Rad Manual

Ricky

Co-optation

Most community organizations that become coopted do so to survive. The present state of capital has led to difficult situations, high levels of unemployment, and precarious work. Downsizing of state, has resulted in broad cuts to social services.

Dependency on state and foundations money has resulted in an increase in bureaucratization, professionalization, and specialization in order to comply with state and foundation guidelines and rules. While the state is opting out collective responsibility, attacking the concept of universality, democratic rights and putting the burden of social costs on individuals and community, community groups are seen as alternatives to institutions but without the financing. So emphasis is put on service providing, and on immediate needs instead of organizing mass-based movements. Militant/activist work is replaced by voluntarism/specialization/expertism. No longer are community organizations defending the exploited and oppressed and trying to socially change the structures that upholds such oppression and exploitation, but are in fact contributing to such systems.

Theory

Theory needs to be understood as an attempt to make sense of encounters, patterns, and regularities of the world so to predict outcomes of actions, and a better understanding of the world. (taken from Keith Popple's Analysing Community Work: Its Theory and Practice).

Theory explains relationships, envision possibilities.

Understand social and power relationships

Within communities theory is shaped by examining underlying values and constructing a basic social standpoint/stance. And theory about how change can take place, including discussions around human agency and social processes. (Taken for Eric Shragge's Activism and Social Change).

Direct Action:

Acting directly to represent our interest ourselves. Direct Action Refers to any action that cuts out the middle man and solves problems directly, without appealing to elected representatives, corporate interests, and other powers.

Direct action=results. Even if the results are not perfect, direct action process allows for the gain of experience, contacts, networks, and organizations.

Have a real say in society. Direct action makes us familiar with our own resources and capabilities. Power of individual and collectivity. Issues are directly raised through direct action and direct action can be applied at anytime, and in all aspects of life. Direct Action puts power into the hands that it originates from.

Direct Action Tips: Know what you are talking about. Research! Timing, Symbolism, and Location, Location, Location. Know Your rights. Know what you are getting into. Know your resources, including networks, media, allies and other groups. Planning is key Evaluate and follow up. Take the neccessary next steps.

Direct Action Examples: People start their own organization to share food with the hungry, instead of just voting for a candidate who promises to ‘solve the homeless problem’. Zines, flyers,community gardens,workshops, co-ops,workplace unions, community groups.

(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas; and “Dont Vote-Organize.)

Community Development/Organizing:

is about changing relationships between the governors and the governed, national ideals and local realities, technology and humanity. (Taken from Community Organizing: Canadian Experiences, by Brian Wharf, and Michael Clague). Is about redistributing power and resources. (Taken from Community Organizing: Canadian Experiences, by Brian Wharf, and Michael Clague). Is a site where people learn the true value of their work and how the dominant system excludes them (Friere).

Incorporation

Why incorporate? Some funding options, such as certain government grants and charitable foundations, will only grant money to incorporated non-profit organizations. Incorporation can provide advantages for an organization. It provides a legal structure that stays in place even as the active members change over the years. An incorporated non-profit can enter into contracts and have its own bank accounts.

What is incorporation: When you incorporate, you are establishing an artificial entity that is considered to be a legal person and is registered with a provincial and/or federal enterprise registrar. In Quebec, the provincial enterprise registrar is called Registraire des entreprises (www.registreentreprises.gouv.qc.ca). The federal enterprise registrar is run by Industry Canada and called Strategis (www.ic.gc.ca). Once your organization is incorporated, some information about it will be available in a register for the public to see (your address, your last submitted list board of directors, whether you filed your annual documents on time, etc.).

An incorporated non-profit organization must follow certain requirements by law. Here is a summary of some of the obligations for non-profit organizations incorporated with the province of Quebec:

• The organization must have a governing board of directors with at least

three directors who are elected by the members.

• The organization must create and follow its bylaws or “règlements

généraux” (also called the constitution by some organizations) which contain the general rules of how the organization should operate. Some of the rules you will find in the bylaws include:

• • who is eligible to be a member of the organization;
  • when the annual general meeting are held; and
  • how elections for board members occurs.
• Depending on the organization’s circumstances and activities, the nonprofit

organization may also have to meet other requirements including filing annual tax returns, paying the provincial and federal government remittances and source deductions for their employees, registering volunteers and employees for CSST (the Quebec government’s public insurance plan for work-related injuries), and applying for municipal and sales tax exemption.

Charity:

Registering as a charity is a process through the Canada Revenue Agency, different from registering as a non-profit organization. Organizations that have charitable status are exempt from income tax and can issue tax receipts for donations. Further, some funding options are only available to non-profit organizations that also have registered charitable status.

