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Exploring and implementing an Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons / About the Commons
Last post by Tony Budak - Today at 01:56:40 am
About the Commons
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Exploring and implementing an Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons / About Open Space Tech
Last post by Tony Budak - Today at 01:54:10 am
About OST
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Exploring and implementing an Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons / 06-03-2020 + reflections
Last post by Tony Budak - Today at 01:28:13 am
Hi There,

Here in the im-port side of the core economy (watershed or pond) we invite business and groups etc. to commit to honoring and accept community points (time credits).
http://tbmw.org/community-partners/

Be sure to Click this line in the above link to display the possible players.
 Check out this list and let us know if you wish to be a Partner that accepts Time credits


Cheers,
Tony
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Re: Part 3: Sharing Ideas, Pla...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 05:07:55 am
3.        The Format of the Event in Detail 

Here is the agenda for May 26, 2020 event (197 minutes = 3 hours, 17 minutes maximum).  We may appoint someone to host the event if we can quickly locate the right person.
 
TaskTime in MinutesRunning Time
Part I: Overview of Issues (Global media platform)
Introduction, Jonathan Feldman:
Connecting Issues
10
 
Speaker I: David Graeber
15
 
Speaker II: Hillary Wainwright
15
 
Speaker III: Dario Padovan
15
 
Discussion among panelists present 
5
60
Break
7
67
Part II: Local Meetings on One Theme (from above); Local media platform
What is our local situation related to the theme or themes we have chosen to discuss?
20
 
How do the proposals relate to our situation?
30
 
What modifications and elaborations are necessary and what proposals do we have?
15
 
Break
5
137 minutes
Part III: Thematic Break Out Rooms, Plus Spanish and Italian Break Out Rooms
Time = Number of Localities/60 Minutes (see example below).
   
Locality 1
  7.5
 
Locality 2
7.5
 
Locality 3
7.5
 
Locality 4
7.5
 
Locality 5
7.5
 
Locality 6
7.5
 
Locality 7
7.5
 
Locality 8
7.5
197 minutes
 
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Re: Part 3: Sharing Ideas, Pla...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 05:06:29 am
Table 1: To Do List
TO DO LISTDone, Not Done, In Process
Do we have a Facebook page or webpage we have shared with the Global Teach-In organizers in Stockholm? 
Do we have a facilitator for Part 2? 
Do we have a note taker for Part 2? 
Have we selected a thematic group for Part 3 and filled out the survey? 
Have we identified a local broadcast platform for Part 2 that our group will organize in case we don't just have you join the Zoom meeting from Part 1?  
If we can't easily organize this platform have we notified the Stockholm organizers? 
.
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Re: Part 3: Sharing Ideas, Pla...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 05:04:30 am
2.        General Check List
To participate in this event locally, and hold a local teach-in, you need these basic elements (see Table 1: Check List). 

First, you need to give us contact details for your webpage if you have not already.  This webpage will be listed here:  https://www.globalteachin.com/locations.  This way if someone local learns about the event, they can be directed back to you.  We need a system so that you or we (in you prefer) can keep track of participants and let them know about future events.

Second, you need to pick the agenda of topics you want to discuss locally and in groups of other locations/countries.  We have sent out a survey on what these topics could be, but you have a lot of latitude in selecting that.

Third, you need to designate facilitators, who lead the discussion with speakers you may have chosen, and note takers (who can note down what was discussed). Try as best as you can to link some of the speakers' points to what could actually be done in your local communities.   Identify concrete goals and strategies.
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Part 3: Sharing Ideas, Plans a...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 05:00:56 am
Part 3: Sharing Ideas, Plans and Feedback with Experts
                Part 3 is the vertical and horizontal element. This part lasts 60 minutes only. The idea is to go back to the agenda raised by the speakers in Part 1 with your local groups' ideas about what is applicable, what the barriers to implementation are to the suggestions and your ideas about how they might be overcome.   Share your thoughts about what you think would work or not in your local context.  Explain how you think change might happen or not happen.  Share your ideas about how to build interest and awareness.
                Part 3 breaks up the network of 25 of so localities into distinct parts.  We will have perhaps 5 or 6 such groups, i.e. a Spanish group, an Italian group, and then three or four thematic groups. The themes will be based on the answers to the survey we sent out. If we don't get answers, then we will assign you to a thematic group.

