Meetings
Oxford Climate Camp Gathering
11-12 March 2006 Minutes
More or Less 55 people attending during the weekend
Basic Contents:
Next Gathering Information
Working Group Feed back to start the Gathering
Action Ideas Brain Storm
Proposal on the time scale and out line of the camp
Working Group Feed Back at the end of the gathering
The next gathering will be on the 8th and 9th April at The Commonplace, 23-25 Wharf Street, Leeds, LS2 7EQ All proposals to be considered at the Leeds gathering must be received by facilitation[at]climatecamp.org.uk two weeks in advance.
Accommodation is available and free if you contact us in advance: facilitation[at]climatecamp.org.uk
Please also contact us if you have any access, dietary or crèche
needs, the meeting space is fully accessible.
Food for the whole weekend will be about £10 per person, all other
meeting costs will be covered by donations from the people who come,
we will be trying travel pooling so that people who have to come a long
way on public transport can afford to come.
SATURDAY
Morning
• Working Group Feed Back (for the remits of the working groups
see www.climatecamp.org.uk)
Finance
The bank account will be set up soon. In the mean time, if you have
money to donate please contact finance[at]climatecamp.org.uk Please
raise money in your locality. Needs more people.
Workshop and activities
Structure of camp timetable to be discussed on Sunday. We are making
a booklet to explain workshops and site to be available at the camp.
Speakers Grid; a tool to keep people to date with which potential speakers
have been contacted. Possibly this will be interactive on the web site
soon.
Standard letter for contacting speakers is available as is Questionnaire
to gauge workshop needs. Both on website.
We are collecting proposed workshops on the piece of paper pinned on
the wall at the back of the room.
Actions Group (sub group of Workshops and Activities)
Limitations until we know location
Roles;
Publicising and Facilitating big public actions ( if that is what happens)
Resources for affinity group actions, eg, materials, reccies, pamphlets
give people info on targets.
Networking
Website is up www.climatecamp.org.uk , and if people have comments email
the website group. Website[at]climatecamp.org.uk
Generic flyers about the camp ready for next gathering. If people have
ideas for events/outreach opportunities please email us.
If people are interested in talking at events then contact us, and we
will tell you about possibilities in your area.
If there are groups who want to be neighbourhoods please contact us.
Networking is everybody! Please network in your locality. If you want
helpor resources contact us.
We are looking for regional networking contacts.
Safety Wellbeing
Needs more people
Action medic training dates: First Aid Training Leeds please contact
training[at]actionmedics.org.uk
Health and safety booklet to given out to working groups at this gathering.
Comment:
Many sub groups covered in that working group. They sound overstretched!
Response:
We are delegating jobs, eg to action medics, so we don’t feel
totally overwhelmed.
Site practicalities.
Issues around toilets and energy generating. We need to find structures/marquees.
Advice and extra help is welcome.
Transport (subgroup of site practicalities)
Request for working groups to put together a ‘transport needs
assessment’ for their working group for the end of this gathering.
Facilitation
We held a facilitation skill share yesterday to build up a larger pool
of facilitators.
Monday 10th April 10-3pm advanced facilitations skill share Leeds (before
the next gathering).
Working on process for the camp, a proposal will be ready at a future
gathering.
Land group (emailed to facilitation group in advance) “Unfortunately
the negotiations for the site mentioned in the last feedback have fallen
through. However we are in the process of negotiation for another site
in the same area as the last, that full fills the criteria of the mandate.
We have also spent a long time searching in a different area. As a result
of this we have started negotiating to rent a site there. Our current
thinking is that once the site is secured, we will immediately announce
the general area and the type of climate related interests to ourselves
nearby. We will release the exact location, i.e which field, a lot closer
to the date. If people think differently about this or wish to contribute
in any other way please send comments to suggestions[at]climatecamp.org.uk”
• Time line Introduced
One of the aims of this gathering is for all of the working groups to
have developed a time line, and have mapped that timeline on to the
‘global time line’ (pinned on the wall). This will give
us all a sense of how we are progressing, and deadlines!
• Consensus Method Introduced
Comment: To properly follow the consensus method introduced we should
now all agree to use that method.
Process points made by various people: This consensus method has been
agreed at past gatherings. It is not encouraged to revisit decisions
made at past gatherings.
Decision that we can not open a space to debate the method of consensus
we use at the beginning of each gathering.
Afternoon
• Working Group Time
With allocated time for ‘cross over’ where members of working
groups could ‘visit’ other working groups to ask questions
and liaise.
SUNDAY
Morning
• Actions Ideas Brain Storm on to flip charts. In small Groups.
