[Imc-midwest-regional] Re: regional gathering

[Molly Stentz]

Hi Steve and everybody,

Molly here from UCIMC. Might have met you in Quebec, not sure...

I agree with you so much it is scary! I'd like not to necessarily combine
this w/ a membership meeting, as it could be too cumbersome. Similarly, I
too disagree that focus of this shindig should be on small or mid-sized
town IMCs. I am far less interested in the "IMC as community center" idea
than the "IMC as news production and distribution source". Given this, I
think the focus should be "How do we create a regional news production and
distribution network that is cost-effective (ie affordable!!) for all
participating groups, is fun and inspiring for its volunteers, and fosters
social change?" I think the more resources we have to leverage and
"collectivize" the better off we'll all be.

I would like this to be really FUN! I would like to feel like I have IMC
news bureau reporters in other cities and states that I can correspond
with. I would like to get to know other media producers and media
activists. I want to see collaboratively produced news as a joint project
of severaI IMCs in the region. I want to talk about producing for Nat'l
Radio Project, Free Speech Radio News, Paper Tiger TV, community radio
stations, etc etc. I want to learn so much my head spins. I want to have
the long philosophical conversations at the end of the day about where
we're all going..

It seems to me a duty that the UCIMC host the regional event b/c we seem
to have the most stability and/or resources to make it happen of any other
IMC group I've talked to in the midwest. (?) We're obviously not centrally
located, but we have a space, lots of volunteers, housing accomodations,
and other logistics that make life easier.

I'm thinking about early August currently, so that we have enough time to
plan, and so we don't run up into the school year & end of summer/
traveling season for some folks. I agree with the July 1 suggestion to
finalize basic details.

Please send more feedback my way. I have been enjoying what I've been
getting so far!

-Molly
Urbana-Champaign IMC

Additionally, I would encourage all interested UC IMC folks to join the
imc-midwest-regional email list on http://lists.groogroo.com if they would
like to continue this discussion so that we can free up traffic from the
main list. Thanks!

-- 

On Thu, 14 Jun 2001, Stephen P Konieczka wrote:

> Hi everyone!  I’m Steve from Chicago.  (Zach from the UC-IMC mentioned me
> in his 12 June e-mail.)  I’m really interested in getting a regional
> gathering together,as Zach said.  Exploring the posiblitie was to be one
> of my top priorities after Quebec (where I met some, if not all, of the
> UC-IMCers at the gym Friday morning) but due to several factors I’ve had
> very little time for the IMC as late and the gathering fell off my rader.
> Things are slowing down now and I’ll help with the inquiry of locals and
> if necessary the planning of the event in anyway I can.  (For anyone
> who’s interested I’ve been compiling a database of local contacts at the
> regional level and am happy to contact them.)
>
> Aside from the following comment I think the ideas that UC’s news group
> put out on 10 June are great.  I disagree with the suggestion that such a
> meeting of IMC’s should be combined with a membership meeting.  This is
> based wholly on what I understand a “membership meeting” to be in the
> sense of how Chicago does things.  Here our general meetings are
> bi-weekly and our agendas bulky.  Our meetings are open to new vols., but
> we encourage them to attend an “information forum” instead of a meeting
> because they will get a better sense of what we do at one of these than a
> general meeting where we debate the ways to keep informed of discussions
> at the global level, site layout, ect.  A regional gathering could not be
> any type of formal decision making forum.  It should serve as a place to
> come together as individuals, generate ideas (which may or may not need
> local membership consent to act upon) and have a good time.  UC surely
> has much to discuss at a membership meeting that doesn’t necessitate the
> inclusion of Madison, Ohio Valley or any other Midwest local in the
> discussion.  Again, perhaps my perception of a “membership meeting” in UC
> is wrong and therefore within that context it is the proper place for
> this type of regional gathering.  More info on UC's rational behind the
> merging of the two meetings would be helpful.
>
> I also disagree with Mike’s 10 June idea that a gathering this summer
> should be for “small, Midwestern city” IMCs.  Aside from all of the
> locals—“big, small, veteran, newby” and perhaps other non-Midwestern
> locals—having ideas that can help us build strong new locals (perhaps by
> constructing a development plan for new IMCs) and creating a more
> connected network here in the Midwest, the idea of a regional gathering
> is long over due.  In Ill. alone we have two strong IMCs and two more
> organizing as I type.  There’s also might in Madison, the Twin Cites,
> Cinn., Ohio Valley and Cleveland.  I’ve heard rumors about St. Louis
> starting up and Milwaukee is organizing.  And there’s people like Mike in
> Terre Haute, IN who want get an IMC started but that we, in a broad
> sense, are unaware of.  The Midwestern United States is one of the most
> highly concentrated IMC areas in the world.  Pooling these recourses—all
> of them great and small—as soon as possible can only help us.  And
> besides that I want to meet you!
>
> >From previous discussions on the topic I can say that the members of
> Chicago are more than excited about the prospects of a regional
> gathering.  From the looks of it I assume that if we pull this together
> UC would host the event and to them: Thanks!  I think the plan laid down
> in Molly’s e-mail for “what will happen next” is a good way to proceed,
> but I would suggest that if the consensus among the locals is to “do it”
> that the generals (date, place, ect.) be finalized by the fist of July to
> allow plenty of time for planning that includes vols from across the
> region.
>
> Steve
>