I oppose pursuing a Ford grant Re: [Imc-finance] Fwd: 2002 Ford Grant -- Draft 3

[Sascha Meinrath]

Hi Chris (et al.),

Sheri, I, and many other active Indymedia participants are working
collaboratively with IMC-Argentina and others who have raised concerns to
find a mutually agreed upon process and solution.  You seriously
mischaracterize this endeavor by claiming it to be "Sheri's" and spread
further mis-information about the intent and process that is being
followed.

The Ford Grant is exactly the kind of bottom-up activity you claim to
support -- a grant given to a local IMC to help support the Network.  No
one working on this grant has any intention of dividing or fragmenting the
Network and everyone who I have been in communication with regarding
IMC-Argentina's concerns takes them seriously and to heart.

I am also unclear as to how you feel the draft is "unrepresentative of the
Indymedia network."  Sheri has been working extremely hard to disseminate
information to as many people as possible, and your attacking her for her
efforts is both un-productive and disheartening.  Folks who have concerns
should definitely raise them, but the attacks on other IMC participants
and false-assumptions really need to stop.  No one working on the Ford
grant is absolutely wedded to the idea of accepting it -- our goal is to
build the Network; currently, we are waiting for IMC-Argentina to discuss
a few options that have been raised and will continue to work towards
forging a solution that is mutually agreable.  THAT is what Indymedia is
about.

--Sascha Meinrath
Urbana-Champaign IMC





On Fri, 20 Sep 2002, Chris Kaihatsu wrote:

> To all local IMCs:
>
> I absolutely oppose Sheri's efforts in pursuing a Ford grant. Indymedia
> should be built in a bottom-up manner, with input deriving from local
> IMCs, to then generalize at the global level.
>
> If this draft process moves forward, I will encourage support to block
> it as being unrepresentative of the Indymedia network.
>
>
> Chris Kaihatsu
> (Chicago IMC)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sheri Herndon <sheri@indymedia.org>
> To: IMC-Finance <imc-finance@indymedia.org>, IMC-Process <IMC-Process@indymedia.org>
> Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 20:36:54 -0700
> Subject: [Imc-finance] Fwd: 2002 Ford Grant -- Draft 3
>
> hi everyone,
> for those of you who haven't seen the ford grant drafts, here's the
> last one.  i know that toni just posted a link to this document on a
> wiki, but i figured this might be easier access.  i send this so that
> people can see in actuality what kinds of things were written instead
> of relying on speculation.
> solidarity,
> sheri
>
>
> >
> >
> >INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTER PROPOSAL - September 15, 2002
> >
> >PROJECT TITLE:
> >
> >Indymedia Convergence Fund: Building foundations, connecting a movement
> >
> >GRANTEE INSTITUTION:
> >
> >Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center
> >
> >ABSTRACT:
> >
> >The Indymedia Network (Network) is comprised of over 80 affiliated
> >Independent Media Centers (IMCs) from dozens of countries throughout the
> >world.  Their publishing, organizing, and decision-making are as
> >democratic and decentralized as possible and the Network's websites and
> >email lists are the primary tools for organizing and distributing media
> >coverage. Indymedia's ballooning participation and growth have pushed
> >internet organizing and online decision-making into new territory -
> >greatly challenging the future development of Indymedia as a vibrant
> >network.  Increasingly, Network participants are calling for a convergence
> >of local IMCs, both regionally and globally, to build the IMCs'
> >communication infrastructure. Connecting IMCs through face-to-face
> >meetings has been a critical medium for sharing information about
> >cutting-edge technology, improving cross-cultural communication, strategic
> >planning, building trust, and democratizing the Network.  Moreover, a
> >convergence provides an opportunity for critical self-examination and
> >documenting our development.  These gatherings have the potential to add
> >unprecedented breadth and depth to global Indymedia's organizing and media
> >coverage.  A fund for a convergence of IMCs to support regional gatherings
> >of Indymedia participants is a crucial first step.  Including financial
> >support for a fiscal coordinator for a 2-year period (10/01/02-9/30/04),
> >the total budget is $50,000.
> >
> >PROBLEMS/OPPORTUNITIES:
> >The Network is facing its greatest organizational challenges now as it
> >surpasses 80 media centers in number and continues to grow at an
> >exhilarating rate; currently, the Network lacks adequate structure to deal
> >with all of the problems and opportunities presented by this growth.  As a
> >decentralized network of local, autonomous IMCs and project-based working
> >groups, much of the work takes place at the local level, but there are
> >some decisions, processes, and collaborations that require coordination at
> >a network-wide level. Global Network issues include: (1) approving and
> >codifying a set of principles and criteria for membership, (2)
> >establishing a
> >Network-wide decision-making process and communication structure, (3)
> >raising and disbursing Network funds, and (4) developing strategies for
> >greater effectiveness.
> >
> >No other project is pioneering this kind of communication system that is
> >locally based, democratic and participatory, non-hierarchical, and
> >transparent.  In many parts of the world, most media is centrally
> >controlled by the state; what remains is dominated by large centralized
> >media conglomerates; Indymedia has the potential to establish alternative
> >media in locations without substantial free speech rights.  Indymedia is
> >not only a unique and powerful communications Network, but an emerging
> >model for an alternative form of online organizing, networking, media
> >making, collaborating and explicating and connecting global and local
> >issues.
> >
> >To date, the majority of Indymedia's network-wide coordination has
> >occurred over the Internet. With all of its advantages, email
> >communication poses serious challenges and limitations. The Network's
> >experience with email-based decision-making and collaboration raises
> >issues of representation, English-language bias, gender imbalance, the
> >need for discussion facilitation, and north-south inequities regarding
> >internet access.  Despite the challenges of email communication, Indymedia
> >continues to be at the forefront of media organizing.  The Network's
> >achievements and effectiveness will be multiplied exponentially though
> >opportunities to collectively resolve some of its more pressing issues.
> >
> >Previous opportunities to gather in person, have seen astounding results:
> >major steps forward in our organizational development and knowledge
> >sharing and the incalculable sense of increased trust.  These past
> >opportunities to gather face-to-face have been humble efforts, created on
> >minimal budgets, and tagged on to other planned events; and as such, have
> >had their limitations. The need for gatherings of IMCs has never been
> >greater. We are simultaneously building upon the collective knowledge of
> >activists and organizations that have gone before us and creating new
> >dynamic models that deserve reflection, documentation, and discussion. The
> >opportunity to share our history, innovations, analyses, agreements and
> >disagreements would allow us to better share the work we are doing with
> >others.
> >
> >ACTIVITIES:
> >
> >Within two years, Indymedia will hold regional convergences.  These
> >gatherings will provide unparalleled opportunities for regional
> >coordination, communication, and networking, but their primary focus will
> >be to determine and formalize the structures, processes and critical
> >operational issues that comprise the foundation of the Indymedia Network
> >in order to build stronger regional relationships among IMCs.
> >Specifically, this grant will enable: 1. a series of regional meetings of
> >Indymedia participants; 2. the collecting of proposals and ideas from the
> >Network through local, regional, and global email lists; 3. the
> >dissemination of work from previous regional meetings to future ones and
> >the creation of additional resources for each successive regional meeting;
> >4. the conducting of interviews and surveys to elicit substantially
