SOCIAL FORUM, CREEDONS HOTEL, INCHIGEELAGH, MON.8TH
SEPTEMBER 2003

Meeting convened by Mike Collard, around 25 people attending.
Wendy kicked off the meeting with details of the action planned at DDC
in
Cork. She stressed that DDC was only one of 14 arms components
manufacturers
operating in Ireland, that the action was timed to coincide with the
Disarm
DSEi protest in London, and that it was intended to hold a peaceful,
non-violent
direct action. Printouts from DDC?s website were handed round, in
which
they proudly showcase all their components which are produced to U.S.
military
standard. Suggestions were made for an ongoing campaign to follow up
the
action, highlighting the breaches of neutrality inherent in Ireland?s
arms
trade, and also the passage of missiles through Shannon Airport. A
small
group of volunteers agreed to get this moving. It was pointed out that
neutrality is being downplayed by the media and is not included in the
Constitution.
Brian offered information on Amnesty International?s involvement in
the
issue. We were encouraged to start publicising the Irish arms trade
through
letters to newspapers and radio talk shows, concentrating on provincial
as well as national media.
Bob gave us a brief report on the All-Ireland ISF get-together in July.
He said that the event was very well attended and interesting, with
plenty
of suggestions for events at the ISF Conference in October. It seems
that
there is some conflict between those who wish to stage dramatic
surprise
disruptions and those who wish to keep demonstrations peaceful, while
still
wanting to shock. Not everyone can afford to risk arrest, so different
"flavours" o? action should perhaps be kept separate. Brian offered a
lift
to Dublin for the ISF launch, and it was agreed to post a list of
liftshares
on our website.
We then had a session of information exchange, with details of various
local campaigns
and events? full details of these can be seen at the end of the
minutes.
After the break, we discussed the purpose of the forum itself. Mike got
us started by saying that so far we are working as a good information
exchange
for activities, but that most of these are in reaction to negative
things
that are going on? are we also about the positive? How can we work with
the forum in a positive way?

Going around the circle, we all attempted to sum up what the forum
could
potentially be.
Ideas were?

We should help to empower others and show that it?s simple to make a
difference.
We could hold more social events to promote togetherness.
We should energise the positive, rather than focussing on and feeding
negativity.
We can motivate others to do positive things for the planet, and focus
on
local issues like inshore pollution.
To show that one voice can change things.
To counteract apathy and inspire hope.
To support each other?s work through co-operative events.
To associate positive action with success.
To present working alternatives.
To call those in authority to account.
To help each other feel less isolated in our work.
To concentrate on actions and solutions that can really work.
To respect diversity within the group.
To act in a way that is beyond reproach
To think globally and act locally.
To weave together a stong braid.
To create a harmonious new pattern.

It was also seen as important to encourage participation by more local
people,
and to remember that all of our separate issues are connected.
The discussions went on, but the meeting was officially closed around
midnight.

Many thanks to Joe Creedon for a great venue (complete with stealth
sandwiches!).

Next meeting in Cork city, 2nd week in October, to be confirmed. For
information
call 026 47352
===============

5. LATEST ISF INVITE LETTER

IRISH SOCIAL FORUM ...for Irish civil society to build an Irish Social
Forum

Invitation to Co-operation and Solidarity Summit and Carnival 4 Change
October
17-19th 2003 UCD, Dublin

?Business as usual? is hurting people and planet but ?another world is
possible!?
The Irish Social Forum (ISF) is holding a Co-operation and Solidarity
Summit
from the 17-19th October in University College Dublin. The summit takes
place over three days with international and local speakers and a wide
variety
of workshop sessions. The Irish Social Forum is also holding a parade
and
?Carnival 4 Change? on the afternoon of Sunday the 19th in Dublin city
centre.

So what is the Irish Social Forum?
The Irish Social Forum is a process for the various sectors of Irish
civil
society to come together in the spirit of co-operation and mutual
respect
to share our concerns and analysis, to exchange ideas and experiences,
and
to build alliances in order to offer alternatives to the implications
of
corporate-led globalisation or neo-liberalism. The Irish Social Forum
draws
its inspiration and energy from the international movement of Social
Forums
such as the World Social Forum and the European Social Forum. It is
part
of a worldwide coming together of different social movements struggling
to build alternatives and reduce poverty towards a sustainable and
equitable
world.

Who's involved so far?
To date, members of the following groups have participated in ISF
events:
Alliance for Choice, Amnesty International, ATTAC, Anti-Iraq Sanctions,
Ballybeg Youth Project, Campaign Against Service Charges, Community
Workers?
Co-op, Comhlámh, Debt and Development Coalition, Dublin Council of
Trade
Unions, Dublin Food Co-op, Dublin South FM, Feasta, Friends of the
Earth
(Ireland), Globalise Resistance, Gluiseacht, Grassroots Gathering,
Green
Party, ICTU, Indymedia, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Irish
Anti-War
Movement, Jesuit Faith and Justice Committee, Labour Youth, Latin
American
Solidarity Centre, Oxfam, Sinn Fein, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers
Party, Sustainable Ireland, Tools for Solidarity, Trocaire, UCG Soc,
The
Village, Workers Solidarity Movement and more?..

