Preparing the WSF 2005: A Powerful Experience!

June 20, 2004

Another World Social Forum Is Also Possible

After the World Social Forum of Mumbai (India), the International Council of the World Social Forum decided last April at its meeting in Perugia, Italy, to wager on a participatory process to determine the program for the World Social Forum to be held in Porto Alegre from January 26 to 31, 2005.

As members of the Alliance, we attended this very important meeting, which opened a new phase of the WSF, and with Manola Gardez, Nicolas Haeringer, and Françoise Feugas, we worked on developing the methodology needed to enable the consultation that has just begun and gives thousands of organizations the opportunity to offer their proposals before July 30.

This consultation is a fantastic opportunity for Alliance groups to suggest what issues, problems, and proposals the WSF should deal with and what specific activities we could organize with other groups and organizations from all over the world, in new ways including not only “speaking” but other forms of expression and communication.

As explained in the WSF newsletter we are quoting below, the way to contribute to the elaboration of the WSF 2005 program is to go to www.consultafsm.org.br , read the proposals already posted, and fill out some questionnaires.

Last May, Marti also attended the meetings held in Porto Alegre for the organization of the WSF and the methodology commission in São Paulo. About 60 persons, including the Brazilian Committee enlarged to 22 members, the International Secretariat, a few commissions from the International Council, representatives for the Youth Camp, Porto Alegre organizations, and the Porto Alegre prefecture laid the foundations for another WSF to be possible in 2005 with consideration of a new venue by the lake, where it would be possible to set up places that are specifically designed for participation and aggregation. These places are to be designed and set up with the contribution of the culture, translation, economy-of-solidarity, sustainability, etc., groups.

With Nicolas and Françoise, as well as with some Brazilian Allies, we contributed the methodologies and experiences that have been developed in the Alliance. It was a powerful experience! We shall now test our ability to make this innovative possibility real, i.e., to build the Forum itself in the image of the other possible world it is announcing.

Best regards,

Martí Olivella, Sandro Guiglia

(Excerpt from the WSF Online Newsletter of July 7, 2004)

* Thematic Consultation already online!

The questionnaire is already available at www.consultafsm.org.br for the consultation that starts the mobilization for the Fifth World Social Forum (WSF), which will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from January 26 to 31, 2005.

Important changes mark this new stage of the WSF process and, to achieve them, the participation of all is fundamental. Through this questionnaire, we will try to identify which themes the various organizations that take part in the WSF process see as priority issues to discuss at the WSF 2005, and which activities they intend to hold in Porto Alegre.

In 2005, we seek to maintain the diversity of the events and transform the forum into a space that is increasingly capable of facilitating interlinkages and common actions among different participants who come together at the WSF. In order to achieve that, it is necessary to improve the process of finalizing “large events” (Conferences, Panels, Testimonies and Round Tables of Dialogue and Controversies, which the International Council defines) as well as the registration of hundreds of Seminars and Workshops that can be proposed by any organization registered for the event.

* Greater possibilities of aggregation

Allowing organizations and people who are interested in struggling towards similar goals to effectively come together in order to build links and plan common actions – during and between World Social Forum events - is as important as preserving the commitment to plurality and diversity of ideas, struggles and projects, a key feature that shows that the WSF is successful.

* The thematic consultation will facilitate this process of getting closer. By filling the consultation form out through the Internet, each organization will get to know in advance which struggles, issues, problems, proposals or challenges other organizations consider important to discuss at the WSF or which activities they intend to organize during the event. This information will be gathered in a huge database, to which all have access. Through this database, you can search to find around which issues organizations are proposing activities; or you can display all the organizations that are interested in holding activities on a certain issue, as well as obtain their contacts.

* Aggregate groups

>From July on, aggregate groups will be created to facilitate thematic areas around which there are greater concentrations of expected activities, and, therefore, the task of unifying or linking workshops and seminars is more complex. They will be created by the organizations which are interested in organizing Seminars and Workshops on that issue—or by part of them, if the rest of them agrees.

Its task will be to propose, always in a inclusive manner and with full respect of diversity, agendas of multiple activities in Porto Alegre. On the basis of the answers to the consultation, Methodology and Contents and Thematic IC Commissions will start to contact each organization to propose aggregate groups.

* Large activities

The work of the aggregate groups will not be limited, however, just to proposing aggregations and interlinkages among Workshops and Seminars that the participants intend to hold. In 2005, the so-called "large activities? (conferences, panels, testimonies and round tables of dialogue and controversy), which, until 2003, only the International Council defined, will be defined based on the consultation.

* Assuring autonomy and diversity

When registering an activity, which will be possible from September on, each organization may use as a working reference the first proposals for an agenda already elaborated by diverse Aggregate Groups, which will start working in July. These proposals of agenda will be highlighted and available on the World Social Forum Web site. It will be possible to verify whether multiple views on each theme will indeed have been included. There will be enough time to propose eventual additions or changes. However, no aggregation of activity will be imposed. Those who so wish can maintain, during the whole process, non-aggregate activities, or aggregate without the mediation of the Aggregate Groups commission.