[Imc] (no subject)

[Brian Hagy]

Hi everyone,


Please forward this message to people and organizations that might want to
come.

On the weekend of October 19-21, 2001 the Urbana-Champaign IMC
(http://urbana.indymedia.org), located in central Illinois,  will be
holding an Indymedia gathering.
Tentative plans are below.  If you would like to come, please let me know
(bhagy at onthejob.net or meinrath at urbana.indymedia.org) or send a message
to:
imc-midwest-regional at urbana.indymedia.org -- you can also join the
planning
group at:
http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc-midwest-regional

This involves a fair deal of logistics on our side (to set up housing,
food,
speakers, etc.), so please let us know ASAP.  We will not be able to
guarantee housing for folks who sign up after the first week of October
(though we will try our best).

Here's a tentative plan for that weekend:

Friday, October 19:  folks begin pouring into the streets of Urbana,
Illinois.  A welcoming conversation and performance begins around 6 or so,
with dinner.  8 pm starts an active training session on how to use various
equipments (minidiscs, digital cameras and digital video cameras, etc.)
plus some useful pointers on recording techniques and interviewing
techniques.  We conclude the night with dancing in the halls (or
sleeping).

Saturday, October 20:  9 am, we offer breakfast stuff.  10-1, we offer
various workshops and conversations which emphasize things useful for each
IMC and other grassroots media to employ and tinker with within their
respective communities.  Thus the morning is dedicated to things which
help build each media site individually.  Such things offered could be:
how to get a 501(c)(3) status, how to get funding, how to get equipment,
etc.
        The afternoon, 3-6, will focus of workshops and conversations
which
emphasize things useful for networking all of us together.  Thus, helping
to
build the indymedia movement as a whole.  Such topics could include:
getting
IMCs more independent of Seattle, discussions of web design (making "our"
IMC webpages easier to understand), improving communication and
conversations between IMCs and other indymedias (especially during
critical
moments, such as during direct actions, protests, and other large events),
and public performance of Indymedia (getting people to know about and
respect the idea of independent media).
        The night will be set aside for performances, talking, creating,
and
any other useful activities to help amuse ourselves.

Sunday, October 21: this day will be used to continue discussions and
activities brought up on saturday.  Only the morning will be used for set
events, so
that those who need to travel long distances to get back home could do so
after any wrap ups.

This is not to say that other stuff couldn't occur in the afternoon.  We
simply prefer that things which should involve everyone are set up to do
that.

If you have suggestions, comments, concerns, please feel free to amend the
proposal above (send comments to
imc-midwest-regional at urbana.indymedia.org).  This is a tentative schedule
based on the feedback we have received thus far.  The closer we get to the
weekend, the more specific the schedule will become and updates will be
posted on our website starting in October.

The gathering will be open to all though we will ask for those who can
afford it to pay a small fee (sliding scale of $20-100) to offset the
costs
of everything.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in Urbana in October,

--Sascha Meinrath and Brian Hagy
Urbana-Champaign IMC