Charities need to make sure that most of their resources are spent on charitable activities. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, charitable activities are distinct from political activities. Depending on the size of your organization, only 10% to 20% of your resources can be spent on nonpartisan political activities every year. This is often referred to as “the 10% rule” although the percentage varies according to the overall annual income of your organization.

Are all types of political activities allowed? No, only non-partisan political activities are allowed. All partisan political activities are strictly prohibited. Illegal activities, are, of course, also fforbidden.

What are partisan political activities? The Canada Revenue Agency defines a partisan political activity as “one that involves direct or indirect support of, or opposition to, any political party or candidate for public office”. A charity can never endorse or oppose a political party or candidate at any government level. Partisan political activities are prohibited activities. Failure to comply with this rule can have serious consequences and result in an organization losing its charitable status. The Canada Revenue Agency (cra.gc.ca) defines non-partisan activities as anything that explicitly calls for a “law, policy or decision of any level of government” to be “retained, opposed or changed”. Non-partisan political activities are the only type of political activities charities can organize or participate in.

So with these rules and guidelines in place, we can see that Charity Status allows:

• Monitoring and control social justice movements.
• Diversion of public money into private hands.
• Manage and control dissent in order to make the world safe for capitalism.
• Redirect activist energies into career-based organizing, instead of mass-based organizing capable of transforming society.
• Allow corporations to mask their exploitative/colonial work via philanthropy.
• Encourage social movements to model themselves after capitalist structures instead of challenging them.

(Taken from Andrea Smith, the Revolution Will Not be Funded)

NGOs:

• Private sub-contractors instead of local governments, subsidized by corporate and private funders.
• Not accountable to local people.
• Divert funds from local people.
• Programs are shaped around western ideals/values.
• Subordinates local movement leadership to NGO leadership.

(From James Petras in Imperialism and NGOs in Latin America).

Education:

• "...vision of progressive revolutionary change was based of the role of critical education in achieving mass political consciousness with democratic, grassroots base rather than an elite leadership"-(Margaret Ledwith in Community Development: A Critical Approach, talking of Antonio Gramsci).
• Midwest Academy Strategy Chart: P. 156 from E. Shragge 1st course pack.
• As social anarchists we inherit a body of theory (based on experience) that appears to grow more powerful as time passes. For us an analysis of power relations that locates oppression in hierarchy and domination gives us insights into many contemporary social movements -- insights that many in these movements may miss themselves. However, while we have the bare bones of an overarching social theory, we are obliged to learn from the new social movements in order to flesh out that theory. Thus we actively listen and learn from people of color about Eurocentrism and other forms of racism, from gay and lesbian activists about heterosexism and homophobia, from animal advocates about speciesism, etc.colin wright

Dos/donts/tips/tricks

Meetings

Tips for Meetings: 1) Tone and Body Language: Be aware of how your attitude influences others as well as the effectiveness of the meeting. Make thoughtful comments that maintain a positive and constructive vibe. 2) Stay on Topic/Make Concise Statements: Respect the goals of the meeting by making succinct comments that pertain directly to objectives addressed in the agenda. Evaluate your comments as to whether they assist or divert the direction of the meeting. 3) Step Back, Step Up: Notice how much you raise your hand and/or speak. Be aware of others who have not spoken and the environment in which they would feel comfortable to do so. If you aren’t speaking but have something to add, assert yourself with the understanding that your comment will be heard and respected. Don’t simply wait for your turn to talk. LISTEN. 4) No Offense/Defense: Meetings should not be about winners and losers or personal attacks. Offensive and defensive behaviour and accusations detract from the objectives of the meeting. Be sensible about the intentions of others by giving them the benefit of the doubt. 5) Respect the Role of the Facilitator Help the facilitator make the meeting effective. This does not mean pointing out minor mistakes, but rather allowing the facilitator to do their job to better the outcome of the meeting. It is not a personal attack when the facilitator fails to put you on the stack in the correct order. 6) We're in this Together: Meetings of activists and organizations generally would not happen if the people in them weren’t committed to similar ideas and held similar values. Try to keep in mind that a grassroots organization is a joint effort which requires a healthy, positive, give and take atmosphere. Meetings should be productive in order to leave with specific plans and that great feeling of achievement and solidarity!

