Minutes Climatico Chat Meeting November 7

present: Nina(Brighton), Pieter, Trasgu, Shine (all in Amsterdam), Jelena (Belgrade)

Since we were not that many people at the 'meeting' and the main thing to discuss was whether we think we should go ahead with the project or not, the discussion directed itself to the important issues. We mainly discussed factors that could make a definite No! for the project and later made a quick overview of urgent tasks and task division. These notes are structured by the points that were discussed: Commitment, Safety, Contacts, Time line, Project idea, Funding, Tasks, Task division [<-IMPORTANT to check], Next meeting

proposal for next meeting: 7pm gmt, 8 European time (same time as last time) sunday in two weeks - November 21

WHO IS GOINT TO WORK ON THIS PROJECT. How much time can any of you devote to it in the next 9 months? It's not gonna be spread out evenly and it's definitely gonna get real crazy over the summer.

I really would like to commit. Chukki was telling to Shine, how KRRS wants to organize a caravan from South India to meet the farmers in the North and collect the European caravan. I would not like to work in funding, since I am really working in funding for other projects. But I can commit to work in contacts in SA, including Pakistan and Iran. From January I will be in India. i think that i have enough time at least the next 4 months but i do not have experinace in fund raising I'd like to commit in the order of 10hrs a week from now To me it seems interesting and I can try to see how far I can stretch my time. I also wanna talk to ppl in London about it - have an idea for a PGA london meeting before the anarchist bookfair end I will go to south america for four months, leaving early february. until I leave I have three months. besides my other commitments, I can only commit say 4 hours per week. I think I will follow the project, possibly work on contacts in Latin America and do limited work while away.

Now, we can collect commitments here at this chat, but there should be more people who are willing to help if we decide to go ahead with the project. There are mroe people on the list and the people we knwo couldn't make it today.

SAFETY just wanted to have that said that sure it's possible to travel through that region. people do it all the time but they are no big group of mainly white, western politically active people - the group could be an easy target. I think it is possible to work around this safety issue, just we have to be aware of that it's a BIT different from just a normal group of tourists trafelling ... There are, off course, largely white gropus of peopel active in Iran, Pakistan and Nepal. Mountaineers. Given the recent histroy of the proposed route something big may happen anyway. Maybe something to think about; emergency strategy for during the trip.

CONTACTS I would like to support from Asia, so I could be in the part of contacts in Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal. Probably, as I say in February a delegation will go to Pakistan. I can try to find some contacts in turkey and i have some in Bulgaria this is on the begining of the route I think it's great if Trasgu lobby for and make contacts to the groups in thes countries. thought as we get closer to the project, we need to make direct links between Europe and the countries that are between us and India.

TIME LINE There will be a gender two or three days conference before the "normal" one.

THE PROJECT IDEA - the message we want to bring, the groups we want to meet along the route. this is similar to/in line with what many of us do often enough in actions so as a political project it should be interesting enough for people to get involved with. ideas: - we have a multiple message. - Meeting people that could be related to pga and to the message in our choice of transport (climate and resources)

FUNDING I think the main important part for funding is to have a nice soft project, and to know who are funders. We can made a list of possible funders and maybe distribute between us. I can help with doing the list. Regarding fundings, there are a couple of rich NGOs in the Netherlands. If possible, maybe I can meet Anne and make a list with names of NGOs and contacts inside.

TASKS proposes we should have working groups with AT LEAST two people in each, for the following tasks: FUNDING CONTACTS in each country (for logistics, travel and organising events, safety) ROUTE MEDICAL/Vaccination CONTENT FINANCE group. different from funding, for collceting information on what things are expected to cost, who can put together the budget.

what is even more important, we need to start writing on a project desscription,, that can be used for funding application but also to get more people involved. who would like to work on this outreach text. who will help to make a plan over what we need (outreach text, what funding, waht information/reasearch, where to send things, how to get people involved....etc) A Project Plan!

so, I know this looks a lot but IF we want to get together a project like this - this is whhat it is. a lot of work! on the other hands, if we were just a a group of friends who wanted to go to Nepal by land, we would gather all this information for ourselves and just arrange it within the group. what we have now, is a group of people liking and wanting to work on this idea but who also think it's important and is willing to take on to organise it also for those other people we are expectin will travel to Nepal. I hope there will be enough people to make all this worth it. I don;t know at this point who will take on all these tasks and I don't know if the absense of these people means we can take a decision without them. we shouldn't go on working/researching endlessly without taking a decision about the caravan but we should maybe be some mroe people when we decide. at least the people who are going to commit (besides us). we could call for another meeting. and make it better this time. I realised this afternoon that I should have emphasized on this meeting on the list, to remind people and to invite people who were not in London that this is a meeting for all of us. maybe they didn't feel invited.

TASK DIVISION - shine, Pieter and Jelena will work on a first project text, to use for outreach and funding. trasgu will send it around to Asian lists and contacts in Milan. - jelena will do the call out for the next meeting and will set up the working groups - trasgu will keep looking for information on routes and contact to groups in the countries we will pass through (mainly Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal). will help with making a list of possible funders.

we will continue with our research and with establishing contacts along a route that we find physically possible and as safe as possible. we can get invaluable information and advice on this from our contacts in the region.

everyone will continue to do research on what safety, legal and medical needs are required when travelling from their home country/region.

and in general, we cannot find any objections against this project that would make it absolutely impossible!

******** comment: post as much info as possible to the list, to activate people and speed up the process or the work...

NEXT MEETING Is sunday evening suitable? we could decide to have caravan meetings this time every second sunday. we will have to ask people...like why they coulnd't make it this time. maybe this is not a good day/time at all! if it turns out that people cannot make it on sundays, we can do as some groups do; move the meeting one day further each time. so today a sunday, next time a monday etc. or likewise with the time; this time at 8pm, next time at 9pm etc (Western European time)

-- LenA - 21 Nov 2004
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