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Meetings

Minutes of the Talamn Planning Meeting, 8-9/07/06

In this document:

  1. Summary
  2. Action points
  3. Neighbourhoods feedback
  4. Scottish networking meeting
  5. Working groups feedback
  6. Outcomes discussion (What do we do after the Climate Camp?)

Summary

Media policy: journalists allowed on site at a designated time only as part of a guided tour and clearly marked as journos by a flag or similar.

Dog policy: Don't bring them! If you really must bring a dog then contact facilitation[at]climatecamp.org.uk for our dog policy. Any dogs that have not been registered will be turned away.

Finance at camp: to follow, once writeup received

Getting to the camp: to follow, once writeup received

Scottish neighbourhood planned. Scottish organising meetings every two weeks from now, starting on Sat 22 July in Glasgow. Contact reshape-glasgow[at]riseup.net to get involved.

Outcomes discussion: looked at pros and cons of having a roadshow, annual/biannual camps, regional camps and a book/website coming out of the camp. Details of this discussion at the end of the minutes. To be continued at the next meeting and at the camp.

ACTION POINTS - please help with these!

Write letters to the editor mentioning the camp to any newspapers running articles related to climate change (both to national newspapers and papers in the Selby/Leeds area).

Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk for a stack of leaflets and posters and distribute them.

Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you are doing any actions on climate change. They can use these as hooks for getting the camp into the media.

Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help with running a stall and workshops about the camp at the Northern Green Gathering 17-20 August, near Leeds.

Deadline for workshop proposals is 20 July. If you want to offer a workshop fill in a form online at http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/workshop-form/workshop-form.php Still need more workshops on ongoing campaigns such as antiroads, peat, aviation, oil. Same goes for performers and bands.

We need someone to organise a masked ball for Friday of the camp. Contact workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help.

We need DVDs to show in the cinema - if you have some to lend us email workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk

Need help with legal support. Also need someone with Health and Safety qualification. Contact wellbeing[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help

Everyone needs to help with fundraising! Benefit gigs, collections, loans, private donations all welcome. Email finance[at]climatecamp.org.uk for details.

Get together in affinity groups and start planning actions now! Collect useful action kit. Lots of useful info on website!

Check website for updated list of stuff we need for the site and help getting it together. Email site[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can supply stuff.

Email transport[at]climatecamp.org.uk by the beginning of August if you have stuff for the lorry to pick up on it's way round Britain.

Email transport[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can drive a minibus from Glasgow to the camp on Thursday 24 August.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

12-13 August in Leeds, The Common Place social centre Focus on practical organising in working groups and getting everything ready for site set-up.

14-15 October in MERCi, Manchester (venue to be confirmed) To discuss what happened at the camp, deal with finances and legal issues and to discuss what next. Will include a big party on Saturday night to celebrate!

Action points - please help with these!

  • Write letters to the editor mentioning the camp to any newspapers running articles related to climate change (both to national newspapers and papers in the Selby/Leeds area).
  • Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk for a stack of leaflets and posters and distribute them.
  • Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you are doing any actions on climate change. They can use these as hooks for getting the camp into the media.
  • Email networking[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help with running a stall and workshops about the camp at the Northern Green Gathering 17-20 August, near Leeds.
  • Deadline for workshop proposals is 20 July. If you want to offer a workshop fill in a form online at http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/workshop-form/workshop-form.php Still need more workshops on ongoing campaigns such as antiroads, peat, aviation, oil. Same goes for performers and bands.
  • We need someone to organise a masked ball for Friday of the camp. Contact workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help.
  • Need DVDs to show in cinema – email workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk
  • Need help with legal support. Also need someone with Health and Safety qualification. Contact wellbeing[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can help
  • Everyone needs to help with fundraising! Benefit gigs, collections, loans, private donations all welcome. Email finance[at]climatecamp.org.uk for details.
  • Get together in affinity groups and start planning actions now! Collect useful action kit. Lots of useful info on website!
  • Check website for updated list of stuff we need for the site and help getting it together. Email site[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can supply stuff.
  • Email transport[at]climatecamp.org.uk by the beginning of August if you have stuff for the lorry to pick up on it's way round Britain.
  • Email transport[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you can drive a minibus from Glasgow to the camp on Thursday 24 August.
    • Upcoming meetings:

    12-13 August in Leeds, The Common Place social centre Focus on practical organising in working groups and getting everything ready for site set-up.

    14-15 October in MERCi, Manchester (venue to be confirmed) To discuss what happened at the camp, deal with finances and legal issues and to discuss what next. Will include a big party on Saturday night to celebrate!

