For transparency: I have known founding members since the WSM's start. While we have had disagreements, I continue to value and maintain a longstanding friendship with an early member.
“Lessons Learned” is the only part of the statement I have read thus far.
Broadly speaking. I think these sum up point have value and can be transferred to both a lot internal and some external stuff we do. I think in smaller organizations, with often times small scatted memberships, there are some decent take-aways as written below. I am largely more concerned with having a functional organization and I think there are some things written that I agree with. I have not taken the time to dissect each of these items.
“Lessons Learned.
4.1 Until anarchists are organised in sufficiently large numbers to maintain reasonably formal membership organisations on a permanent basis that both propagandise and organise in workplaces and communities, anarchism won’t shape the outcomes of future social struggles. Until then, the electoralist left - i.e. the non-revolutionary alternative - will maintain their position as the leading ideas of our class - and, most importantly, our class will not win.
….
4.3 We learnt that it was important to have a collective project. Working as a collective through the WSM organisation has allowed each of us to contribute more to our movements - and to the significant struggles that our class has mounted in the past thirty-seven years - than we could have contributed as disparate individuals. So long as the struggle continues, there will be a need for collective organisation.
4.4 When organising for revolution, there is a tension between the creativity and experimentation that makes organisations relevant and attractive to individuals, and the organisational skills and structure building that allows an organisation to scale up and become a mass organisation. The value of organisation, including administration/‘bureaucracy’ or formal approaches to meetings, only becomes apparent over time.
4.5 The quality of democracy and decision-making in our movements is enhanced by adopting basic organising strategies such as the holding of regular meetings with formal approaches to facilitating and minute-taking. A culture of democracy and transparency is created. This facilitates the development of good relationships and trust being sustained over a long period of time. The ability to have discussions where profound disagreements come out and to reach agreements that can be implemented is crucial.
4.6 There is no substitute for meeting face to face, building relationships slowly over time, and building a sense of community. Social Centres are valuable. Significant options for collective action open up when a group or a movement have a physical space that can be used for meetings, events and storage. The setting up of such infrastructure is an important collective project for a movement or organisation.
4.7 Producing content or having a media campaign needs to be part of a conscious and considered strategy: a successful media campaign can be very empowering.
4.8 We make choices about how to fight for a new world. These choices shape the type of world we build. We recognise that people's intersectional experience of oppression and exploitation will often determine how they fight back. The principle of “nothing for us without us” is of central importance. We therefore recognise that an anarchist revolutionary organisation should be diverse and multicultural.
4.9 Our experience has confirmed that we win through organising; that our power is in our unions, our communities, and our streets. People learn their own power through success. Winning is important and so is how we win. When we win by direct action people are empowered to deliver the change that they wish to see. Direct action becomes legitimate, and, as organisers, we are able to share the power of a good example.”
Would be good to get this…
Would be good to get this actually added to the library, if anyone feels up to it?
Done. https://libcom.org…
Done. https://libcom.org/article/workers-solidarity-movement-closing-statement
cheers
cheers
For the record: I am not a …
For the record: I am not a "platformist".
For transparency: I have known founding members since the WSM's start. While we have had disagreements, I continue to value and maintain a longstanding friendship with an early member.
“Lessons Learned” is the only part of the statement I have read thus far.
Broadly speaking. I think these sum up point have value and can be transferred to both a lot internal and some external stuff we do. I think in smaller organizations, with often times small scatted memberships, there are some decent take-aways as written below. I am largely more concerned with having a functional organization and I think there are some things written that I agree with. I have not taken the time to dissect each of these items.
“Lessons Learned.
4.1 Until anarchists are organised in sufficiently large numbers to maintain reasonably formal membership organisations on a permanent basis that both propagandise and organise in workplaces and communities, anarchism won’t shape the outcomes of future social struggles. Until then, the electoralist left - i.e. the non-revolutionary alternative - will maintain their position as the leading ideas of our class - and, most importantly, our class will not win.
….
4.3 We learnt that it was important to have a collective project. Working as a collective through the WSM organisation has allowed each of us to contribute more to our movements - and to the significant struggles that our class has mounted in the past thirty-seven years - than we could have contributed as disparate individuals. So long as the struggle continues, there will be a need for collective organisation.
4.4 When organising for revolution, there is a tension between the creativity and experimentation that makes organisations relevant and attractive to individuals, and the organisational skills and structure building that allows an organisation to scale up and become a mass organisation. The value of organisation, including administration/‘bureaucracy’ or formal approaches to meetings, only becomes apparent over time.
4.5 The quality of democracy and decision-making in our movements is enhanced by adopting basic organising strategies such as the holding of regular meetings with formal approaches to facilitating and minute-taking. A culture of democracy and transparency is created. This facilitates the development of good relationships and trust being sustained over a long period of time. The ability to have discussions where profound disagreements come out and to reach agreements that can be implemented is crucial.
4.6 There is no substitute for meeting face to face, building relationships slowly over time, and building a sense of community. Social Centres are valuable. Significant options for collective action open up when a group or a movement have a physical space that can be used for meetings, events and storage. The setting up of such infrastructure is an important collective project for a movement or organisation.
4.7 Producing content or having a media campaign needs to be part of a conscious and considered strategy: a successful media campaign can be very empowering.
4.8 We make choices about how to fight for a new world. These choices shape the type of world we build. We recognise that people's intersectional experience of oppression and exploitation will often determine how they fight back. The principle of “nothing for us without us” is of central importance. We therefore recognise that an anarchist revolutionary organisation should be diverse and multicultural.
4.9 Our experience has confirmed that we win through organising; that our power is in our unions, our communities, and our streets. People learn their own power through success. Winning is important and so is how we win. When we win by direct action people are empowered to deliver the change that they wish to see. Direct action becomes legitimate, and, as organisers, we are able to share the power of a good example.”