> >complete broad-based and network-wide, constructive feedback; and 5. the
> >education of Indymedia participants about the Network, and about networks
> >in general.  All toward the purpose of constructing: 1. decision making
> >processes; 2. methods of multi-lingual communication and document
> >development; 3. identifying technical bottlenecks; and, 4. drafting "best
> >practices" documents;
> >
> >DELIVERABLES:
> >
> >1. Education: bring the whole Network up-to-date on Network issues,
> >resources, and history.
> >2. Feedback: an extensive set of documents written by convergence
> >participants of ideas and constructive criticisms about Indymedia.
> >3. Draft Documents, such as bylaws, decision-making, and fund
> >disbursement.
> >4. An annotated list of regional issues.
> >
> >OUTCOMES:
> >
> >Internal:
> >
> >*  Increased cooperation and coordination within the Network.
> >*  Greater diversity of participation on global e-mail lists.
> >*  Faster decision-making processes.
> >*  Greater participation of IMCs from the Global South.
> >*  Creative non-email-dependent strategies for Network-wide communication
> >and representation.
> >*  Strategic, rather than strictly responsive, Network-wide media
> >collaboration.
> >*  Increased skills and capacity building.
> >*  Communication and information bridges built between technology savvy
> >and "non-tech" Indymedia groups.
> >*  Improved awareness of legal/regional issues related to Indymedia.
> >*  More equitable gender balance with more women involved in all levels of
> >the organization, including technology development.
> >
> >External:
> >
> >*  Build new and stronger international relationships.
> >*  More accountable relationship and communication with grassroots
> >movements.
> >*  Open up Indymedia to broader participation.
> >*  Better connections and communication with scholars and policy people
> >
> >BUDGET ($50,000 total):
> >
> >Financial Coordinator:  travel grant and conference funding
> >organizing/administration (leading up to and during regional conferences)
> >- $10,000 stipend disbursed over the 2-year grant period (October 1,
> >2002-September 30, 2004).
> >
> >Regional Conference Fund: travel grants, reimbursements, and direct costs
> >of conference-related activities - $40,000 to be disbursed over the 2-year
> >grant period (October 1, 2002-September 30, 2004).
> >
> >ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:
> >
> >Indymedia is an international Network of independent media collectives,
> >currently spanning over 80 cities in 3-dozen countries on 6 continents.
> >IMCs each have a local website where publishing text, images, video, and
> >audio to the newswires is open to everyone.  Local collectives of
> >media-makers, computer programmers and activists run each local website.
> >Some IMCs have facilities, wherein media trainings, production, and events
> >can take place. Many IMCs have ongoing projects in print, radio,
> >television, or video.  At the global level, Indymedia is composed of
> >numerous Network-wide working groups based upon format, process, or
> >project.
> >
> >Indymedia is rooted in a long history of media activism. Media and
> >technology activists from several countries contributed to the vision that
> >ignited the first Independent Media Center, in Seattle in late 1999.
> >During the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting, hundreds of
> >independent journalists used the www.indymedia.org website to distribute
> >authentic and immediate accounts of what was taking place in the streets
> >of Seattle. Their accounts, free from the constraints of the
> >corporate-controlled media, presented a very different view, which
> >captivated readers and audiences around the world.
> >
> >The vision of grassroots, participatory, direct-publishing journalism
> >caught on, and in the two years following the WTO protests, groups of
> >independent media makers from Australia to India, Jerusalem to Nigeria,
> >Norway to Uruguay, have organized local media centers.  Innovative
> >international media collaborations like the No New Rounds radio webcast
> >from Doha, Qatar (a
> >Greenpeace/Indymedia production), shared radio webcasts from New York and
> >Porte Alegre during the WEF protests and World Social Forum events
> >(Indymedia/Democracy Now), and the Mobile ((i)) caravan in Argentina, have
> >become hallmarks of Indymedia ingenuity.
> >
> >Indymedia is a decentralized, non-hierarchical Network, organized around
> >shared principles of direct democracy and collective decision-making. Most
> >decisions are made at the local IMC level, often using a spokescouncil
> >model with working groups acting as committees.  The local
> >IMCs make autonomous choices about organizational priorities and financial
> >issues.  Many people take on coordinator roles and exhibit leadership or
> >initiative in helping move the collective forward. Thus, leadership in
> >Indymedia is shared collectively.  Local IMC's and global working groups
> >raise their own funds, or receive them from other, contributing IMCs. The
> >global
> >Network has funds in the bank, but is currently finalizing a process for
> >distributing them.  A rough estimate of $300,000 as an annual Network
> >operating budget is an extrapolation from the budgets of several IMCs -
> >not counting the immeasurable in-kind donations of full- and part-time
> >organizers, "techies," and hundreds of passionate volunteers.
> >
> >Indymedia's decentralized structure allows for tremendous creative freedom
> >and initiative. It also creates difficulty in Network-wide
> >decision-making. One of Indymedia's greatest challenges is striking a
> >sustainable balance between the concepts of "decentralized" and
> >"networked" - having enough network-wide organization to coordinate
> >effectively, while maintaining a flexible, dynamic structure that will
> >continue to support creative impulses and impromptu collaborations. As a
> >volunteer-run organization, some participants suffer from burnout, and the
> >Network risks additional loss from the most active participants,
> >particularly when projects or forward-movement is derailed by lack of an
> >established process.  Many core Network participants have spent long hours
> >in email discussions and critiques, tackling issues of process and seeking
> >creative solutions, especially in regards to network-wide decision-making.
> >We are convinced that the important work of identifying our common ground
> >and establishing Network-wide structures cannot be done online. We are
> >encouraged by the prospect of finding support for face-to-face gatherings
> >at this critical juncture in our organization's history, and using the
> >opportunity to solidify and strengthen the positive work that has already
> >been accomplished.
> >
>
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