Minutes of 1st Open Space dialogue

national | public consultation / irish social forum | news report Sunday February 23, 2003 13:50 by Barry Finnegan - - interim convenor of Open Space dialogue for Irish civil society to build Irish Social Forum john.finnegan3 at mail dot dcu dot ie 01-8741223

...for Irish civil society to discuss an Irish Social Forum

Below are the minutes from the 1st Open Space to discuss the idea of an Irish Social Forum, from Sat. Dec. 21, 2002, at the Teachers Club, Dublin 1

Minutes from the 1st Open Space to discuss the idea of an Irish Social Forum, from Sat. Dec. 21, 2002, at the Teachers Club, Dublin 1:

Attendees:
Donnacha from ATTAC na hÉireann
Joe from Earthwatch
Davie from Sustainable Ireland
Deirde from the Green Party
Padraig from Gluaiseacht
Colin from Oxfam
Willy from SWP (Socialist Workers Party)
Barry from Attac and Article 133 Information Group
Michael from Feasta
Late arrivals included:
Des from Dublin Council of Trade Unions
Mags from Earth Summit Ireland
Clare from UCG Ecosoc

The participants of the 1st Open Space felt that an Irish Social Forum/Fora based around the models of the World Social Forum (in Brazil) and the European Social Forum (in Florence, Italy) was in general a good idea and worthy of further discussion, support and planning.

It was felt that Open Space would provide a place to involve more participants from Irish civil society, to find out where, when, if and for what we want to have an Irish Social Forum.

It was felt that we would look at laying out a framework to be worked on through Open Space so that building up to any Irish Social Forum process we could critique the problems and share the solutions from, among and between the various sectors of Irish civil society - Developmental, Trade Unions, Social Exclusion, Environmental, Religious, Community, Mutual Aid, etc etc. Also discussed was: How do we go about bringing in other groups, their issues and broad number of concerns, so as to see and understand similarities and differences between our aims and objectives. It was felt that it was important to have a wide variety of input to the processes in order to build common ground.

It was suggested that groups that are already involved with and interested in the Open Space process looking towards an Irish Social Forum would spread the word through the various networks within each sector. Trade Union branches were suggested as an example of this. Also The Wheel was suggested as a good example of a network that would be interested in getting involved / that it would be effective in reaching groups outside an explicitly environmental or inherently ‘left’ political perspective.

PRACTICALS:
It was suggested we might develop a flyer with a questionnaire; or maybe with just one question: “Do you want to get involved in a space to discuss social issues?”
- That the Open Space process and any Social Forum would be a dynamic process rather that simply a conference.
- That perhaps the social forum would meet on a regular basis 2, 4, 6 times a year perhaps for one or two day sessions.
- That perhaps we could issue a magazine or website at Open Space and/or a Social Forum made up of articles of recently printed material from the various sectors’ magazines, newsletters and pamphlets - this idea allowing the various sectors to see eachother.
- That the groups involved take hold of and own the process.

POTENTIAL SOCIAL FORUM THEMES:
- The WTO / GATS issues
- farming / EU / subsidies / incomes / environment
- localisation rather than globalisation
- causal connections between Irish and global poverty, social exclusion etc
- military / peace / war on Iraq / Shannon
- how do we link the distinction between Irish groups focused on Irish issues and Irish groups focused on European and global issues?

TIMING OF A SOCIAL FORUM:
- Would we time a Social Forum to not coincide with Irish, EU, or global, governmental or corporate meetings and document releases?
- Or would we be better off timing a Social Forum to coincide with for example the likes of the Irish budget in November 2003, or link it to the National Development Plan?
- That we could have a first one-day Irish Social Forum in say August just to get the ball rolling and see how we get on, find out who we are, and take it from there?
- That we would like to have some presence / conference / carnival / demonstration etc during the first EU leaders meeting of January 2004 when Ireland takes on the Presidency of the EU and also for June 2004 for the last EU leaders meeting of the Irish Presidency. (It was also discussed that the January and June 2004 EU leaders meetings might not take place in Dublin at all due to the changes contained in the Treaty of Nice.)
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It was agreed among the participants at the 1st Open Space that all suggestions and ideas presented are tentative, that they need more work, that many more groups have to be contacted and encouraged to get involved with the processes before concrete action, focus etc is taken.

- minutes prepared by Barry Finnegan,
Interim Convenor of Open Space to discuss the idea of an Irish Social Forum
Ph: 01-8741223
Email: john.finnegan3@mail.dcu.ie
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More info WSF and ESF available at:

WHAT IS THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF) (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=19&cd_language=2
WHAT IS THE WSF CHARTER OF PRINCIPLES? (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=4&cd_language=2
ORIGINS AND AIMS OF THE WSF (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=2_1&cd_language=2
WHO ORGANIZES THE WSF (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=3&cd_language=2
PROGRAMME OF THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 23RD - 28TH FEB. 2003 (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=7&cd_language=2
ALL DOCUMENTS, PROPOSALS, SYNTHESIS AND FINAL DECLARATIONS OF THE 2003 WSF WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/noticias_01.asp?cd_news=471
WHAT ARE THE REGIONAL AND THEMATIC SOCIAL FORUMS (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=11&cd_language=2
THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM, WHICH WILL TOOK PLACE IN FLORENCE, ITALY FROM 6TH -10TH NOVEMBER 2002 (see this link):
http://www.fse-esf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1
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