View source for InterOccupy

'''= InterOccupy.org provides channels of communications between GAs, Work Groups and Occupiers across the Occupy movement.''' 

URL = http://interoccupy.org/


=Description=

"We at InterOccupy seek to foster communication between individuals, Working Groups and local General Assemblies, across the movement.  We do this in the spirit of the Occupy Movement and general assemblies which use direct democratic and horizontal decision-making processes in service to the interests of the 99%.

We are currently hosting weekly conference calls using the Maestro conference call technology that allows up to 500 people to interact productively on phones.  Maestro allows for smaller group breakout sessions so people with shared interests can connect in the middle of a large call.  Our Weekly General Call is every Monday night."
(http://interoccupy.org/about-io-post/)


=Interview=

"Dan Nowman: What are your thoughts on Interoccupy, occupy groups coming together in regions, nationally, etc. to communicate. Has that been successful in your view and how do you see that moving forward?

'''David DeGraw:''' I see Interoccupy as a key future element of the movement. What Interoccupy has been able to achieve in such a short time with such limited resources is phenomenal. Coordinating all of the camps, getting them into conference calls, really opening up the lines of communication amongst the camps is so key, so I’m fully supportive of Interoccupy and those efforts. The efforts around having a national GA (General Assembly), that really scares me. In my opinion, that’s way too much centralization. I don’t think that there should be some sort of national body that makes some sort of decree for the movement or anything like that. I’m all for having a national conference or a national summit where people from around the country can go and organize and I’m all for building communications around the nation and even internationally, but when it comes to a national GA making decisions for the movement, I’m definitely against that."
(http://thefutureofoccupy.org/2012/03/04/david-degraw-one-of-the-original-occupy-wall-street-organizers-the-nowman-interview-part-one/)



=Example=

InterOccupy organizes [[Large-Scale Conference Calls]]:

"Local occupations around the country are linking up through frequent, massive conference calls, tightening what is now an extremely loose national network that operates under the Occupy banner into a more focused force.

The effort, now known as InterOccupy, started out of Occupy Wall Street in New York in mid-October. It has since grown into an elaborate website with multiple weekly phone calls during which occupiers trade ideas, coordinate multistate actions, and plan for the future. Participants at about 150 occupations around the country (and a few internationally) have now participated in the calls, organizers tell me.

“The [weekly] national calls have brought people together, including people who are otherwise isolated in their own occupations,” says Nate Kleinman, an Occupy Philly participant and InterOccupy organizer. “There’s usually a strong particular culture at individual occupations. It’s immensely valuable to have a place once a week where people come together from across the country and share ideas and their hopes for what the movement can accomplish.” (http://www.salon.com/2011/12/26/occupations_in_winter/)


=Discussion=

Larry Swetman (InterOccupy - Occupy Philly):


"InterOccupy: Putting Our Principles Into Practice
As The Occupy Movement transitions from encampment to organization, we must
take special pains to create and solidify direct and reliable lines of communication
between General Assemblies (GA) nationally and worldwide. However, as we expand
our vision and mission to a multi-GA level we must be meticulous in our commitment to
open, horizontal, and democratic values. Our process is our message and we cannot allow
anyone or any group to centralize the flow of information. In order to facilitate this kind
of cooperation, individuals from across the Movement would need to work together in a
decentralized way to build bridges of communications between GA-sanctioned working
groups dedicated to inter-occupation communication. Such a model would provide
reliability, transparency, and accountability from the local level up. National and
International communication, cooperation, and coordination is possible as long as we
adhere to our values.

InterOccupy (IO) is a GA-sanctioned group of individuals from across the
Movement dedicated to openly and transparently building these bridges to provide the
opportunity for the Movement as a whole to drive itself forward. What started in the New
York General Assembly has evolved into an organizational effort from LA to
Philadelphia to Kalamazoo, MI and beyond. By providing national conference calls,
weekly themed calls, and providing a GA-accountable call request service, IO has
passively helped to provide coordination hubs for actions such as N17, the West Coast
Port Shutdown, and multiple Regional Gatherings. All these efforts were directly
initiated, planned, and implemented by local working groups working together with a
common goal. The brilliance of IO is that the team, which is open to any active and
committed sympathizer of the Movement, does not suggest topics or actions. The team
simply provides technical assistance in order to enable the use of straw polls, breakout
groups, and the ability to do direct responses, twinkle fingers, and stack. If necessary, IO
also offers the services of excellent facilitators from across the country that can provide
help when needed. With a strong sense of support new participants are ushered into the
process to be self-empowered and utilize the tools available to organize their own calls.

As we move into Occupy 2.0 we need to the initiative to communicate with each
other to begin to coordinate and organize. This takes a great deal of discipline, drive, and
accountability but thankfully we now have the tools necessary to organize and share ideas
on a national and international scale. InterOccupy provides the tools to make this happen.

All we need now is the willingness to come together and put our principles into practice."


[[Category:OccupyWallStreet]]

[[Category:15M Movements]]

[[Category:Movements]]