(Solo en inglés. Alguien podría por favor traducir? Obrigada. Points 1-2 are
important to translate, the rest not essential at this point.)
----------------------
Dear Alfonso, (and dear Clemencia, Liza and all OurMedia-ists),

 thank you all for a great experience in PoA and greetings to all of you!
The business (in order of importance):

1. RE: submitting proposals for hosting OurMedia
When is the deadline? How will the decision be made by the steering
committee? I aggree that Clemenica's draft with questions is a bit scary and
1st worldish, but it's definetly a starting point. Clearly, not all
questions need to be answered at this point, but it's good to have a
catalogue.
 Questions for Clemencia and Liza:
- how much time by how many people is required?
Would it be feasable to have a local team and a transnational team with
well-defined responsibilities? If yes, how many people putting in how much
time?
- what are the biggest budget factors?

2. RE: holding OurMedia in Asia (FYI)
There is a small working group of people that formed in PoA - we're checking
the options. I have contacted Myun-jung Kim at MediACT in Korea, (awaiting
his response). I have also identified a potential local organizer in Taiwan.
IAMCR organizers have signalled support and cooperation in terms of
infrastructure and info-swap (space, hotels, travel agents, cultural events,
etc.). I'm working on putting a proposal for Taiwan together. I cannot be on
the conference organizing team, but I am willing to identify/confirm a team
on the ground and do the basic infrastructure-check. We also started a
discussion on holding a parallel smaller conference in South America with a
videoconferencing (?) connection to the main event. Luciana Fleischman
mentioned she would like to help organize that on the ground, and Juan
Salzaar offered technical assistance.

-----------------------
3. RE: tying up with an academic conference
Alfonso Gumuncio, you are not in favor of connecting OurMedia with IAMCR or
ICA. I think however, that it is good to to connect OurMedia with another
international communication event. It can be it an academic conference,
activist meeting or political conference/convergence.
The reasons:
- funding: if there are 2 differently billed events, there are more options
to apply for travel grants.
( We found at the final meeting in PoA that about a third of the people at
the conference got funding to come because of IAMCR. I wonder if there were
also people who could attend IAMCR because they also attended OurMedia. I
remember Aliza adding that those indirectly helped pay for many others who
self-financed. Is that right?)
- time/money/energy: activist-researchers don't have to chose between two
conferences. I do not think many of us, even 'northern academics' (to use
your word), have the resources to attend much more than one conference in a
faraway place per year.
- cooperation with the other conference/event possible in time, space,
information and promotion.  (We have not used this possibility much in the
past but we should try. Would recommend having a person who can act as a
liaison between the conference organizers.)

We could send a simple, multi-lingual questionnaire to our members to find
out about this point. However, it seems like finding a place/group of people
to organize the conference AT ALL will be enough of a challenge...

4. RE: instiutional support & holding it in the US
It is really generous and wonderful of John Downing to come forward with the
offer of institutional support through SIU- I think we should pick him up on
it. As for holding the conference in the US: I agree with you, Alfonso
Gumunicio, that that is fraught with ideological problems.

- Asia-Pacific members of the UN Beijing+10 women's conference are opposing
next year's NY location on ideological grounds (I can FW the petition).
- Practically, there's the visa problem.
- Economically, why support the US with our money?
- Besides, NY needs another alternative media event like it needs another
statue of liberty (=not at all!). There are already plenty. OurMedia
empowers the local/regional networks. Let's go where that is needed-- if we
can.

 The reason things are easy is often because that's where the hegemonic
pipelines are running. I was much inspired by the story of Brazilian
indymedia getting serious about de-centralization and holding a meeting in a
far-flung rural area.

Still, it's a pointless discussion if John D's proposal may turns out to be
the strongest or the only option.  It's up to us to create feasable
alternatives. As Berthold Brecht said- "First the feeding, then morality!"
;-)

Best,

Gabriele

Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto
Media Literacy Research Project
http://www.mlpj.org

