Fw: notes from Sat.
John Falchi
Thanks for making available to others what we went over on Saturday. There is a tweaking of your initial paragraph that I think is important.
There have been, and are continuing to be, a series of meetings lead, mainly, by college students, pointing toward a big national, and local, mobilization on 10/07/10, of a diverse coalition of groups in favor of protecting education and the public sector services for the poor.
There will be a training of facilitators for the 11 am to 5 pm, 9/11/10 Summit Meeting which those with process arts skills may want to be involved with. Its time and place has not yet been agreed to, but it would have to be before the larger, 150 person or so, Summit meeting at SDSU, Physical Scinences Building, Rm. 130, and adjacent breakout rooms for three separate 45' breakout sessions during the day's program.
Rashne Limki, grad student at UCSD in charge of the Breakout Committee, at our last Breakout Committee meeting at Cocos, suggested the possibility of the room we previously used on 7/31/10, at UCSD Social Science Building, for the training one week before the 9/11/10 gathering. Yesterday, I joined the Logistics Committee, with a walk through of actual rooms to be used for the Summit on 9/11/10. They are in the process of making a switch as to how we put in for those rooms, so that we don't have to pay for each breakout room.
This preliminary activity is all pointed to a much larger outdoor rally, place tba, on 10/07/10, and similar rallies all over the country on that date, ,and a further conference on these matters previously scheduled for 10/23-24/10, and now postponed to 10/31/10---11/01/10, place tba.
For those of you who were involved in our SANDPAN organized Education gathering in the Fall of 2009, which Jeannel King and Raffi Aftandelian facilitated, this may involve some of the themes we discussed. For those of you engaged in the several months long examination of the Obama/Biden Education Plan, this may involve some of the issues we dealt with in our report to Arne Duncan, Secretrary of Education, et al.
However, these students are really interested in getting the attention of the powers that be, so this in no mere intellectual exercise. Instead, it is part of pressuring our politicians to make the necessary changes in education called for and to find the necessary money to do so by going to the power elite who are not paying their fair share of our present state budgets for services. e.g. the oil companies, in CA, unlike in other producing states, do not pay a dime to our government in order to extract precious oil from beneath our land. It is time that they cough up their fair share.
I was to an important meeting on education, particularly in the Diamond District of S.W. San diego, in the Malcolm X Library on Tuesday, 8/24/10. There, many upset parents grilled the three, black, Assistant Superintendents of School for the portions of SDUSD in that area and the Superintendent. himself. I asked Pat Washington, Jackie Nevels and Gerald Brown to see if they would like to take part in The Summit on 9/11/10 in the Pleanary Session Panel. Gerald may be available, Pa agreed to join us in the afternoon, and Jackie will be out of town.
Importantly, Jackie Nevels wants to be involved connected with 10/07/10 and beyond, nowever on 9/11 she will be lobbying officials in Wash., D.C. on our Critical Report, which Raffi Aftandelian and I helped with, She has an appointment with the Education and Labor Committee and with Rep. Susan Davis on this matter of improving our educational system in ways that the Obama/Biden Education Plan merely skimmed over.
So, we have to work on this problem at many levels. You are in a crucial position to help train others to help facilitate meetings the outcome of which will affect the total report out of this coming Summit meeting on 9/11/10. Will you be able to help on it in whatever way you may best be able to? Please let us know.
Your friend, John
____________________
John P. Falchi
San Diego, CA 92107
619-222-6036
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From: ALANNAH SINCLAIRE <asinc...@msn.com>
To: John Falchi <pace...@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thu, August 26, 2010 7:50:25 AM
Subject: notes from Sat.
My apologies for the delay. Many "distractions" including the death of my favorite aunt...
Hope this helps with todays meeting. See you at 1:00pm at the Pt. Loma Library. :)
Hugs,
Meeting With John F. on Saturday August 21, 2010 at Alannah’s house
Educational Conference October 7th is the big outdoor event at USCD on Sept 11th, there will be around 50 students to work on the questions for the Café. Planning for 3 break-out sessions – 15-20 in a planning to resolve issues = product
Needs – to have a team of facilitators and to invite groups outside the main coalition. Discussed how to invite special groups including nurses, farmers, teachers, lay folks, etc. Coalitions like Project YANO, environmental groups, Peace & Justice, Veterans’ for Peace, Rick Jancko, Kent Soble, Jackie Nevels, etc…
Outcomes – Draw out voices from diverse views and train folks (facilitators and volunteers) to really listen to others. Authentically looking at budget cuts for education, problems that result from reducing teachers and reducing time for students, cutting weak ? and how specifically can we protect the vulnerable?
Problems/Challenges –
· finding trained facilitators
· running a group vs cooperative group
· not top down
· not traditional
· agenda which comes from participants
· dynamic facilitation vs boring meeting
More ideas for conference – work with folks on Thursday as well.
Invite folks from our O&A educational conference!
Anne Dosher (85 years young) who might be of support in some way
Need to look at training of students
Videotaping – (David B. or Walter Davis)
Materials and supplies
Refreshments
*** Check into Banks and emergency funds from corporations
Give facilitators a stipend of 50-100.00 for their time and energy = create a value for all