MINUTES first SNOW Coordinating Committee meeting, December 26, 2002 members of the Interim Committee:  Brenda Collier, facilitating;  Jean Buskin, notetaking;  Rad Cunningham, Ellen Finkelstein, Howard Gale, Fred Miller;  plus SNOW members:  Ellen Bovarnick, John Morris, Sheila Morris We are just an interim committee, and our job is to MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS to the general SNOW meeting which has the decision-making power. SHORT ISSUES: NEED FOR A TECH WORKING GROUP.  Ellen Finkelstein, SNOW web master Carl Meyer, Cindy Young, and SNOW list serv manager Tom Shea are already a loose working group.  We will call for additional members.  Ellen volunteered to see that someone writes up what they do (maintain web site, manage list servs, etc.), and whom people should contact for what. Important technical jobs need backup people, and we especially need people with php skills for the web site. NONVIOLENCE TRAININGS NEEDED.  The CD committee has met the past 2 Mondays and will meet again Monday Dec 30, 2 p.m. at Cafe au Lait, 2114 NE 65th, Seattle.  Ellen Finkelstein and John Bito are working on scheduling NV trainings, especially the weekend of Jan 4 -5, and Jan 11 - 12.  A training is tentatively set for Jan 4 to be facilitated by Ellen and Erica Kay.  Erica plans a T4T, a session to train people to run NV trainings. It would be great to get a trainer in many neighborhood groups.  We need to make sure the neighborhood groups are contacted and the training dates get on the web so people can RSVP & attend.  Ellen Finkelstein agreed to be a contact for neighborhood groups with members wanting NV trainings. FACILITATOR FOR NEXT MEETING.  Brenda volunteered.  Fred will bring flip charts. LONGER ISSUES VISION FOR SNOW'S FUTURE.  Discussion:  are we to be a coalition or an organization and what does that mean?  Who does the work and who makes the decisions and what is the most fair and what is the most democratic and what is the most welcoming to new people and how does SNOW relate with member organizations and with neighborhood groups?  Lots of questions, few answers. We all agree SNOW needs a STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. We all agree SNOW SHOULD PROVIDE to neighborhood groups resources such as leaflets, moral support and experience, and NV trainings.  Conversely, neighborhood groups can support SNOW, for example publicizing and participating in big SNOW events.  But neighborhood groups are largely autonomous. LEAFLETS - we agreed and Howard will implement getting another batch of 5000 of the 4 page folded leaflet.  We also agreed to work on a simpler leaflet, half of an 8 1/2 x 11 page, with neighborhood groups having the option of printing on the back.  Rad will contact Ruth Yarrow and Cindy Young who have been working on literature. Q:  are NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS MEMBERS OF SNOW? A:  not necessarily, but some of them assume they are.  Organization membership in SNOW has always meant the organization agrees with the SNOW Points of Agreement and wants to formally affiliate as a member.  The groups that formed Dec 8 had no requirement to agree or affiliate.  We all agree we need to make sure the neighborhood groups understand this.  (Mike Yarrow did send out an email to neighborhood group contacts saying this, but we're not sure how many groups received and read that.)  This is a chore for the neighborhood support / coordinating working group (see below) It was suggested we have a QUARTERLY ASSEMBLY, perhaps similar to the Dec 8 Garfield event, where neighborhood groups can hear from one another, and we have a chance to all be together. There is a lot of support for the concept that PEOPLE WHO DO WORK, such as taking responsibility for groups and actions, should be on the coordinating committee, as they are in a better position to make informed decisions and recommendations to the full membership;  but the exact form this takes is still vague. Q:  WHO SHOULD BE REPRESENTED on the coordinating committee? A:  WORKING GROUPS and NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS. What is a WORKING GROUP? EXISTING WORKING GROUPS **NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT / neighborhood organization coordinators.  After the Dec 8 organizing meeting, 5 people took on the role of contacting neighborhood groups to make sure contact info gets on the web, that lists interested in CD are compiled, etc. **CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE - a committee has been meeting.  leaflets are being prepared, and an action for Jan 16 (anniversary of start of Gulf War) is under consideration. **OFFICE / ADMINISTRATIVE such as the work Brenda is doing as treasurer and Mike Yarrow is doing as info contact, and Fred is finding volunteers NEEDED WORKING GROUPS (which we recommend have representation on the Coordinating Committee) *EDUCATION / OUTREACH / literature / cartop signs / speakers / media / tech *PRODUCTION / events / action support / logistics PROPOSAL - the five starred working groups above each can name a representative to the coordinating committee.  We recommend that they name an alternate, but try to have the same person attend so the coordinating committee develops good working relationships. PROPOSAL - we recommend the neighborhood groups come up with volunteers to be on the coordinating committee who a) are active in their neighborhood group b) agree to serve as liaison for several neighborhood groups.  That means they would contact the other neighborhood groups before each coordinating committee meeting and some to the meeting with information, suggestions, and concerns from their own and the other groups. We recommend that there be 6 neighborhood reps on the coordinating committee, for a total of eleven people on the committee. PROPOSAL:  interim coordinating committee members to continue to serve until they are replaced, a few 'permanent' members to be added at the Dec 30, Jan 7, and succeeding meetings.  That is, we don't need to get all eleven members (assuming we adopt that plan) on Dec 30.  It will take time to form the new working groups and for the neighborhood groups to come up will nominees.  If the general meeting approves the plan, we want each of the 3 existing working groups to name their reps as the first 'permanent' members. COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETINGS. The interim committee will meet at 6:15 before the General meeting Dec 30 at Phinney Neighborhood Center [Linda Ellsworth confirmed we can meet there].  This and all CC meetings are open, but this particular meeting will only be a recap and deciding who presents what. We agree we need to meet weekly for now. GENERAL MEETINGS We agree that we should go to every other week, as most people have neighborhood meetings, working group meetings etc.  We agree we shouldn't start the meetings with boring items, and that we need to try to limit the time that new ideas (not on the agenda) are given, however passionate the presenter or brilliant the idea.  Brenda will invert our customary agenda putting items such as finance toward the end. UNEXPECTED AGENDA ITEMS.  Some discussion that if someone comes in with a brilliant idea, a CC member takes them aside to discuss and then decides whether it's appropriate to add (no consensus on the wisdom of this idea). Anyone can put out ideas on our unmoderated list serv, and anyone can bring written proposals to the meeting. PROPOSAL for the general meeting:  after our Jan 7 meeting, we go to alternating Mondays or Tuesdays. WELCOMING NEWCOMERS - a lot of different ideas about what is welcoming and what is off-putting to newcomers.  Fred volunteered to make a point to talk to newcomers. EMERGENCY RESPONSE.  We barely had time to mention this.  SNOW has day 5. That is, "Day Of" a start of a massive war is day one, "Day After" is day 2, and then each participating groups gets day 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.  We have responsibilities for speakers & musicians on days 1 and 2.  Full responsibility (peacekeepers, decide if we want a sound system, program, etc.) for day 5.  Everyone is encouraged to recommend speakers, musicians, etc to Brenda and Fred, who are serving as SNOW reps.  The other 4 groups are Church Council, Not In Our Name, WA Greens, No War Against Iraq Coalition. SNOW participation in MLK DAY ACTIVITIES - Brenda pointed out after the meeting we were supposed to come up with a recommendation whether to contribute money.  We didn't get to this!