    Neighbourhood feedback

    9 neighbourhoods confirmed so far, most are self-sufficient on structures and equipment. This doesn't yet include the Scottish neighbourhood and possibly a Woodcraft Folk neighbourhood. The Anarchist teapot kitchen can't come for all of it, so have been asked to come for the beginning. They can cater for 100s of people. Power supply is still a bit uncertain – most neighbourhoods need help with this.

    The info on what neighbourhoods are expected to do is on the website, but more needs to be written. All working groups to feed into this.

    Food: There will be central food buying, but this still needs more work. There is a policy on organic, not air-freighted, vegan food (vegan=much less hassle re hygiene, animal friendly and less CO2). Main meals are to be vegan, if neighbourhoods want non-vegan food they have to buy this themselves and label it clearly. We need to be clear where the food at the camp has come from.

    Infrastructure: We need 20-25 marquees. We have 17, may have to buy a few. May have two which hold hundreds. Some of these are not arriving until Monday. Please let site group know what structures you have! We have to arrive with all the stuff.

    Power: Coltek is supplying power for two marquees and music/projector. The only generators used will be a back-up for the communications hub and other vital stuff such as charging wheelchairs. Lighting is planned for one central walkway.

    Water: Highly unlikely that there will be running water on site. Water will be brought on site in bowsers. Neighbourhoods need to bring water containers.

    Getting tat (useful things for site): need help from everyone. List to be sent to neighbourhoods and to be linked to from front page of website. Get stuff from freecycle schemes, skips, scrap yards. Have a competition between neighbourhoods. Bring tat to the Common Place social centre in Leeds from now on, or to the August gathering at the latest.

    Transport: From the August gathering (12-13/08) a lorry will drive around the country to pick up any bulky tat for the site. If you want this to come to your town, then email asap: transport[at]climatecamp.org.uk

    Also two 17 seater minibuses have been booked for shuttle service between Selby and the site. These need people to drive them down from Glasgow on the 24 August and filling with people!

    Legal and practical implications of squatting the site A statement concerning the legal and practical implications of squatting was drawn up and will be posted on the website shortly. Procedures for dealing with police coming onto site are being developed and will be put into place by the Safety and Wellbeing group. They include safe exit routes for those wanting to leave the site. Safety and Wellbeing will work together with the Communications Hub and the neighbourhoods on site to implement these procedures.

    How people are getting to the camp: To follow, once writeup received.

    Scottish networking meeting

    There will be Scottish neighbourhood at the camp. Organising meetings for this will be held every two weeks, alternating between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The first meeting will be Saturday 22 July, at the Chalkboard social centre in Glasgow. Venue and time to be confirmed. To find out more email: reshape-glasgow[at]riseup.net

    Organising will take place over an email list, most likely the reshape list. Details to be confirmed. A scottish contact to be included on the website.

    Scotland specific outreach material will be produced by the meeting on 22 July. The Scottish neighbourhood will run workshops on the M74 road building protests, North Sea oil and other Scottish campaigns and issues. There are also plans for a ceilidh. Might be able to bring cinema (pixie cinema folks)

    Workshop on the national grid and power station operation There was a really useful worksho on how the national grid and power station operation works, especially with regard to actions at Drax. A writeup of this workshop will be sent out at the end of the week and posted on the website.

    Working group feedback

    Networking Group

    Media: Getting large amount of interest. Thinking of hooks for media stories. Coverage, press releases and sample letters to newspapers to be found in the press section of the website. Working on 2 press releases – one to coincide with the G8 energy report July 17th-ish... need people to let us know if people are doing anything for the global day of action let us know for press release. Also working on extreme weather press release if there is a heatwave / flood etc. Around the G8, look out for articles about climate change in local media, write letters back to paper and mention camp.

    Media at Camp: Proposing designated times at which media allowed on site as part of a guided tour by the networking team, clearly identified with big flags, and have to have permission of people they film / photo. Bank holiday monday might be a good day. They will not be allowed to wander freely around the site. Indymedia/alternative journalists/photographers/video etc will have more access, but there will be an accreditation process and identifying signs eg a fluoro tabard marked indymedia. They will be asked to help people who want to use footage for their defence cases.

    Publicity: People need to get the posters and fliers out that we have printed. ASAP – do loads of flyposting in local towns – or around other power stations.