The way this works is that each local teach-in explains what was discussed during Part 2 in their group.  They raise questions about what specific organizing opportunities and challenges they identified related to what was discussed in Parts 1 and Parts 2.

The persons answering these questions will be one to three facilitating experts.  These experts will include the speakers in Parts 1 and 2 and other persons we hope to recruit.  Remember, even though we have only one hour for this discussion, these questions can be used to design future Global Teach-Ins, podcasts and workshops.

The platform for Part 3 will most likely be a series of Zoom meetings, i.e. as many Zoom meetings as we have thematic groups. The list of these meetings will have to be distributed to all the local facilitators.
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Re: Part 2: The Horizontal Pla...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 04:57:15 am
Here are some questions and answers related to Part 2.
Question 1: Should we have speakers in Part 2?
                If the speaker can play the role of facilitator, giving a brief discussion regarding how they relate the ideas of the previous speakers to local conditions, then that might be a good idea. Certain speakers might help by: (a) bringing in persons from their networks or natural audiences (those who want to listen to them), (b) helping to focus a discussion, or (c) identifying where resources might be develop to develop certain ideas. For obvious reasons these three elements are of critical importance. Nevertheless, you should not pick someone who wants to speak for a very long time and prevent engagement of your audience.  Speakers can easily speak over their audiences' heads, lead the audience to be passive if not bored, and distract from engagement.  Every individual who feels engaged in a victory of sorts.
Question 2: What if I only have five persons in my local group?
                It does not really matter that you have only five persons. The most important thing is to have a continuing dialogue that related to the agenda of the discussion. In the future you may be able to recruit more persons to your group and you can establish your group as a focal point for others, particularly if you can figure out ways to keep the process going (see above).  Keeping the process going involves a organizing a podcast, a study circle or hosting future Global Teach-Ins.  We can have a Zoom meeting on organizing a study circle with persons having related expertise.  We can collectively learn how to develop the study circle idea and improve upon it.
Question 3: What if I have 15 or even 50 or more persons in my local group?
You obviously want as many people to participate as possible and not simply listen to more lectures.  There are two basic ways to address the limitation on the speaking/participating time of persons in Part 2.  First, after some opening statements, you can split your local group into multiple chat or breakout rooms.  These rooms can be organized via Facebook, Zoom and other platforms. If you have 65 minutes and you want as many to participate as possible, you might create several groups of 10 to 15 persons.  Use common sense in doing this.  Also, you'll have to keep notes about everything, so have a facilitator and a note-taker in each group.  Also, you will need to bring everyone together in the end and compare notes, with one designated speaker from each separate room in your local teach-in breakout or chat room.  If you think this plan is too difficult, just do what you can with the 65 minutes you have.
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Part 2: The Horizontal Plannin...
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 04:54:46 am
Part 2: The Horizontal Planning Discussion
Part 2 is the horizontal element, although it involves some speakers you might select to direct the discussion and build interest in your local teach-in (Figure 2).  This part lasts 65 minutes.  It is based on using Zoom or another platform you select.  We try in this discussion to make plans for the future. NOTE: WE MAY SIMPLY PUT YOU IN A SEPARATE BREAKOUT ROOM IN THE CENTRAL ZOOM BROADCAST. THAT MEANS WE SIMPLY SEND YOU A ZOOM LINK.

We suggest you do the following. In case we don't use a central Zoom meeting where you simply enter the appropriate breakout room for your locality (we will explain this in detail later): If you don't have a zoom account that lasts more than 45 minutes, you should have your speakers communicate some key themes summarizing what was said over Facebook for 15 minutes and then have a Zoom meeting for 45 minutes.  Alternatively, you can try to schedule two consecutive zoom meetings.  The best thing for you to do, however, is to find someone in your community who can use WhatsApp, Zoom, MicrosoftTeams, Google Hangout, or Skype, such that you can have an interactive meeting that lasts one hour. Contact someone at a local university or non-profit who might be able to help you.  You should do this as soon as you can.

