PARTICIPATING IN OWS Please respond if you are interested in any of the ideas below, or if you have more information. It has been exciting to see how many URPE members, and people who are part of the broader URPE community, have given teach-ins or open forums, or engaged in one-on-one discussions on their own at Liberty Square. If you want to see who the presenters have been, and what their topics were, go to [1]http://www.nycga.net/. Then Click on Events in the navigation bar at the top, and fill in the search categories starting with Sept. 17. (URPE people have also been active in other parts of the country, including Boston.) Several of us living close to NYC have been exploring ways URPE can facilitate this involvement organizationally. The NYC General Assembly currently includes 62 working groups (in various stages of development and definition) that meet to plan different aspects of life at Liberty Square, and ways to expand their activities beyond that area and to collaborate with other progressive/radical groups. Click on Groups at the link above to see them. New groups are constantly appearing, and existing groups are constantly changing. The Empowerment and Education committee coordinates talks (open forums, teach-ins and workshops); a few of us have been to meetings. They are working on additional projects that are still in formation, like starting a Nomadic University, through which teachers would give free classes in various parts of NYC. There is a study group subcommittee -- not sure what that does. Additional groups could be venues for URPE people wishing to participate. Alternative Economics is mostly focusing on coops, but is also interested in general economics education. There is a free library that accepts books. There is a group for outreach to universities. And more . . . TYPES OF TALKS (There is no amplification -- all talks are done with the Human Microphone) There are currently 3 formats that I know of, and they generally take place either at Liberty Square or nearby. (There is talk of expanding or moving them to Washington Square Park but this hasn't happened yet.) 1. Open Forum This takes place every day from 6:00 to 7:00. It is more formally organized than the other formats. "The Open Forum is daily sharing of ideas and topics related to the occupation. Speakers should frame the discussion around the big ideas and not any specific organization, campaign or project. Anything that might seem to promote a political party, platform, project, cause or organization or could be seen as recruiting should be avoided. No handing out of fliers or circulating of sign up sheets for specific organizations, projects or causes. You can however hand out informational materials as long as they are not affiliated with an organization. Presenters can set up a table and invite people to come by after the forum." People should speak for 15-20 minutes (leave time for Human Mic to repeat what you say) and then encourage debate and discussion. There is a detailed protocol on setting up open forums -- publicizing them, arranging for taping, letting people know about it in the Square before the event, etc. Please read this carefully if you are considering doing an open forum. [2]http://www.nycga.net/groups/education-and-empowerment/docs/host-prot ocol-open-forum 2. Teach-ins These are primarily to impart and discuss information. The time slots are 12-2, 2-4, or 4-6. The requirements are much looser than for open forums. You can pretty much talk about what you want, and divide the time between talking and discussion the way you want to. They suggest that you do the same preparation as above, to get an audience and taping, but it's more optional. 3. Workshops These are like teach-ins but more hands-on and participatory, to teach a skill. TO GET ON THE CALENDAR: For Open Forums, you can email me at [3]soapbox@comcast.net. (I joined the Empowerment and Education Committee, so I can put events on the calendar after running them by others on the committee -- haven't tried it yet, though!) Send possible dates and times, plus a brief bio, and a title and short description of the talk. And read the Hosting Protocol above, to see how to prepare. For Teach-ins or Workshops, send an email with Proposal in the title to: [4]occupy101@gmail.com (It would be great to hear about it if you do this. If you don't hear back, let me know and I can follow up.) POSSIBLE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS FROM OCCUPIERS -- OR CHOOSE YOUR OWN TOPIC Some ideas for Open Forums: -The 2007/2008 financial crisis explained -Inflation effects explained -Government debt: who do we owe, when is it due, how heavily do we rely on other countries to fund us, what are the limitations, how will this affect our future, etc. -US budget: current budget-making process -Health care and economy. The cycle of money within the current Healthcare System (Medical Schools, Doctors, Pharmaceutical Companies) -How does stock exchange work -Iceland 2008-2011 financial crisis and measures for resolution -Basic Banking: what do banks do for us and what does our money do for them? Projected profits from recent scale-up in fees (if available) -Bailout: what were the economic arguments for this? Will Americans ever recuperate their "loan"? -Obama's September $447 billion job package: is this a solution? -Welfare: how does it work, how can you access it and how long can you rely on it? -The stimulus package: What was it? How were the almost $800 billion allocated and did we or can we expect to see any real results? -How to save your money (how much should you save, how can you keep it safe, what are the alternatives to banks?) -The economic impact of the wars YOU ALSO CAN PARTICIPATE BY JOINING A GROUP, SETTING UP A TABLE, OR ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS. ******************** Ruthie Indeck (part of NYC URPE group including Paddy Quick, Julio Huato, Chris Rude, Sara Burke) References 1. http://www.nycga.net/ 2. http://www.nycga.net/groups/education-and-empowerment/docs/host-protocol-open-forum 3. mailto:soapbox@comcast.net 4. mailto:occupy101@gmail.com