Adbusters/Buy Nothing Day Japan
Www.bndjapan.org

On 9/20/04 21:28, "Rodriguez, Clemencia" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
> (Solo en inglés. Alguien podría por favor traducir? En caso afirmativo favor
> comunicarse con Clemencia Rodriguez en [log in to unmask])
> --------------------------------------
>
> Dear Clemencia,
>
> Thanks you for reminding us that if we want Our Media to advance, or at least
> survive, we all need to participate and contribute.  You have been the main
> support of Our Media during all these years, getting the funds and organising
> the first three conferences, and many of us rely on your proactive character
> to get Our Media still walking. However, it is not the ideal situation to have
> all the responsibilities on your shoulders.  I guess we, the members appointed
> to the Steering Committee, will have to take action, hopefully in coordination
> with you.  But I also hope the larger network will participate.  Our Media is
> not only about attending a conference once a year, but about building the
> network between conferences. We are all very busy with our work, but I don't
> think somebody is busier than others to make an excuse of it.
>
> I had suggested to the other members of the Steering Committee not to
> circulate the "long" version of the message (below), because I believed it
> could be intimidating for many people to commit with such detail. Few
> individuals would dare to respond to so many questions. And no potential host
> institutions would be in the position of offering just like that so much:
> organising, appointing people, providing funds, etc.  The "short" message I
> suggested only asked about ideas, not commitment. After that exchange, I lost
> track if we got any responses, I fear we didn't and that we are back in square
> one, which prompts me to comment some of the questions and suggestions below,
> at least those that are mostly pertinent for the "core" group of Our Media,
> who have accompanied the process during five years.
>
> As I read again the detailed message below, I felt myself intimidated. Too
> many items, some of them we could clearly deal with later (potable water,
> medical precautions, vegetarian options, leisure, exchange rates, personal
> security, credit cards, internet connectivity, etc. What means, for example,
> "linguistic barriers for international travellers"?  If we do  a conference in
> New York, there is a linguistic barrier for "international travellers" from
> many parts of the world. The assumption seems to be: if they don't speak
> English, we are in trouble.  The whole list is drafted with very
> North-centered eyes, looking at the Third World as an hostile place to be.
>
> Let's get to the essential. What do we really need to hold a conference?
> Having travelled extensively I cannot think of any city, country, let alone
> any region in the world that doesn't have the facilities to hold a conference
> for 100 or 200 people and provide whatever is needed (hotel, meeting rooms,
> food, Internet, equipments, safe water, etc). Let's not deter contributions
> with too many questions.
>
> The only items that we should be concerned right now are:
>
> First: Who do we partner with in the country where the conference will be
> held?
>
> We obviously need a good partnership, like the one we had in Barranquilla. A
> university can be ideal for many reasons, and better if that university can
> team with an NGO or a large activist network in  the country. The criteria on
> partnership should, in my view, be the first consideration to choose  the
> location for our conferences.
>
> Second: Who can we go after to get the necessary funding?
>
> For the previous meeting we had a main donor.  We may not have the same donor
> for the next meetings.  The ideal would be to have multiple donors, that
> provide for the various needs: mainly air tickets. For the rest,  I'm sure
> that if we can have a good partnership with a university in a country, we can
> also get in-kind or very cheap accommodation, meals, meeting rooms,
> secretarial support, transportation, and other logistics.
>
> We may have to make the decision of holding Our Media 5 in 2006, and every two
> years after it.  Unless we think the period of grace will not really help to
> better provide for the organisation of each new conference.
>
> Doing it every year has forced us to couple with the two main conferences:
> IAMCR and ICA, two very academic fora. I think this is not very good for a
> network that is also made of activists. We've been with ICA once, twice with
> IAMCR and once with a completely different partnership in Barranquilla,
> Colombia, in my view a good experience in terms of including academics and
> activists, and by far the only example of true integration between Our Media
> and the host university and conference. We didn't have in Washington,
> Barcelona or Porto Alegre the integration we had in Barranquilla.
>
> The argument that the big conferences (ICA, IAMCR) allow the academics to also
> attend Our Media is not, in my judgment, good reasoning. First, because it
> leaves the activists on their own, and second, because if academics have a
> true interest in Our Media, they could fight to get support from their
> departments. How many conferences does a typical academic from the North
> attend every year? Why can't Our Media be on his/her list?
>
> I believe the only way to continue with the Our Media process is doing team
> work.  We already know the cost of the previous conferences.  No need to ask
> this to newcomers or potential partners. We know the breakdown of the budget
