Report from Save Tara Campaign meeting - Sun 10 Dec

dublin | history and heritage | news report Monday December 11, 2006 13:05 by Secretary - Save Tara Campaign

10th Dec 2006 - Meeting of the Save Tara Campaign Capel Building, Dublin

Another very positive meeting of the Save Tara campaign was held on Sunday. Facilitating was an experienced community worker and facilitator from Galway, who has worked closely with the Zapatistas in Mexico and in Ireland.

The mission of the Save Tara Campaign is to keep Tara’s landscape protected for future generations.

This goal unites all strands and stakeholders in the issue – e.g. ecological, economic, academic, spiritual, and ethical.

Best efforts were made to contact all campaigners and invite them to attend the meeting.

The decisions made were a result of co-operation between Save Tara Valley group, Tara Solidarity Vigil, TaraWatch, and other campaigners, who have agreed to work in a respectful and consensual manner; and now are the spokespeople and co-ordinators of the Save Tara Campaign.

The meeting represented a powerful new beginning point, which has created a participatory mechanism for continued unity, growth, direction and accountability.

The approach taken involved:

- Creating a Positive Structure,
- Revisiting The Vision
- Evaluating Where We Are
- Setting up a Calendar for Short Term Work
- Jobs and who is doing what
- Utilising a participatory methodology for the meeting itself.

As a result of the meeting, certain decisions have been reached.

1. Regular meetings, using this methodology, will be held, and all
inputs are valuable and vital to the success of the campaign. The next meeting
will be held on 17th December at 3.00pm, in the Capel Building, Dublin 7. The
methodology used guarantees that we stay focused and that there is dignity within
the broad campaign and between all campaigners.

2. Events are being planned, which include:
- Awareness raising demonstration at Newgrange, early morning - December 21st.This must be peaceful so as not to disturb people celebrating ceremonies there.
- Possible holiday celebration at Tara on night of 21st,for campaigners
- Possible demonstration at Dail Eireann on the last day before the holidays.
- The Climate change conference in January 07 – date and location to be decided.

3. Temporary Task distribution
We will continue to have participatory facilitation of meetings and train others in these skills. General division of labour focusing on:
- giving feedback to broad supporters through email
- engaging new supporters
- lobbying politicians and high profile people
- legal research

Work to be discussed at next meeting:
- media relations
- camp support
- recruitment