Occupy Ottawa_0

Occupied Ottawa conference – Take Back Democracy

The Deets:

Friday June 1 – Sunday June 3, 2012
Confederation Park and Carlton University
Ottawa, ON – unceded Algonquin territory

For the schedule, please click here.

The Call Out:

TAKE BACK DEMOCRACY!

A Conference for Education, Solidarity and Action

Democracy is in crisis! With Canada’s recent robocall scandal, chronic government corruption, the exclusion of dissent and a total lack of political accountability, to speak of democracy in today’s world is becoming increasingly meaningless.

The basic democratic principles of fairness, freedom, inclusiveness, participation, transparency and equality are absent from the political systems that control our lives. We invite you to join us in reclaiming democracy and re-imagining what it is and what it could be.

The purpose of this conference is to learn from our organizing experiences, share knowledge with one another, grow our communities and develop strategies and practices for creating a better world. We hold this conference in solidarity with the Occupations, General Assemblies, unions, student movements, groups and individuals whose struggle for social justice is gaining momentum around the world, and we invite all people who are interested in lasting social justice to join us.

The agenda of the conference includes:

General Assemblies:
We will use the general assembly format to make collective decisions.

Working Group Sessions:
This is an opportunity for members of the Occupy movement and other interested individuals to meet members of working groups (media, safety, direct action, food, facilitation, medic, outreach, etc.) from other cities, to network, share their knowledge and experiences, discuss strategies, etc.

Workshops:
These sessions will help us to build the skills and knowledge needed for creating sustainable change. Workshops topics include: direct action, food security, independent media, building consensus, organizing your workplace, de-colonizing activism and community outreach.

Academic & Activist Panel Discussions:
Panel discussions will provide a forum for critical engagement on two topics.
-Neoliberalism and the Erosion of Democracy: What is the relationship between democracy and neoliberal economics? What has democracy come to mean in the neoliberal agenda and what types of democracy are rendered impossible by it?
-Occupy Everything: How was the Occupy movement sparked, what does it mean in today’s political, economic and cultural environment, what’s new (or not) about it, and where is it going?

DIY Free School:
Become less reliant on an economic system that exploits people and the environment, by learning how to do a bunch of cool stuff all on your own.

Featuring:
Great speakers, a vendor’s fair, evening entertainment, music, slam poetry, and more!

The planning committee invites and encourages your participation. We need workshop facilitators, musicians, equipment, vendors and organizers, as well as volunteers to help with info, set-up, food, media, etc. We are also seeking financial donations. If you or your local community is interested in helping out, please contact us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

The Occupy Ottawa Conference Working Group

#30#

 

Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...