> and we can use that information to establish: we need 40,000 or 60,000 US$ for
> Our Media 5, and this is how we are breaking down the budget...
>
> We know by now that the main difference between a conservative budget and an
> ideal budget is determined by the number of people that will be invited,
> naturally people from Third World countries. Air tickets are expensive and
> also hotels, however, doing conferences in Third World countries compensates
> the high cost of air travel (from the other Third World regions) with the low
> cost of hotels, meals, translations, logistics, etc. However, if we do it in
> Asia, for example we will have more Asians, and if in Africa, more Africans.
> And if we do it in New York or London, we will have more people from North
> America and Europe.
>
> I certainly would favour a location in the Third World, Asia in particular, as
> I mentioned in Porto Alegre.  We need the network to grow with people from
> other regions, and if we continue doing the meeting on this side of the world,
> we are only strengthening a exclusive club.  Most of us may not be able to go
> to Asia from here, but at least we will know that other interesting groups
> from Asia or Africa are joining the network.  And academics should have no
> problem, since they've been attending conferences in Kuala Lumpur or Taiwan or
> China without a blink.
>
> We don't have many proposals on the table, maybe also because our network is
> still restricted to this part of the world. Maybe we should ask our friend
> Myoung Joon Kim, in South Korea, who unfortunately didn't attend this last
> conference, to send us his ideas on the possibility (or not) of organising Our
> Media 5 in Asia.
>
> In the meanwhile, we are left with John Downing's proposal.  He is the only
> one that came forward with something very concrete, although he is not the
> only one in an academic position that allows to offer options. I said during
> my intervention in Porto Alegre, that as much as I like John and I'm a close
> friend of him for almost three decades now, I thought it was not a good idea
> to marry Our Media with a US University and send a message that could be
> wrongly interpreted among activists and academics of the world.
>
> Same thing with the issue of an institutional alliance between Our Media and a
> university.  Very little response. Again, only JDs offer. I think we do not
> have any other concrete option and we cannot continue waiting for miracles to
> happen. We should take JD's generous offer if nothing else comes in in the
> next couple of months.
>
> - Can we start by accepting the partnership, for the next 12 months and for
> the organisation of Our Media 5, between JDs university and Our Media network?
> What steps can we take for this to happen?
>
> - Can we start, based on the experience of the four previous meetings,
> drafting a realistic and very detailed budget breakdown?  If we all know how
> the funds were allocated in the previous meetings, it will be easier for us to
> contribute with new ideas about funding sources.
>
> - Can we immediately start looking for a university and/or activist group in
> Asia or Africa to team with  JDs  university on the grounds suggested above
> and hold the decision on the place and date of Our Media 5 until we explore
> other possibilities?
>
> Sorry for this long monologue,which I hope will lead to a true conversation,
> with participation of many Our Media colleagues. And sorry for sending this
> only in English, instead of Spanish and Portuguese, but I have no time to
> translate.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Alfonso
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: "Rodriguez, Clemencia" <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: "Rodriguez, Clemencia" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 06:37:21 -0500
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Issues to discuss - Cuestiones a discutir
>
>
> Portuguese y espannol abajo.
> English:
>
> Introductory Questions:
>
> * Where would you like Our Media 5 to take place?
> * When would you like Our Media 5 to take place
> * In connection with what communication event?
> Formal Request for Proposals for Our Media V
>
> In the spirit of giving everyone an opportunity to participate in building the
> Our Media network and in the hopes of having a smooth conference experience,
> we want to invite proposals from anyone who would like to host Our Media V.
>
> We realize everyone has different abilities and resources.  This request is
> meant to give potential hosts an opportunity to share with us both the
> considerations you have made in wanting to host and the resources you can
> bring to the conference.  The following framework for proposals is meant to
> stimulate a discussion about the pragmatic aspects of hosting.  Proposals
> should try to be as specific as possible about what expertise, labor, and
> resources they can (1.) guarantee, (2.) ask for, or (3.) cannot give in the
> following categories.  From all of the proposals, we will be able to perhaps
> plan not only the next conference, but also possibilities for the future.
> Please be aware that no proposal will be excluded on the basis of any one
> factor; the more information you can provide now, the better for future
> planning.
>
> Categories to Be in Proposals:
>
> 1. Rationale: Why do you think you should host OMV?
>
> Considerations:
>
> Time and place of OMV
>
> Who would be the responsible person(s) for organizing the conference?
>
> How many people in this organization or site would be working on the
> conference and how much time can be dedicated to the preparations before the