    Office in Leeds: Will be having an office to Leeds in the run up – watch this space

    Local Networking: Will be getting posters out in towns local to Drax. Also planning a local public meeting in Selby – inviting local people, media, and Drax.

    Events: Need to get people to Northern Green gathering – want a big presence – week before camp and local. Get in touch with networking if you can help.

    National Switch Off! Day: Working on getting NGOs on board for national switch off day to coincide with action day on 31Aug.

    Local public meeting:around the 15th Aug in Selby - inviting a spokeperson from Drax to come and debate with us and press releasing the national media.

    Workshops And Activities Group

    Workshops: On track for workshops – 50 odd confirmed and 20 more coming soon. Still need more workshops on ongoing campaigns such as antiroads, peat, aviation, oil. Deadline for workshop proposals is the 20 July.Please fill in a workshop offer form by then if you want to run a workshop or a discussion at the camp. Fill in online at: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/workshop-form/workshop-form.php

    Entertainments: Barndance on Sunday and quiz night, Monday is open mike, Tues bands (know any? Minimal expenses) and poetry, Wednesday – film and poetry about direct action, Thursday party, friday masked ball, Saturday open mike, Sunday own entertainments! Probably ceilidh in Scottish neighbourhood

    Need someone to run the masked ball (need music and space etc). Needs bands. Entertainments form on the website to get onto programme.

    Intend to run a cinema space every night - need DVDs to show – send to Workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk

    Kids space and kids programme: There will be a kids space with fun activities as well as a great programme of workshops suitable for kids. We still need lots of volunteers to help with the kids space, ideally policed checked and also need a co-ordinator for the kids programme. Please note that there will not be a legal creche – kids will remain in parents' responsibility at all times. Still need to draw up a lost kids policy.

    Library: Still wanting to make a library to happen. Waiting to hear back from Sumac and Anarchist Teapot if they can supply books.

    Booklet: on track

    Time Up: 120 page collection of articles about climate change and action against it. Book will be ready by Leeds gathering and follows workshops categories. Email workshops[at]climatecamp.org.uk if you want to be involved in putting it together.

    Site

    Prioritsed stuff we need on site at the beginning – prioritise wood, fencing, water buts, straw bales, tools. Need about 30 people to set up site please come forward. Short of storage space of materials before hand.

    Structures getting more on track.

    Challenges: lost a few people, so group smaller. Fencing site off – how store and transport. Kitchen co-ordination is not really on track – have some local supplier contacts but not sorted. Also looking for crew kitchen before camp starts. Road – thinking of trying to avoid road, but may need some for the water supply? Probably not having water piping so asking for people to bring water butts, but they may be difficult to get around site – bring wheelbarrows?

    Dogs on site: adopted following policy: people to be strongly discouraged from bringing dogs. People who insist, must register their dog. Dogs on site to be kept on lead and any dog poo to be cleaned up by person who brough the dog. All people bringing dogs must register at welcome desk and leave their mobile phone nos. They will also be asked to form a dog working group to ensure all dog poo is cleared up, and no other problems arise. If a dog causes a problem, they will have to leave the site.

    Safety and wellbeing

    Pretty sorted. Medics and traum a groups on track. Need someone who knows about health and safety. Will have mechanisms for lost people. Co-ordinator of prisoner support sorted, but need volunteers. Looking for a place to do trauma support before and during. Legal team co-ordinated but need lots of help particularly legal observers. Solicitors on board – probably need more but looking into.

    Lost children – mobile phone number of parents round arm

    Going to ask one of the neighbourhoods to support the medical and wellbeing team in terms of food.

    Going to have a wellbeing area – trauma, tea, massage etc. Like it to be accessible for all who need a bit of a break. Trying to encourage people to not get to the point where they are traumatised – avoid it as much as possible and use the wellbeing space!

    Useful to liase with NHS trust.

    Facilitation

    Working group getting smaller. No one able to co-ordinate next gathering – food and some accomodation sorted. Need people to come forward. Camp facilitation not yet sorted – need people to volunteer! Communications: sending out a call out for radio gear – will buy by mid august if none turns up. Most on track.

    If people want facilitation training they need to ask – there will be some at the EF! gathering

    Finance

    Looks like £35k - £40 – more than originally thought have about 11k already. Need to think about what happens if we don't get the money from the camp. Need more fundraising! Need to get people to do finances on site.

    A couple of grant applications in the pipeline. Still doing begging letters... still have loan forms, need to sell donation vouchers asap.

    Bar: people are fronting money to pay for beer, but need assurances that they will get their money back... could throw a big party to sell beer if it all goes tits up!