(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)

• Zine Library

http://zinelibrary.info/

Mel

Art/Photographs/Spoken Word/Symbols

Art

• Claire Fontaine- Ready-Made Artist and Human Strike http://zinelibrary.info/ready-made-artist-and-human-strike

"What I'm trying to do is point to a future when art will no longer exist as a category seperate from life."-Jerry Dreva

• culture that is part of liberation

Womyn

• Men in Feminism: Men must struggle to create for themselves a kind of experience of their own gender location which male supremacy has forbidden.Sandra Harding ( p.286)
• Feminism and the Liberal/Radical Split: the achievement of full freedom for women (all women, not a privileged few) presupposes such profound economic, social and political changes that, were such a historical development to take place, the present status quo could not and would not survive. Hester Eisenstein (p. xvii)
• A serious anarchism must also be feminist, otherwise it is a question of patriarchal half-anarchism, and not real anarchism. Anarchist Federation of Norway
• Feminist radicals, in contrast to feminist liberals, believe that the entire system -- patriarchal liberalism -- is a flawed construct, designed by and for men in their own interest. Thus, for these feminists, feminism is nothing less than revolutionary.
• Co-optation leads to grassroots feminist organizations becoming services in and of themselves, and extensions of the social services delivery system.

Space:

People must be highly organized and active to influence power...need to create space to organize, create, build organizations to increase their power, capacity, and influence.

Site where people learn true value of their work and how dominant system excludes them. Teaching of history if the oppression of particular groups so that community members can understand, articulate, and recognize the forces that oppressed them...raises political consciousness. People need a space to share experiences and knowledge, be creative. Workshops

Glossary

• • co-optation: Co-optation, that is the assimilation of something different into the mainstream, is a constant problem for any political movement.
  • Direct Action: Acting directly to represent our interest ourselves. Refers to any action that cuts out the middle man and solves problems directly, eithout appealing to elected reps, corporate interests, and other powers. (taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)
  • Consensus: A process which requires an environment in which all contributions are valued and participation is encouraged.(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)
  • Gender fluidity: The belief that social constructions of gender identity and gender roles lie along a spectrum and cannot be limited to two genders; a feeling that one's gender varies from societal notions of two genders.
  • Pansexual: A term of choice for people who do not self-identify as bisexual, finding themselves attracted to people across a spectrum of genders.
  • Privilege: Special rights, advantages, or immunity granted to, or assumed by, certain groups and considered by them as their right; for example in the United States, privilege accrues mostly to whites, to heterosexual people, and most of all, to white, heterosexual males.
  • Intervention: Action to change a situation for the better; a deliberate, organized effort to improve the circumstances of one or more individuals by altering the environment, policies, and/or circumstances facing or affecting those individuals
  • Affinity Group: An affinity group is a small group of 5 to 20 people who work together autonomously on direct actions or other projects. You can form an affinity group with your friends, people from your community, workplace,or organization. Affinity groups challenge top-down decision-making and organizing, and empower those involved to take creative direct action.(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)
  • Collectives:A collective is a permanent organizational grouping that exists to accomplish a range of tasks or achieve a goal or maintain a permanent project.
  • Federation: Federations are essentially unions of autonomous organizations and/or affinity groups. Federations are formal organizations with constitutions, bylaws, and specific membership guidelines.(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)
  • Participation :
  • Direct Democracy : Literal direct democracy is a bottom up method of decision making that uses voting as the means to arrive at decisions. In direct democracy, anyone can call a vote on an issue and anyone can technically call an assembly, however, a group or council can draft and approve guidelines for calling votes and calling assemblies.(taken from Shawn Ewald's Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas.)
• Anarchism: "While the popular understanding of anarchism is of a violent, anti-State movement, anarchism is a much more subtle and nuanced tradition then a simple opposition to government power. Anarchists oppose the idea that power and domination are necessary for society, and instead advocate more co-operative, anti-hierarchical forms of social, political and economic organisation." (The Politics of Individualism, p. 106) L. Susan Brown
• Despite the popular idea of anarchists as violent men, Anarchism is the one non-violent social philosophy.… The function of the Anarchist is two-fold. By daily courage in non-cooperation with the tyrannical forces of the State and the Church, he helps to tear down present society; the Anarchist by daily cooperation with his fellows in overcoming evil with good-will and solidarity builds toward the anarchistic commonwealth which is formed by voluntary action with the right of secession.

— Ammon Hennacy, The Book of Ammon, 1964

• Community :Part of the problem here is that the word has multiple meanings and can refer to small geographical communities (such as neighbourhoods or estates), social

networks (online communities) or interest groups that serve a particular purpose (eg. Gay and lesbian activist communities).

• Organizing : This term can mean different things to different communities. Organizing can refer to the process of base building and strengthening social movements by working with people in affected communities to define their objectives, and co-creating a strategy to achieve those objectives. Other organizing models focus more on engaging people outside of affected communities to support an issue or campaign. Yes, there is a tension between the two. Organizing activities, no matter the tactical model, can include education, outreach, power mapping, advocacy, civil disobedience, long-term relationship building, and targeting decision makers to affect policy.

