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Topic: Spokescouncils

In the News (Thu 16 Feb 12)

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	Desert Storm - shape shifing and organising@woomera2002
		A spokescouncil is a method of organisation by which each working group, organisation or affinity group sends a delegate or 'spoke' through which they participate in decision making and coordinate with other groups.
		Spokescouncils are a more sophisticated decision-making structure and demand much more of participants in terms of self-organisation and initiative.
		Spokescouncils and affinity groups are not the correct organising method for every situation but should be applied as the terrain demands.
	www.antimedia.net /desertstorm/shapes.shtml (2509 words)

	Spokescouncils (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Spokescouncils evolved in the anti-nuclear movement and the 1980s Pledge of Resistance.
		In a spokescouncil, affinity groups and task forces (for media, outreach, action planning...) choose spokespeople as their representatives.
		For example, the WTO spokescouncil divided the Seattle Convention Center area into 13 sectors and gave each to a "cluster" of affinity groups.
	www.resistinc.org /newsletter/issues/2000/04/Spokescouncils.html (313 words)

	What is an Afinity Group? (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Affinity Groups and Spokescouncils are an organising model that have been adopted by movements around the world, and in Australia at actions such as S11 and Woomera.
		As such, spokescouncils cannot impose codes of behaviour on the autonomous Affinity Groups or make decisions on behalf of those who are not present, and groups cannot try and stack out the meetings or impose their positions on those who have different ideas about tactics or aims.
		Spokescouncil is a practical device to facilitate co-operation.
	www.nowto.cat.org.au /affinity_info.php (2471 words)

	The Manifestation
		These spokescouncils had established systems of democracy, gender equity, and diversity and were fully bilingual.
		The spokescouncils were an exciting manifestation of the movement, particularly in contrast with the individualism and depressing and fearful anti-democratic vanguardism that dominated DAN-LA last summer.
		At the Thursday and Friday spokescouncils, yellow and red actions were supposed to announce their action and let others know what kinds of activities they would prefer to happen or not nearby.
	www.zmag.org /starrcairns.htm (4538 words)

	What is a Spokescouncil? \| the defenestrator
		A spokescouncil is the larger planning structure used in the affinity group model to coordinate a mass action.
		Each affinity group (or cluster) empowers a representative, called a "spoke", to go to a spokescouncil meeting where important decisions are made.
		All decisions in spokescouncils are made by consensus, so that all affinity groups have agreed and are committed to the mass direct action.
	defenestrator.org /?q=spokescouncil (227 words)

	Documents
		Spokescouncils are generally directly democratic (as opposed to democratic centralism) where all participants in the actions of a certain time frame and geographic area make decisions on general guidelines, agreements and policies for action, while maximizing freedom of movement and action for individual groups.
		Some spokescouncils are varyingly private, while others are open to the public, based on the level of police state mobilization.
		Spokescouncils are an impressive expression of modern direct democracy, which directly parallels the workers councils of the early 20
	www.clash.8m.net /custom.html (7316 words)

	Calgary G8 Logistics - Activism
		This article is part of a series relating to the G8.
		Spokescouncils during the week-or-so leading up to the Summit, and during the days of the Summit itself.
		There were be spokescouncils every day in the immediate lead-up to, and during, the G8.
	activism.ca /wiki/Calgary_G8_Logistics (185 words)

	Spokescouncil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		A collection of affinity groups and clusters (a collection of affinity groups), who meet together for a common purpose, often civil disobedience.
		A "spoke" is short for a "spokesperson", selected by each affinity group of cluster to represent them in the spokescouncil.
		Some successful employment of spokescouncils within the United States:
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Spokescouncil (164 words)

	The Urge to Destroy is Also a Creative Urge : Melbourne Indymedia (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		The Arterial Bloc meetings and spokescouncils outside the protests were another period where out internal democracy was tested, and perhaps the place where it came through the best.
		Being aware that of the groups who had plans for what they wanted to do on the day, we were fundamentally different, we pondered a number of options for engaging with the rest of the protest without dragging anyone into a confrontation that they weren't prepared for and didn't desire to be a part of.
		This was exactly what we had stated at the wider spokescouncils that we would attempt to do — have some geographical space between ourselves and the rest of the carnival.
	melbourne.indymedia.org /news/2006/12/133959.php (1506 words)

	action handbook
		The spokescouncil framework at first glance can seem highly rigid and inflexible, so a few notes about the importance of the agenda are worth emphasizing.
		A spokescouncil does not take away an individual affinity group's autonomy within an action; affinity groups make there own decisions about what they want to do on the streets (as long as it fits in with any action guidelines.) Direct democracy is an essential component to the spokescouncil meetings.
		The purpose of the spokescouncil is not to 'make decisions' that everyone is expected to implement, but rather to create a framework into which autonomous actions can fit.
	www.uproot.info /actionhandbook/spokes.htm (1682 words)

	antipopper papers: An Engagement With the Real (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		In this statement there is also a recognition that by the Sunday morning a lot of the pressures that had been on previous spokescouncils had dissipated, allowing a more relaxed and cooperative atmosphere amongst the participants.
		There was no attempt to achieve consensus or unanimity amongst the participants, rather spokes were asked to propose actions that were then written up on a piece of paper so that all at camp could see what was happening and when and participate if they wanted to.
		But instead, the spokescouncils at Woomera were more like campfire sessions from a reality TV show.
	www.antipopper.com /papers/000161.shtml (6282 words)