The point of this part is to try to apply some of the ideas of the four speakers to local conditions.  Local can be your city, e.g. Stockholm, or your country, e.g. Italy, Nigeria, or Bolivia.  If there are multiple local groups in your country, you might want to focus on a national theme, or perhaps do that in a later Global Teach-In event.  Local means whatever you want it to mean, e.g. what can be done in your city, region or country.  Ultimately, to get the most leverage/power, one would want to create as many local teach-ins in your country as possible or at least some critical number.  We need to start somewhere, however, and your event can be an important starting point.
Your facilitator should try to keep time and make sure everyone has a relatively equal opportunity to speak and participate. Some may speak more than others, try to get everyone who wants to share their ideas.
Here are some questions you could ask. You don't have to deal with all of them, because you can take them up in future meetings. I've highlighted the questions that seem like they might be most relevant for many groups.  These are suggestions only.  Use these suggestions to shape your local agenda.

1.How does what the speakers have said relate to our local conditions?  What is relevant and what is not? How would we change or adapt the suggestions of the speakers to make them work for us in our communities?
2.Is there anything that the speakers suggested which we could act upon tomorrow or in the near future? If so, what could we do?
3.What resources do we need to act upon the suggestions of the speakers or the website, www.globalteachin.com? How can we get those resources?
4.Should we start by building more public awareness and attention to our group or should we try to do something practical?
5.How can we build our network and connect issues locally?  How can we build links between those interested in media democracy, ecological transformation, economic democracy/cooperatives, peace/disarmament, engineering/innovation, green jobs, workers' rights, gender equality, and other key issues?
6.How can we reach out to secondary school (high school) and university students to let them know more about our agenda for systemic change?
7.What are various NGOS, social movements, planners, trade unions, academics/professors, journalists and others doing which are relevant for what we are trying to do?
8.Would it be a good idea to try to develop a podcast about the themes of our discussion that we can share with other local or national activists or Global Teach-In participants?  How can we design podcasts that help forge these links?  Do we want to hook up with people in the Global Teach-In network to gain inputs for such a podcast?
9.Can we form a study circle so that we can better study the questions raised by the Global Teach-In?   A study circle is a group of persons who discuss common readings and reflect on what they have learned: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Study_circle. Using various technologies the Global Teach-In network could provide you with someone who could contribute to your discussions and even planning for readings.
10.What should be on our to do list?
Remember to appoint someone to facilitate the discussion and another person to take notes.
You need to come up with one or two questions that you will present to the larger groups in Part 3.  Have the facilitator be the person presenting this question.  Why one or two? Your question may be asked by another local group in Part 3.  A focus on "how to do it" questions may be appropriate.
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the GLOBAL TEACH-IN / Part 1: The Vertical Broadcast
Last post by Tony Budak - May 24, 2020, 04:42:09 am
Organizer's Manual for: "The Global Teach-In 2020: Democratize the Crisis," May 26, 2020.
By Jonathan M. Feldman, May 3, 2020 VERSION corrected with various inputs from the network!
1.        The Format of the Event
                This event takes place in three distinct parts: Part 1 (broadcast, point-to-mass mechanism).
Part 1: The Vertical Broadcast
Part 1 is the Vertical element where speakers are broadcasted over the Internet and possibly radio.
This part lasts 60 minutes only. 
Part 1 involves the general speakers for the event. This involves a straightforward broadcast in which: (a) the principal speakers give talks and (b) these speakers are linked by a Zoom meeting, and (c) the Zoom meeting is streamed live over Facebook (and possibly another medium as well).  All you have to do for Part 1 is notify your local community about the appropriate viewing sites.  We will try to link the event to www.globalteachin.com.  There is the Facebook page as well which will be the key broadcast portal: https://www.facebook.com/globalteachin.  It is possible that Part 1 will be streamed to several radio stations in the USA and possibly elsewhere if we organize appropriately.
The general idea of these first lectures is to show how various issues are connected and what individuals can practically do to respond to long-term challenges and short-term threats and opportunities.
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