[fse-esf] Call for reports on ESF-5 mobilisation

[Tord Bj ö rk]

Dear all!


With this letter we in the Nordic Organizing Committee want to remind and
urge you to inform us about the mobilisation towards ESF-5. In the Nordic
countries the work is now gaining strength. A good meeting for all NOC
working groups were held 15-16 december. Next meeting will take place 12-13
January. All information from you before this date is well recieved. The NOC
Contact Group for Europe will have its meeting on 9th of January preparing
for the weekend and asks specially for CEE contacts to make their comments
before this earlier date. The preparation is also gaining strength
economically by a first grant to the solidarity fund. An original
application to Forum Syd in Sweden were half of the money were applied for
the solidarity fund have now been approved giving in total NOC 270 000 SEK,
approximatly 30 000 euro. We hope to raise the proportion given to the
solidarity fund from this money. Se more on CEE countries in the enclosed
newsletter to CEE contacts.

So far we have recieved the information that national or local mobilisation
committees or similar active contacts for mobilisation for ESF 2008 exists
in: 

Belarus, BSF
Denmark, DKSF
Finland, FSF
Hungary, Attac and HSF with its committees
Italy, Gruppo di coordinamento per il FSE e per il FSM
Norway, NSF
Romania, RSF
Sweden:
Gothenburg
Malmö
Stockholm
Uppsala, USF

We have also recieved information on different initiatives to link
activities within different movements to ESF 2008. But we certainly would
like to recieve more. It is of great help when motivating others to take
initiatives strengthening the ESF process.

Those of you who are specially interested can also become members of the
European mobilisation group set up at the Istanbul EPA meeting by sending an
email to the coordinator. Members who joined the group in Istanbul are:

Atilla Aydemir, SODEV Greenpeace Med., Turkey
An?ck Coupe, Union syndicale. Solidaires, France
Chantal Delmas, Espaces marx - Transform!, France
Christophe Ventura, Attac, France
Giovanna Falsetta, Colletivo Bellaciao, country? (email UK)
Jean.Michel Joubier, CGT, France
Josu Egirelin, ANITZA (ESK), i guess one can write the Spanish State/Basque
country? (this email bounces back, do anyone have a current email for Josu?)
Matyas Benyik, Attac Hungary
Michel Rousseau, Euromarches
Nicolas Galepides, Solidaires, France
Piero Bernocchi, COBAS, Italy
Sophie Zafari, FSU
Thierry Lescant, Solidaires, France
Tord Björk, NOC Contact group and Friends of the Earth, Sweden

We are specially prioritizing CEE contacts and anyone interested in
discussions and mobilisation for ESF-5 from Central and Eastern Europe are
welcome to recieve special information and take part in discussions on CEE
participation. Please send and email to the coordinator below if you are
interested.

Alla Glinchikova, Russian Social forum
Matyas Benyik, Attac Hungary
Mirek Prokes, Naturfreunde International, Chech republic
Peter Damo, Romanian Social Forum
Simo Endre, Hungary Social forum
Tatiana Zaitseva, Belarusian Social Forum
Viktor Shapirov, Social Forum Ucraine

The member of the Contact group for Europé and the World in the Nordic
organizing Committee are:

Azril Bacal, Paulo Freire Association
Joel Borgström, Left Student League
Lars Jirvén, Popular Movement No to EU
Laura Tuominen, Democracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Finland
Maria Hagberg, European Feminist Initiative
Martin Österlin, Swedish-Cuban association
Sara Andersson, Attac, NOC organisation secretary
Tord Björk, Friends of The Earth, Contact Group coordinator

In a previous email you could also see the list of member organisations  in
the Nordic Organizing Committee including Denmark and Norwegian Social
Forum. From this list you can see there is a very wide range of
organisations involved in the Nordic preparations for ESF-5. We hope this
can inspire wider contacts in many countries and look forward to here from
you.

Warm New Year Greatings from a Cold Sweden!