    Action support

    Action section of website now full of photos, maps and action tips. A health and saftey guide to power stations will go up soon.

    Call out for affinity groups:for people to get together in affinity groups for action and get training for action in advance. We are hoping that most people will do this before they come to the camp. Wednesday to be affinity group forming and action planning day. Hoping people will come with a plan and help others to formulate theirs on the wednesday.

    Asking people to bring action kit as well as white suits and dust masks (for dressing up at actions – visual image and keeps the coal dust out of lungs.)

    Direct action training at the camp: Trainers to sort out an easy to deliver workshop on taking direct action that anyexperienced people can deliver at the camp - experienced folk to be encouraged to run training and to be availabe for less experienced people on the wednesday.

    Other points: Still looking into disabled transport to camp Bike library – Manchester is sorting it out – need to transport bikes around country – if you happen to be driving around country with van email bikes[at]climatecamp.org.uk to help get bikes up to Manchester.

    Outcomes discussion at Talamh

    10 people participated in the outcomes discussion on Saturday Morning. It started with people writing their thoughts on coloured cards about various topics

    Green card

    Roadshow

    Seven Responses:

    1. Sounds good
    2. We’ll be too burnt out unless it’s next year,
    3. This would be great, but rather than travel (= carbon emissions) around we should do it in neighbourhoods (locally) where there is no neighbourhood, the nearest one should do it
    4. Yes
    5. Great for recruiting/raising awareness. Demos, solar panels, clown caravan, biofuel etc. make it carnivalesque
    6. Linked to web-discussions
    7. Could do more than one! Do different locations/regions. I think think this would be a good way to link local + national level stuff. Would be interested in getting involved- can’t do Sept- March 2007 thouh Good way to keep radical ideas out there and LOADS of people want workshops about climate change. Not too difficult to organise

    Yellow Card

    Annual Camp

    8 responses

  • (Bi)annual camp + good- keep the actions going, keep the pressure on
  • I think it would be great to have an annual camp in different locations or a gathering where people could share what they have been doing/ideas etc- have we met objectives, setting objectives etc.
  • Yes good idea can improve our ways of dealing with others- problem
  • Too much effort?
  • I’m definitely not doing it again
  • Would be easier second year
  • X
  • Yes (may interfere with G8 next year) requires a lot of energy which stops us being active in other areas.

    • Regional/National Camp

    Four Responses

    1. Network of local groups
    2. Perhaps need to be national at first, but ultimately to be sustainable should become regional?
    3. Think local is really good- should do local before we do national again Microclimate camps! Would definitely do in my town. Could link in with roadshow
    4. National

    Red Card

    Book

    9 Responses

    1. Reports form workshops- as many and as detailed as possible (as(k?) people to prepare before and update after) Probably better as web resource Book that can be sold cheaply and is easy to read by everyone rather than a big heavy text- a book that is a resource rather than a memoir
    2. I like the idea but what could it look like?
    3. Direct action book?
    4. About alternatives?
    5. Critique of current energy use?
    6. Good idea! Could be a good fundraiser?
    7. Book to include comments about climate change, DA etc ”normalising” climate action Also including facts about climate change Include a summary of the minutes form workshops such as ‘possible solutions’- permaculture etc.
    8. This is an inevitable yes Need a book
    9. Lots of photos of what it looked like
    10. Beginners Guide to setting up a camp
      11. Voices from the Tent. Colleciton of reports of what issues were raised and responses from discussions and workshops Maybe MP3 format of people’s views during the camp, and posting on website
    11. Yes- but limited market (Grooming Activists Egos)
    12. X (which is either a kiss or a “no”. Or a psychogeographical treasure map. Probably a no)

    Website

    6 responses

    1. Like the idea but confused about function. Could link to all groups involved and have workshop reports on it Thought it might be nice to get everyone to fill in form about their experiences so could get a few nice quotes/ideas out of it
    2. Forums on Alternative Energy production. Technical Practical Problems and Solutions e.g. Geothermal, Tidal etc. Changing from Oil to Hydrogen
    3. Is there already a similar “resource” website?
    4. Networking resource. Forum for radical comment/planning. Place to say things that won’t get discussed elsewhere.
    5. Should continue after the camp and to be a resource for other actions
    6. Forum for maintaining the network. Photodiary?