Social action : Marginalized :Marginalization is a form of oppression. Lack of capacity to participate politically, socially and culturally. Whole category of peoples, for example but not limited to people of colour, old people, unemployed, youth, single mothers, dis/abled is expelled from useful partcipation in social life and thus potentially subjected to severe material depravation and extermination. (from Iris Marion Young from Five Faces of Oppression). Power : Social division of those who have authority, status. Ability to affect change. Process : Sustainable : Grassroots :refers to bottom-up political processes which are driven by groups of ordinary citizens, as opposed to larger institutions or wealthy individuals with concentrated vested interests in particular policies. Change : Capacity building : meaning developing the capacity and skills of the members of a community in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society. Providing opportunities for people to learn through experience - opportunities. Involving people in collective effort so that they gain confidence in their own abilities and their ability to influence decisions that affect them. Solidarity : Unite people towards a common ends and unity. Based on mutual trust Structure : System(ic) :

• • Safe space: A place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age, or physical or mental ability; a place where the rules guard each person's self-respect and dignity and strongly encourage everyone to respect others
  • Oppression : Refers to the subordination, marginalization, and exclusion from society of these groups, thereby denying them social justice, citizenship, and full democratic rights to participate in society. (Margaret Ledwith in Community Development: A Critical Approach). Oppression is structural and refers to the vast and deep injustices some folks suffer as a consequence of often unconscious assumptions and reactions of well-meaning people in ordinary interactions, media, and cultural stereoptypes, and structural features of bureaucratic hierarchies and market mechanisms. (Taken from Iris Marion Young, Five Faces of Oppression).
  • Sexual minority: An umbrella term for people whose sexuality is expressed in less common ways; may include people who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two-Spirit, third gender, and so on.
  • Two-Spirit: A term whose definition varies across Native American cultures, but which generally means a person born with one biological sex and fulfilling at least some of the gender roles assigned to both sexes; often considered part male and part female or wholly male and wholly female; often revered as natural peace makers as well as healers and shamans.

• • Oppression: refers to a social dynamic in which certain ways of being in this world--including certain ways of identifying or being identified--are normalized or privileged while other ways are disadvantaged or marginalized. Forms of oppression include racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, anti-Semitism, ablism, colonialism, and other "isms."

• • Anti-Oppression: aims to challenge multiple forms of oppression.

advocacy : Poor : Intervention : Asset-based : Mobilization : Neo-liberal agenda: LGBTQ : Political : Ecological : Non-profit organizations : Incorporation : Social Economy : Cooperative :

Other

Community org. and CED practice (J.Panet Raymond's coursepack)

• Self-mobilization : spread if government and NGOs provide an enabling framework of support. Such self-initiated mobilization may or may not challenge existing distributions of wealth and power.

Pretty’s typology of participation (1995) p.46

• Space :

p.47

• Participation :

p.48, p.50 p.62. Community org. and CED practice

• Organizing :

p.53, p. 54, p.58 - SIMs : single issue mobilisation - approaches; community development and social action p.55, 56

• Ten tools for organizing power (p.59, p.64)

Activism and social change (shragge)

• Theory p. 60-61

• Organizing models : p. 68-69-70

Crypto-anarchism/techno-anarchism

[10:43:42 PM] David H. Mason: well the internet is supposed to be promote autonomism.. check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto-anarchism ... and there are a lot of libertarian trends.. would be interesting to link them.. hah hah.. libcom is supposed to be include these perspectives, derived from software and media piracy, but you'd also run into cryptography and survivalist types.. http://www.google.ca/search?q=site%3Alibcom.org+anarchism+technology

• [10:43:56 PM] Mélanie Hughes: perfect thanks
• [10:46:07 PM] David H. Mason: well i hope you run across http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Anarchism hah hah

quotes

• Today the task is to make the system comply with the transformation of the world.Raoul Vaneigem

• “The radical of one century is the conservative of the next. The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out, the conservative adopts them.” -Mark Twain

• “Radical simply means grasping things at the root."” Angela Davis

• "If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice, have recognition for difference without attaching difference to privilege."-bell hooks

• "Feminist education -- the feminist classroom -- is and should be a place where there is a sense of struggle, where there is visible acknowledgment of the union of theory and practice, where we work together as teachers and students to overcome the estrangement and alienation that have become so much the norm in the contemporary university."-bell hooks

Layout

Page 1: Title Page: Title + image

Page 2: Table of Contents

Page 3: Radical/progressive definitions. Taken from internet, interviews and Vox Pop.

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