Tord Björk

Coordinator, 
Contact group for Europe and the World, Nordic Organizing Committee ESF 2008

Finlandsgatan 2
291 31 Kristianstad
Sverige/Suede/Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)44 12 32 94 (evenings, sometimes am Monday-Tuesday)
Mobile: +46 (0)738 44 68 50 (occasionally)
E-mail: tord.bjork at mjv.se (best way for contacts)

Nordic Organizing Committee: esf2008 at gmail.com, www.esf2008.org

Enclosed:

A. Questions regarding mobilisation

B. Newsletter to CEE-ESF mobilisers



------------------------

A. Questions regarding mobilisation


1. What have been done in your country to mobilize for ESF-5?



2. What issues are of special interest from your country perspective for
ESF-5?


1. What have been done in your movement to mobilize for ESF-5?



3. What issues are of special interest from your movement perspective for
ESF-5?



4. What can you or your contacts do for strengthening CEE-participation in
ESF-5?



5. What new groups do you see as specially important to bring into the
ESF-process? Do you have a possibility in helping us getting contacts or
make own efforts for mobilizing this group(s)?



6. What groups do you see as necessary to make new efforts to strengthen
their partcipation? Do you have a possibility in helping us getting contacts
or make own efforts for mobilizing this group(s)?



7. What is the best help you can get from the Nordic Organizing Committee to
support mobilisation?



8. What contact adresses should we use for mobilisation in your country,
region or movement?




Please send your answer to coordinator tord.bjork at mjv.se

--------------------------------------------

B. Dear CEE-ESF mobilizers!

Nr 1-2007

1. Contact Group for Europe at succesful working group meeting

2. First grant for solidarity fund

3. A common CEE-ESF strategy

4. Answer from Romania

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1. Contact Group for Europe at succesful working group meeting

I have the good news that the Nordic Organzing Committee had a lively and
effective working group meeting 15-16th of December. All working groups met
to find better ways to cooperate and move the work forward. For the Contact
group for Europe and The World this meant that three new young people have
joined our ranks with lots of energy. Joel Borgström came back from Ghana
and became our secretary at this his first meeting. He lives in Lund close
to Malmö which makes it easier for us to have close contact with the other
working groups. Jonas from Malmö is involved in the local mobilisation
committee and not yet a full member of our contact group but he is eager to
find out about the 5 000 addresses that is supposed to exist to all
organisations that have organises workshops and other points in the program
at earlier ESF gatherings. Laura Tuominen from Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in
Finland and member of NOC board had very useful information to us. The
Finnish organisations have long term connections to CEE countries and
especially to Russia were they keep in contact with a wide range of groups.
This can help a lot in the practical and political work to make ESF Malmö in
quality and hopefully quantity a break through for CEE participation.

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2. First grant to the solidarity fund

We have also been informed by Forum Syd that our application for ESF has
been well recieved and we will get 270 000 SEK, which is almost 30 000 euro.
The money comes from SIDA, The Swedish Internationalk Developmetn Agency
channeled through Forum Syd, an umbrella organisation for hundreds of
popular movements engaged primarily in third world solidarity work but also
cooperation with CEE countries. We do not know yet precisely how much Forum
Syd will allow us to use for the solidarity fund but it will be a
considerable proportion of the money granted. We hope that we until April
can have 250 000 SEK for the solidarity fund which then proposively can be
used for CEE countries that needs visas. We will continue fundraising, both
general and for earmarked needs, hopefully with the help of
cooperationspartners all over Europe. The budget goal for the solidarity
fund is 1 million SEK which we cannot guarantee that we will get. But it
starts well. 

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3. A common CEE-ESF strategy

As we in NOC now are better prepared it means that it is now necessary to
start a common strategy for CEE participation. As a starting point we would
like to use the points made by Simo Endre in an email to us already 23rd of
September:

    "So the concrete points in which you can help the mobilisation seem to
me:
- An appeal of mobilisation to all people, with special regard to Eastern
Europe, with concrete offers.
- Travel, accomodation and food assistance. Exoneration from entry fees of
people coming from Eastern Europe, but not activists of Foundations. (There
are foundations in Eastern Europe not having any need to be supported
financially.)
- Helping to accept the eastern theme proposals in the Program Group of ESF
and not allowing the exclusion of our initiatives which have occured so many
times.
- Helping us to play an active role in the conferences in co-participation
with other people, in order to assure a real european presence from East and
West.
- Exoneration of the eastern social organisations from paying seminar taxes
with the exeption of the mentioned foundations."