	Direct Democracy and the Global Justice Movement : SF Indymedia (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Finally, one member at any time acts as the group's "spoke" in larger "spokescouncils," in which affinity groups coordinate their actions.
		These spokescouncils are, at their best, perhaps the most spectacular demonstrations of democracy in action, because they are can allow huge numbers of people to make decisions together without any sort of formal leadership.
		The best way to think about them is to imagine a giant wheel: each affinity group has it's "spoke", in the center, and the spokes sit around in a circle and discuss what to do, while all the time the other members of their affinity group are free to whisper and discuss, and provide guidance.
	sf.indymedia.org /news/2002/09/144518.php (3502 words)

	Irish Dissent; Tuesday Report - Indymedia Ireland (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Periodically thoughout the Spokescouncil meeting, representatives were sent back to the barrios for feedback and reactions to the unfolding plan.
		Spokescouncils - delegate based decision system which came to prominance in Seattle protest.
		At a Spokescouncil those who have been elected as delegates from a barrio are given priority in the discussion, though anyone can attend.
	www.indymedia.ie /article/70655 (4125 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Actions that are legal and above ground should be brought to the cluster and/or the regular spokescouncil to convene upon and join forces in a manner where everyone is a leader.
		Clusters should have consensus of message, but not necessarily that of action, same with spokescouncils.
		We all agreed that there would never be paid organizers of spokescouncils or anything related to the network.
	www.indybay.org /newsitems/2001/11/12/1091181_content.html (534 words)

	Affinity Groups: Free, Flexible, Empowering \| A Global Call (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		A decision-making process known as consensus is used, which allows any member to block a decision, thereby minimizing the trampling of a minority’s wishes, and fostering a spirit of collaboration and respect for all.
		Affinity Groups usually coordinate through bodies known as spokescouncils, which are meetings of delegates from many affinity groups.
		Affinity groups and spokescouncils allow for the maximum amount of freedom of action, without a top-down leadership, even a so-called “democratic” one, stifling the spirit and creativity of the grassroots folks on the street.
	globalcalliraq.org /fr/node/290 (1542 words)

	Adopt an Intersection (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Instead of spending precious organizing and networking time at consultas and spokescouncils debating mass direct action tactics, we can use this time to move on to discussions of building a movement beyond just mobilizations, while respecting everyone's choice of tactics.
		It can be very difficult to organize autonomous direct actions in a city you do not live in and will not be in until, at most, a week before the action.
		Ideas for this have included waiting until we know where the gates into the WB/IMF perimiter are and just blocking the critical intersections to these gates, as well as targeting specific key delegates and blocking them from leaving their hotels.
	www.septemberaction.org /adopt/about_the_campaign.htm (723 words)

	Topica Email List Directory
		The spokescouncils make decisions about mass direct actions - what intersections need to be blocked, what corporations need to be shut down and what "L" stops need to be flyered.
		The spokescouncils are where the affinity groups coordinate themselves into a decentralized but effective body of protest.
		With serious training, and organizing we can create a mass movement strong enough to raise the stakes of war, and force the politicians to reconsider what their plans for war really are.
	lists.topica.com /lists/chicago_in_action/read/message.html?mid=907171060&sort=d&start=183 (865 words)

	[No title]
		The spokescouncils used by many in the "anti-globalization" movement are an example of one way this can be done.
		They should form networks to coordinate their activities through spokescouncils or some other kind of non-hierarchical coordination.
		Later greater coordination was established between collectives using systems similar to the spokescouncil system outlined above, although the specifics varied and different forms were used by different collectives.
	struggle.net /bio2/live2/posts/115_post_7508_overflow.htm (2452 words)

	An Anti-Authoritarian Response to the War Efforts
		Thus, we think our immediate challenge is to ensure that the anti-war mobilizations are decentralized and democratic in structure: specifically, that those doing the work make the decisions in these organizations.
		We recommend the model of assemblies, spokescouncils, or other horizontal networks of small, decentralized groups that are unified around an anti-authoritarian vision of social change.
		This will assure that those at the base hold decision-making power and thus that the mobilization reflects the political consciousness of the base, which is typically more radical and sane than that held by the leadership.
	www.newformulation.org /1warresponse.htm (994 words)

