[New-imc] [Imc-communication] PASSED -- emergency funding

[Petros Evdokas]

> Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 11:00:30 -0500 (CDT)
> From: Sascha Meinrath <sascha at ucimc.org>
> To: imc-finance at indymedia.org
> Cc: imc-sa at lists.indymedia.org, <imc-process at indymedia.org>,
>         <translation at indymedia.org>, <imc-communication at indymedia.org>,
>         <finance at ucimc.org>
> Subject: [Imc-communication] PASSED -- PROPOSAL D: emergency funding for South Africa IMC
> 
> SYNOPSIS:
> 
> Proposal "D" -- $2,200 in emergency funding for South Africa IMC passed by
> consensus of the Global IMC-Finance Working Group.  Proposal is posted
> below along with 4 concerns raised by Working Group participants during
> discussion of the proposal.
> 
> ***
> 
> TEXT OF PROPOSAL:
> 
> http://kropotkin.indymedia.org/moin/moin.cgi/FinanceWorkingGroupSummary
> 
> PROPOSAL D:POSTED: August 28, 2002 by Francois (South Africa IMC; via Sascha)
> DISCUSSION PERIOD: August 28-30, 2002
> DECISION DEADLINE: August 30, 2002 (Noon GMT)
> PASSED: August 30,2002
> 
> To approve the following expenditures for media equipment and supplies for
> the South Africa IMC following our emergency funding proceedures:
> 
> 1 dv camera R15 000.00 (1,500 US$)
> Mini-disk player R4 000.00 ( 400 US$)
> Dv & md cassettes R2 000.00 ( 200 US$)
> Printing R1 000.00 ( 100 US$)
> 
> TOTAL R22 000.00 (2,200 US$)
> 
> ***
> 
> CONCERNS RAISED:
> 
> ted <ted at urbanweb.net> -- asked for a moratorium on equipment purchases
> until we can investigate other options (e.g. bulk buying; field testing).
> 
> Ilias <ilias at anti2004.net> -- clarifying the finance process
> 
> lady red kitten <ladyredkitten at hotmail.com> -- timely summaries &
> translations to languages other than english
> 
> Petros Evdokas <petros_cyprus at burleehost.net> -- dialogue about our
> Membership, our Mandate, our Guidelines, our Decision-Making Process.
> 
> ***
> 
> NEXT STEPS:
> 
> 1.  The South Africa IMC should contact the UCIMC finance team
> <finance at ucimc.org> to arrange for fund disbursement.
> 
> 2.  The Global IMC-Finance Working Group should address the 4 concerns
> raised during the decision-making process.

> --------------------------- 


Sascha,

Thank you so much for sending this to imc-
communication.
I'm hoping that our evolving group of liaisons (imc-
communication) will start being better informed this
way, about decisions which have network-wide
implications for all of us. 

I'm also hoping our imc- finance imc process will
become better streamlined (especially in clarifying its
Membership criteria) and accountable to the whole imc
network. Your  notification sets a very good precedent,
which I hope will help us be guided out of a certain
confusion about our roles. For many individuals who are
involved in imc, our anti-hierarchy structure is
misinterpreted to mean "unaccountable" and
"irresponsible". I feel that as volunteers we are
creating a higher sense of unity and cohesion among us
when we willingly and consciously *choose* to be
accountable and responsible.

It may sound as empty words and slogans. But the truth
is, right now, there is not a *single* collective imc-
body among us to which anyone is accountable. Imc-
finance might have made this decision and never
notified anyone.  I'm *very* thankful for your sense of
accountability and responsibility. I hope that
eventually we can create procedures and bonds among us
of such a high quality, desirable by all, inspiring to
all, which will constitute an imc- wide collective body
worthy of being the one to which we will all *want* to
be accountable. Also, that our financial, technical,
and all other activities will become woven into a
unified, purposeful whole. 

This last part necessitates the maturation of our
liaisons group (imc- communication), which at the
moment is still emerging and only now becoming
conscious of itself. As a group of liaisons, we still
lack an understanding of how many things are happening
among us (imc "administrative events") every day which
have implications for the whole network, and which
should be *at least* made known to imc- communication,
if nothing else. For example, we have new imc groups
being formed every few weeks, and sometimes every few
days! Imc- communication is never notified of these
"administrative events" so that we can make the
necessary invitations, contacts, in order to be enabled
to build bonds with our new colleagues in the right
direction.
Also, our liaisons group (imc- communication), still
does not have liaisons from every local, regional, and
global imc- group, so the relevance of our 
communications is reduced. We can easily fix all that!

Your announcement sets an excellent precedent. I hope
we can create many versions of this type of exchange
and co-operation among our various work- groups.

Thanks,
Petros
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