Concerning economic costs it must be discussed with all CEE partners how the
solidarity fund could be used. Concerning ESF fee it has been decided to
have it reduced for CEE countries to 200 SEK from 400 SEK. Whether further
reduction through the solidarity fund is needed can be discussed. Concerning
accomodation the solidarity living is not yet established but the Contact
Group for Europe have proposed that a priority will be given to CEE
countries. Concerning food it has not been discussed yet. The standard lunch
diet in Malmö is a big falafel and the cost was now raised from 15 to 20 SEK
(2 Euro). This kind of food is with other words comparably cheap to many
other Western Countries. But for most other food it is Western European
expensive prices. 

Concerning political content during ESF NOC has no formal influence in
making the program. But the Contact Group for Europe have successfully made
all aware of the need to informally enable participation from prioritised
groups like people from CEE countries and movements that have not attended
ESF well. That means that we are eager to help creating contacts with CEE
groups to likeminded groups in the West to jointly make a program and find
funders. We also want to see if it is possible to find more long-term
streategic alliances for enhancing CEE participation both at ESF and WSF.

But then there is a great need for initiatives and comments from CEE
countries regarding what questions that are important, how strategic
alliances ESF-WSF can be built and practical questions can be solved like
finding addresses to relevent organisations in CEE countries and ways to
distribute the Solidarity Fund in a transparent and equitable way.

A great problem is lack of response. Only Rumania, Belorussia and Simo Endre
and Matyas Bendik have responded to my email after Istanbul while Russia,
Ucraine and Chech republic remained silent (mayube the email address is
wrong to some of them). For the rest of CEE countries we do not know how to
start. Before sending a general appeal we believe it is useful to have a
discussion with those that have participated att EPA-meeting or taken active
contact with us this autumn.

We will now more actively thorugh different Nordic chanells find out about
oru possibilites to reach otu to different social movements in
CEE-countries. Maria Hagberg, member of the contact group and the board
recently went to Opland and made contacts, the Finnish movements have
earlier made large cooperation efforts with all CEE countries involving
participants frome every CEE country including Caucasus to some to EU
Summits. But it is good to also have a common idea and plan, so please
respond to this and earlier letters.

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4. Answer from Romania

RSF INFORMATION AND PROPOSAL


This is to inform the ESF-5 NOC that the mobilization
for the participation to the ESF-5 in Malmo has been
formally initiated in Romania by the Romanian Social
Forum Coordination on 24th of November 2007 by sending
out to various social actors (NGOs, major TUs, people,
Indymedia Romania, some regular local Media vectors)
the RSF Call for Mobilization for the ESF-5.
Previous less formal discussions had also taken place
along this issue.
The Call contains the translation of most of the
Presentation/Invitation launched by the NOC on the ESF
mailing list, and it was put on our website as well
(www.forumulsocialroman.ro )

We are awaiting the proposals of organizations on our
open mailing list
(forumulsocialroman-discutii at yahoogroups.com )and,
after having them merged, we shall put them forth to
the NOC.
We shall use the experience gained on the occasions of
successfully organizing the participation at previous
ESFs to prepare and organize, along with the support
of the NOC, our participation at the ESF-5 in Malmo
2008.

We also take this opportunity to inform you that we
have launched a Call for Global Day of Action when we
plan to organize a conference on a number of themes
that may raise interest.

As far as it concerns the ESF Program Axes presented
by the NOC at EPA Istanbul, we propose re-introducing
the axis 'ENLARGEMENT' in the Program.
We plead that there is a specifity of historical,
psycho-social, political, cultural, and economic
realities and life in Central-Eastern European
countries, as well as in Russia and other former
Soviet countries, as well as in Turkey.
Therefore, in order to enlarge the ESF process and
make it appealing and inclusive for the people living
in these regions, we need to take these specificities
into consideration and give them space for expression.


Peter Damo,
On behalf of the Romanian Social Forum Coordination
www.forumulsocialroman.ro

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Yours


Tord Björk

Coordinator, 
Contact group for Europe and the World, Nordic Organizing Committee ESF 2008

Finlandsgatan 2
291 31 Kristianstad
Sverige/Suede/Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)44 12 32 94 (evenings, sometimes am Monday-Tuesday)
Mobile: +46 (0)738 44 68 50 (occasionally)
E-mail: tord.bjork at mjv.se (best way for contacts)

Nordic Organizing Committee: esf2008 at gmail.com, www.esf2008.org