> conference (months)?
>
> Do you have or are part of an existing organization at the site that is large
> enough and willing to do the considerable footwork necessary to take care of
> the details and negotiations before, during and after the conference?
>
> How many other organizations (indigenous and community groups, universities
> and colleges, non-profit institutions) are willing to participate in the
> preparations and execution of the conference? What kind of participation would
> they have?
>
> What other events might be happening at or near the suggested time and place
> that would stimulate increased attendance and participation in OMV?
>
> 2. Funding: Please provide an estimated conference budget (you may draw from
> previous conference budgets)
>
> Considerations:
>
> How much money ($) can the host guarantee from an institution or organization?
>
> What other sources will the host look to or apply to for funds? Please give a
> realistic estimate how much more will be needed and the funding cycles.
>
> Please list any in-kind donations you expect to receive in terms of labor or
> resources.
>
> Given the above data and your estimated budget, how much would participants
> need to pay to register for the conference?
>
> Would you need other OM to raise funds to ensure the viability of the
> conference? How much?
>
> 3. Programming: How will OMV create praxis between theory and the practice of
> alternative media?
>
> Considerations:
>
> What will be the lingua(s) franca(s) of the conference? Will you be able to
> provide any simultaneous translation and in what languages?
>
> Will you be able to offer any direct contact with the surrounding community or
> community organizations?
>
> Would you be able to provide a space for media creation on site and what kinds
> of technical resources (specifically: broadband access, wireless internet,
> several computers, ability to project video, sound system, cameras, many
> electric outlets, etc.) could you offer?
>
> What kind of role do you imagine for academic participants (presentation of
> papers, discussion circles, workshops, etc.)?
>
> What facilities will be offered for the conference in terms of physical space?
> Can you offer separate spaces for different conference activities
> (registration, paper presentations, workshops, a media lab, social areas,
> small meeting rooms, etc.)?
>
> 4. Travel and Housing: How might participants attend OMV?
>
> Considerations:
>
> How would people from different areas of the world come to your location? Is
> it close to an airport and bus station?  Is there transportation from an
> airport/bus station to the site? If possible, please explain in terms of costs
> relative to other sites that have hosted OM conferences.
>
> What are the visa considerations for international travelers? Please estimate
> time and costs needed to secure visas for participants.
>
> What kind of hotel or housing accommodations are possible in different price
> ranges? Please specify how much in each price point (US$0 to US$10; US$15-30;
> US$35-50; over $US50 per night).  How many people can be accommodated in these
> places?  If possible, also specify the services for different places in terms
> of food, phone, private bathrooms, hot water and security.  Finally, would
> anyone at the site be willing host members for lodging?
>
> How can participants reserve and pay for housing in advance or on arrival?
> What currencies or credit cards would be acceptable?  Would communication be
> arranged via the host or directly with the hotel/hostel and via what media
> (phone, Internet, etc.)?
>
> 5. Meals and Relaxation
>
> Considerations:
>
> Will anyone at the site provide breakfast, lunch or snack breaks?  How much
> would this add to your proposed costs or the costs of the participants?
>
> Are there restaurants in the area within walking distance or a bus ride away?
> Please describe the variety available and average prices.
>
> Are there vegetarian options at the site or in the area?
>
> Will potable water be available in the area throughout the day?
>
> Do you expect to ´plan any entertainment or leisure during the conference?
>
> What kinds of leisure/entertainment options are available for people to plan
> on their own?
>
> 6.  Participant logistics
>
> Considerations:
>
> How will participants pay in order to attend?  How will registration be
> handled?  Can the host handle registration in advance or on-site and what
> forms of payment would be acceptable?
>
> Given estimated exchange rates, who might be excluded from participating?
>
> How much would participants be expected to pay for on site and what would be
> the acceptable means of payment (cash, credit, currencies)?
>
> What kinds of transportation are available to participants to travel around
> the site?
>
> What kinds of linguistic barriers do you foresee for international travelers?
>
> What kind of personal security issues can participants expect?
>
> What kinds of medical precautions might participants have to take (such as
> vaccines or medicines)?
>
> Can you provide maps and/or travel guides? In what languages?
>
> Can you recommend a travel agency who could accommodate foreign travelers who
> do not speak the host country´s language?
>
> Can you estimate the weather conditions at the location during the proposed
> conference time?
>
> Anything else attendees should be aware of before coming to the conference.
>
> Please send responses to Janice Windborne at [log in to unmask] or
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Steering committee 2004
> OURMedia
> =======================================
>
>