	Affinity Groups
		Affinity groups have formed the basis for successful actions carried out across a broad spectrum of engagement, from decentralized service groups such as Food Not Bombs, to AIDS activists ACT UP and the clandestine cells of the Earth Liberation Front.
		They have also become a favourite organizing tool at major anti-globalization convergences, where the model has been extended to larger groups of groups via the mechanisms of clusters and spokescouncils.
		Some activists see the affinity group as a form that is most appropriate for actions that are illegal or otherwise can't be public.
	www.affinityproject.org /practices/affinitygroups.html (610 words)

	Question Everything
		Organizing an anarchist society on a global highly interconnected scale isn't all that different from doing it on a smaller scale.
		One has worker assemblies, community assemblies, etc. and they all coordinate with each other by forming confederations using spokescouncils.
		There would probably be regional confederations, and confederations of those confederations for issues that extend beyond that region and so on up.
	question-everything.mahost.org /2006/01/applying-anarchy-on-global-scale.html (1228 words)

	How We Really Shut Down the WTO
		All of this was co- ordinated at Spokescouncil meetings, where Affinity Groups each sent a representative who was empowered to speak for the group.
		The affinity groups, clusters, spokescouncils and working groups involved with DAN made decisions by consensus -- a process that allows every voice to be heard and that stresses respect for minority opinions.
		Consensus was part of the nonviolence and jail trainings and we made a small attempt to also offer some special training in meeting facilitation.
	www.spectacle.org /0100/starhawk.html (1536 words)

	FROM PIECE MOVEMENT TO PEACE MOVEMENT \| the defenestrator
		The organizing was largely driven by a website [www.actagainstwar.org] and a weekly spokescouncil.
		At weekly spokescouncils different affinity groups claimed different locations while updating each other on their ongoing work and actions to stop the war before it started.
		The spokescouncil model was very successful in allowing people from different communities with different political analysis to work together and build a unity that didn't sacrifice our diversity of experience, analysis and tactics.
	www.defenestrator.org /sf (1408 words)

	Left Turn: Notes from the Global Intifada
		We introduced local activists to the structure of affinity groups and spokescouncils, and organized our actions on that model.
		The first two days were trainings, affinity group meetings, and spokescouncil meetings.
		We were ready to be teargassed, arrested, fired at with rubber bullets, attacked by armed right wing Israeli settlers, and more.
	www.leftturn.org /Articles/PrintableView.aspx?id=929 (1434 words)

	G8 Global builds the local (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Perhaps the most important advance made in Calgary was the full and meaningful participation of labour in the year-long mobilization and the week of actions during the G8 itself.
		Rank-and-file trade union activists sat side-by-side young anti-capitalist radicals in the spokescouncils that planned and organized the week's events.
		And the anti-capitalists who organized the Showdown at the Hoedown and who played a central role in organizing the J26 snake march demonstrated a maturity and flexibility in the spokescouncils that won a last-minute endorsement of J26 actions from the Canadian Labour Congress and the participation of rank-and-file trade unionists.
	www.web.net /sworker/En/SW2002/385-08-alberta.html (1321 words)

	Reflections on 30A - Indonesia / Philippines / Australia Community struggles - Anarkismo
		There were significant numbers at the so-called spokescouncils, anywhere from 100-120 people.
		Perhaps only half the people were organised in affinity groups which in some ways made the spokescouncil already impossible.
		This again is related back to the current state of the movement, there are just not the daily campaigns going on in which people are already organised, and not a strong political culture where new people have space to learn about self-organisation.
	anarkismo.net /newswire.php?story_id=1320&topic=communitystruggles&... (2173 words)

	Starhawk - How We Really Shut Down the WTO
		All of this was co-ordinated at Spokescouncil meetings, where Affinity Groups each sent a representative who was empowered to speak for the group.
		No authoritarian figure could have compelled people to hold a blockade line while being tear gassed--but empowered people free to make their own decisions did choose to do that.
		The affinity groups, clusters, spokescouncils and working groups involved with DAN made decisions by consensus-- a process that allows every voice to be heard and that stresses respect for minority opinions.
	www.starhawk.org /activism/shutdownWTO.html (1472 words)

	Miami Dispatch: 11/12 (Articles) Starhawk (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Still, things seem to be moving along, with people quietly taking up their tasks.
		We had a meeting earlier in the day, scheduled regular, daily spokescouncils for 8 each night, the kind of order we North Americans love and which we never achieved in steamy Cancun.
		We already have the full component of working groups, from Medical and Legal to Trainings and Convergence Center.
	www.utne.com /web_special/web_specials_2003-11/articles/10975-2.html (531 words)

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