The flip charts are collected and passed on to the Actions Group. Feed
back ‘best ideas’ to the whole group Ideas for Affinity
Group Actions…
Focus on Media: office occupations and hassle
Dropping seed ‘bombs’ from hot air balloons
Shutting down travel agents with street theatre
Food mile cards at super markets (you collect food mile points on your
card, and then you are punished!)
Test Driving Cars and then dumping them
Bring the beach to the town, showing the effects of rising sea levels
Futuristic ‘Museum History Tours’ in Car Show Rooms, eg
“this is how we used to live back in 2006 before the total environmental
collapse”
Speed Bumps on Motorways
Simulating extreme whether, eg flooding buildings
Artistic Criminal Damage
Occupying Corporations
Painting tide lines in Town
Mock News Papers
Creating Pedestrian areas in towns
Ideas for Big Public Actions…
Critical Mass
Disrupt Fuel depo’s, fuel rationing
Processions leading to a mass blockade
Set up an ‘Environmental Refugee Camp’
Reclaiming a city centre- Block it off and make the world we want
Block off and Shut Down a major C02 emitter….having a real impact
on C02 emissions.
• ‘Communications Questionnaire’ – gathering ideas about communications on the camp/for action to help the communications and facilitation groups prepare. These forms collected and given to facilitation group.
• Proposal on the time scale and outline of the camp. Formulated
by people from the Workshops and Activities group and the Site group
and the Actions group. Informed by the feedback collected at the Nottingham
Gathering.
Presented by a person from the Workshops and Activities Group
This is a very general proposal. It is not perfect, but the Workshops Group needs this rough idea to start to put together the workshops program. We hope people understand that this is a flexible timetable that will be affected by future events and information, for example if the land is rented or squatted, what action targets are near by etc.
Proposal for the camp time scale and outline Issues that have been
considered when putting together this proposal:
Don’t want too much of a split between action and education
Police reaction
People can be tired after action
Weekends should be ‘day visitor’ friendly
Actions need preparation time
How do we end the camp while we have a sense of success?
Influx of people at weekends
Media Coverage
Saturday August 26th
Arrive, already 95% of the camp set up. People arrive to help with the
last bits of setting up.
Sunday Aug 27th
Workshops begin
Monday (bank holiday) Aug 28th
Day focussed on getting day visitors from the local area, eg family
events.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday Aug 29th – Sept
3rd
Workshops and Actions
Sunday Sept 4th
A day when everyone begins to help to pack up and ‘recycle’
the camp (rather than throwing away)
Monday Sept5th
Packing Up Day
Clarifications:
1. The Visitors day is clearly not the only day visitors are welcome.
We will welcome visitors at any time.
2. Affinity groups are free people and can make there own decisions.
They will not be obliged to wait until Tuesday until they take action.
3. We hope to be able to advertise a big action in advance. However
at the moment we do not have all the information necessary to reserve
a day for ‘big action’
4. We have not yet looked closely at the implications of taking a squatted
site rather than a rented site.
Break in to small groups to discuss concerns. Concerns are then fed
back to the whole group for further discussion.
Issues raised:
*Setting up and Packing down. On one hand there are problems with people
arriving on mass to help set up the camp before basic amenities are
in place, e.g. toilets and water. On the other hand we need to avoid
a sense that we are providing a service, and want people to feel empowered
because they collectively create the camp.
Proposal Amendment :
Publicise the set up and takedown periods. The Camp will continue to
be advertised from advertised from 26th although there will be emphasis
on the flyers and website about the importance of being involved in
set up, with a strong sentiment of self organising and empowerment.
Comment: Very basic services (a few toilets and running water) should
be ready before people arrive to help.
*Length of the Camp. Some people felt the camp was far too long. The
kitchens will be overstretched because they would have to add extended
periods for set up and pack up.
Solution: idea that kitchens could do ‘shifts’, so that
they don’t have to stay the whole time. Others thought that the
program would be packed for the whole time as it is.
* Action. Opinion that we should specify a day in the program, and
an idea that that day should be the Bank Holiday Monday. Idea that we
should do anti-industry actions during the week and anti-consumerism
actions during the weekend. Clarification: The proposal does not prevent
a future
decision on a specific day for action. However at the moment we don’t
have the information t make that decision.
*Opinion that the last Saturday should be a day for reflection and discussion on where we go from here. Strong concern voiced that it would be alienating to ‘name’ a day for this, although supported the sentiment of the idea.
*Problems of patronising language. Opinion that terms like ‘visitor’s day’ and ideas like ‘roping in the locals’ are patronising. We hope to attract day visitors, but don’t want to create a program where they are talked about as ‘special’ or ‘outsiders’. It would be great if local people got involved, but we can not assume their support.
‘Luke Warm Consensus’ reached on the proposal with the
amendment. The workshops and activities group will take all the feed
back away and rework the proposal with consultation with site and actions
and Networking group.
This proposal is a work in progress. It would be premature to agree
on a fixed time line at this point.