The Irish Social Forum is a process to assist in, and present, the
articulation
of the movement of movements of individuals, formal organisations and
informal
groups from any part of Irish civil society who are negatively affected
by and are opposed to the global project known as neoliberalism. Its
purpose
is to express the needs felt within Irish society as a powerful
statement
of the "other world" that is not only possible but is already "under
construction"
in many areas.

The Irish Social Forum process
How is it working?
 Irish participants at the European Social Forum called for the
establishment of an Irish Social Forum.
 The ISF is a local edition of the World Social Forum. The individuals
and groups, who make up the participants of the ISF agreed on May 24th
2003
at the first all-island ISF get-together to sign up to, adopt and abide
by the Charter of Principles of the World Social Forum. (This was done
with an addition of the consensus that we will not discriminate against individuals just because they are members of a political party).
 On Sunday July 6th the Irish Social Forum was formally launched in the Teachers? Club, Dublin.
So far there is general consensus that:
 the ISF is a non-executive body and the activities organised during the Social Forum do not necessarily reflect the views of the individual affiliates and participants;
 it is not a group or an organisation. No one individual or group
can speak on behalf of the ISF;
 it does not constitute a locus of power to be disputed by the participants in its meetings, nor does it intend to constitute the only option for interrelation and action by the groups and movements that participate in it;  it is not a think-tank, but a forum for the democratic debate and public expression of the views of groups working on the key issues felt and experienced by ordinary Irish people;  it is not restricted e.g. to voluntary activity, particular professions or centres of a particular kind, but aims to make links across our different ways of organising and operating.

To get involved in the process of building the Irish Social Forum, come to the summit, propose a workshop, take part in the parade and/or join in the carnival!

CO-OPERATION AND SOLIDARITY SUMMIT
The plenary sessions and workshops of the October summit are based around the following themes:
 Peace not War
 Public Services and Privatisation
 Planet before Profit
 No to Discrimination and Racism - Yes to Equality

To propose a workshop for the summit, please complete the workshop application form and return with ?50 where feasible to the enclosed address.
Deadline for applications is Oct 3rd 2003.

For more information, please contact Mary Kinane, ISF Outreach (086 ? 609 7532) or Ian McDonald (086 ? 6059122).

CARNIVAL 4 CHANGE

Street performers, musicians, clowns, theatre groups, face painters, food/arts and crafts/info stalls wanted from groups large and small!

The carnival will be an opportunity for individuals and diverse groups of people to engage with each other and will be a celebration of multicultural Ireland through music, drama and dance.

The Carnival will take place Sunday 19th October in Dublin City Centre.

For more information or to help create the Carnival, please contact
Clare Lee (086 ? 1640 538) or Joe Campbell (087 6720 510).

ISF Fundraisers: Table Quiz in the Teachers? Club, 36 Parnell Sq,
Dublin
1 @ 8pm September 30th; Showing of ?Chavez Video? in Chief O?Neill?s, Smithfield, Dublin @ 8pm October 9th and Sponsored Walk October 12th.

For further information on the Irish Social Forum process, contact:
Barry Finnegan, interim ISF convenor. Tel: 01-8741223; Email:
john.finnegan3@mail.dcu.ie
For more information: www.IrishSocialForum.org
==================

ends

by Mark Grehan Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:52 mgrehan at hotmail dot com 52 Mulvey Park, Dundrum, D.14 087 797 4622

organize a workshop
Anyone looking to organize a workshop at the Irish Social Forum on october 17th to the 19th the forms are available from the above link or they can email me at mgrehan@hotmail.com.

by Anonymous Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:57

On the regular ISF meetings, is there an open invite to these meetings for whoever wishes to attend - and furthermore, are you encouraging people to come along??

(Excellent report & activities, above, by the way!)

by ??? Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:05

?

by Irish Social Forum - Irish Social Forum Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:09

"On the regular ISF meetings, is there an open invite to these meetings for whoever wishes to attend - and furthermore, are you encouraging people to come along??" Yes we strongly encourage anybody who can to come along to our meetings. Get involved - Be part of the ISF.

by Anonymous Wed Sep 17, 2003 19:12

That's great. You might want to make that a little clearer at the start of you corrospondence when you are publishing on this website or elsewhere.

When one looks at the attendance listing of meetings it gives the appearance that there is just one representative from various organizations. Sort of like a steering committee. Which could give people the idea that they are not exactly welcome.

I'll be contacting Barry about this anyhow.

Best regards.

by ¿?¿?¿? Wed Sep 17, 2003 21:33

at many events there is. For instance imc people traveling from the Palestine centre to europe meetings are afforded tickets.

by ¿?¿?¿?¿ Wed Sep 17, 2003 22:33

I'll bring me own cream and paper plates.
and you can all pie me.
I'll do a workshop. "how to pie people".
I'll show you videos.
I'll even pie you.
It will possibly be the best event at the sodden forum.

by Anonymous Thu Sep 18, 2003 11:46

Dont know if there are any funds available "?????" to assist international travel -the Irish forums are still only getting off the ground.

But contact Mark Grehan above - he has left all his contact details.

There are also social forums in most countries now, all who need support.

Regards.