    Blue Card

    Continuing the Camp

    Four responses

    1. If possible
    2. Now it’s formed we should encourage it to grow and create awareness. This will spur on a roadshow etc
    3. I would have little energy for this at moment but would support it if it happened. Not a very healthy place to live?
    4. X (again, a psychogeographical map)

    Having a Permanent Camp

    Five responses

    1. I would have little energy for this at moment but would support it if it happened. Not a very healthy place to live?
    2. if possible
    3. No- energy drain unless really hot. E.g new nuclear power station site
    4. Protest camp versus Drax? If people want to do this, it’s fine, but what will it achieve?
    5. If people want to do this it would be great

    We then decided to split into two groups. Everyone had two votes, and the most popular two topics were Having a Roadshow and ‘Annual/Regional/National’ camps Each group was given the relevant colour of cards to refer to during their discussion.

    In those groups we thought about what to do with spare money:

    • Roadshow Group
    • Have a massive party
    • Educational Materials/creating awareness
    • Buy land (growing- use for community groups)
    • Put towards next camp
    • Legal/Prisoner support
    • Pay back neighbourhoods
    • Renewables purchase
    • Support other env movement (with Direct Action)
    • Bicycles Library (for camp and community projects)
    • Their favourite idea was prisoner support
    • Making camp annual/bi-annual Group
    • Depends how much
    • Keep for camp if continues/happens next year
    • Decide in October meeting if there are other ideas
    • Stay in some sort of ‘national pot’ for roadshow or book etc.

    Roadshow

    We then thought ‘pro-con-interesting’ for each topic:

    Pro

    • Strengthen Neighbourhoods if done locally
    • Skill-sharing
    • Getting more recruits
    • Local resources library with money left ofer, plus info
    • Skillsharing using equipment bought with left over cash

    Cons

    • National tour- bad for environment
    • Burnout
    • Better regional shows?

    Interesting

    • National tour not very popular/efficiednt
    • Regional roadshows preferred for viability

    We then thought through what needed doing before and at the camp to make these things happen Sessions at camp for requesting roadshow come through their area Organised locally areas get together to discuss what is practical for their area What format? What resources for tour and publicity? Flyers for the camp to create continuity/sense of momentum Encourage people at camp to take part in roadshow

    Flow Chart

    August

    Roadshow format at Leeds Gathering and publicity

    Camp

    Flyering for roadshow

    Session for recruits/Roadshow teams and requesting a show in the area

    Annual / biannual

    We then thought ‘pro-con-interesting’ for each topic

    Pro

    Keeps climate activism going

    Lets us see if we are growing

    Acts as a focus for “movement”

    Keeps track of resources (tents etc)

    Allows big Direct Action thing to happen

    Con

    Detracts from regional- do we really want to just do camps all the time?

    Detracts from other issues, e.g. G8

    Gets stale

    State knows what to expect

    Get co-opted- greenpeace etc

    We might die from burnout

    Interesting

    Might take off by itself

    Some corporate might take it on, e.g like Live 8

    We then thought through what needed doing before and at the camp to make these things happen

    • Need to keep all infrastructure
    • Data base
    • Contacts list
    • Would help regional also
    • Should have space to talk about at camp

    REGIONAL

    We then thought ‘pro-con-interesting’ for each topic:

    Pro

    • Gets into grass roots
    • Where the real issues are
    • Local more sustainable- CO2 release from ccamp

    Con

    • Enough people in each area?
    • Could support each other
    • Could lose DA focus

    Interesting

    • Could link in with roadshow
    • Regional could link up and feed to national
    • Could be workshops about climate change
    • Could be meeting about functional what to do in area
    • Could be DA focussed
    • Could e regional not by cities
    • Could get more and more local as more people got involved
    • Could do loads of regionals at same time- but sounds like hard work.

    We then thought through what needed doing before and at the camp to make these things happen Shold make regional contacts at camp Neighbourhoods could take on (?) Suggest neighbourhoods talk in between neighbourhoods re: regional climate camps

    Flow Chart: Monthly/bimonthly meeting. Followed by mass suicide We started nationally organising in January- start ball rolling in October Meeting.

    Future work: At Leeds 12th/13th August we need to have flipchart posters for people to say what they think about some of the ideas from various outcomes discussions. We need to have meetings at the camp to discuss what happens next. We need people to write up the pros and cons for some of the other outcomes proposals. Have copies in the futures tent at the Camp. Proposal: Stage actual debate at October meeting for and against having Annual National Camp? Get speakers to put the strongest case for and against, Then questions from the floor, friendly amendments, consensus? (there will be lots of stand asides)

    Camp for WHAT? What are we trying to achieve, hmm?