Afternoon
• Announcements
12-25th August Bike Ride to the Climate Camp
Organised by ‘Bycycology’ (the group that camp out of the
G8 bike ride last summer)
The route will be London-Lancaster-The Climate Camp We hope loads of
people will get involved, and that it will mobilise towards the Climate
Camp. If you can offer help of any kind please get in
touch.
www.bicycology.org.uk
Wantage Climate Camp Group
9th July environmental awareness day in conjunction with music festival.
Art Not Oil – opening June 10th London. Send your art & get
the word out!
Info[at]artnotoil.org.uk; www.artnotoil.org.uk
Rustic Retreat: courtesy of Tactical Arts Collective, 21-23 April;
07960
890758
Direct Action Training
Earth Activism Training (EAT) with Star Hawk etc. coming up during
July in the UK
This could be great for people wanting to develop skills for the climate
camp.
www.earthactivisttraining.org
The Peoples Global Action (www.agp.org) is planning a mass decentralised
conference in France at the same time as the Climate Camp (from the
19th August- 3rd September). They might be having a day focused on action
against Climate Change. We should think about coordinating actions in
solidarity to show that our resistance to Climate Change is global.
When more information becomes available it will be brought to a future
gathering.
B&Q are offering grants to local community organisations that do DIY related things. Local Climate Camp Groups could maybe benefit. Go to your local B&Q, or the B&Q website to find out more.
• Working Group Feed Back
Finance
In the process of making funding applications
We need individuals to offer to loan money
We need local groups and working groups to be fundraising
Safety and Wellbeing
Decisions made on what power sources, structures and equipment is needed.
Confirmed the subgroups and their roles. These remits will be up on
the website soon.
Reiterate Training (see Saturday feed back)
Networking
Announcements to the group
We need to make the announcements list work properly, and people need
to use it.
All working groups and local groups can post to
climatecamp[at]lists.riseup.net
Wiki is now up and running. I will be used to collate info, eg data
base of contacts.
Wiki: www.theoarc.org.uk/ccwiki
user: ccamp
password: kr0p0+k1n
All email accounts that get ‘first contact enquiries’ and
who pass that enquiry on to the relevant working group should:
1. Email back the person immediately saying that the email has been
passed on.
2. Use a name that will be used consistently (not necessarily real names).
This helps people have contact with email addresses that are checked
by more than one person
3. Ask the group to whom you have forwarded the enquiry to let you know
they have received and are dealing with the email.
All flyers, images and text to be sent to website group to add to the
resources page.
Local groups are encouraged to make their own flyers (they can use the
resources page)
Encourage people to do talks. Tomorrow (Monday) we have a meeting to
develop a pack for workshops
Everyone with contacts or friends needs to enthuse about the climate
camp and try to get people involved!
Internal decisions and action points
We will print 10000 camp flyers and posters by the Leeds Gathering.
Contacting every group on our mail out list, and actively seeking out
places to do talks.
Media strategy:
*Short Term: collate press list. Start finding good article writers
(list and contacts compiled). Encouraging these people to write ‘practice
pieces’ for collective feed back. Liaise with friendly journalists.
*Medium Term: Training up media spokes people.
*Long Term: Setting up a ‘counter spin collective’ to focus
on this
task
around the time of the camp.
If anybody has issues or concerns wit this basic media strategy please
contact our email address.
Person assigned to find neighbourhoods, (after a neighbourhood has go
tinvolved we ‘hand them over’ to the site group)
Website subgroup to set up a notice of events running up to the camp.
Contacting designers to develop sticker designs
Contacting Indymedia to get them to have a presence at the camp.
Creating our budget to give to finance ASAP
Creating E-Flyer to publicise Leeds gathering
Workshops and Activities
Need more entertainment contacts
Need to broaden the spectrum of workshops from eco lifestyle to more
political focussed stuff- Need both theory and Practice Will have produced
a draft booklet by the end of next week.
Site Practicalities
Made a wish list: will be published soon
Subgroups created for Kitchens, Kids, Dogs, Accessibility
Need call outs for set up and take down
Will organise skill shares for power, plumbing and grey water
Radios are preferable for on site Communications.
Facilitation
From liaison with the Networking groups it is clear each working group
should have a mobile phone that they will answer.
Discussing the welcome process at the camp, and the communications and
decision making structure. Our communications strategy should be completed
by the May gathering.
Budget and Technical issues around site communication.
Our draft Budget has been given to the finance group.
Organisational matters around the Leeds gathering.
Reiterate skill share (see Sunday feed back)
• End of day all groups put their ‘timelines’ on to the overall time line on the wall. Apologies that this timeline is not in the minutes. Hopefully it will be posted at a later date.
• Feed back forms are filled in and given to the facilitation
group.