Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Working group and other such Forest meeting minutes
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milk
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Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by milk » Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:48 pm

Present; Nix, Milk, Charlotte, Nerea, Taskin, Robin, Roman, James, Joey, Fernando, Marian

Agenda Points;

- Action room use
- Workshops
-- Workshop donations
-- Drama funding
- Forest bikes
- Crafty room
- Forest as main hosting hub for the "Don't DIY Alone" weekend, February 5th - 8th 2009
- Possible hosting for a new radical library/infospace
- Publishing and zine/book distro in Forest shop
- Joe champion
- Plastic bags t'ing







- Action room use

James; EdLug wants to use action room. Action room was originally setup for Forest and outside rooms. This view may have changed and needs to be discussed

Nix; Outside groups should be able to use the room but with restrictions?

James; Old scheme, groups got certain 2 hours free, afterwhich it costs.

Robin; Outside groups have been known to leave the room rather messy

Nix; In general do we feel ok that outside groups that have a Foresty purpose can use the room?

James; Forest groups should have pritority

Nix; We should be more rigerious with bookings

Robin; What about individuals from certain groups - can they use the room a bit more than just two hours a month?

Nix; If it's for a worthy project. FWG only seems a waste of a resource

Taskin; How should we work it if people try to get around this rule by not being open with the Forest?

Nix/James; We take things on a case by case basis

Should we advertise the availability of the action room? Not being incredibly open about it would avoid time wasters? Is this eleitist? Argument that given the downsides of what bad groups can do, that the action room co-ordinator should vet groups.

Anyone want to be the action room co-ordinator? Be a point of contact for those who want to use the room.

Roman is interested. James will take to him about duties.

Proposal; Outside groups allowed in for 4 hours free a month. they have to be met and veted by the action room co-ordinator, Forest groups get priotiry but still book their time their thr co-ordinator. Tabs will be kept on the groups and individuals using/abusing the room.



- Workshops

Nix; Reafirm all Forest workshops are free.

Forest choir had a donations bucket. this is wrong, yes?

James shall talk to chandra

Nix; Proposal - new workshop co-ordinator? Ida is away much atm.

James; There should be someone to cover this post while this is the case.

Nix; Has there enough been done for Forest workshops recently.

Taskin; Ida has done a workshops board and . Is the role defined enough?

Joey; From his experience, feels that there isn't enough advertising.

Nix; Workshops board made bigger?

Milk: Co-ordinator can also put workshops up on the enw website when it's finished



- Drama group funding

Robin; He and Blue are basically running the drama group atm. Three projects are being worked on. Shadow puppets show forthcoming, no funding required for that. Sensual review - not enough sexy nudity in the forest. Many people available to help with the group for free, but cash for things like a programme or flyer would be nice.

James: How about printing at the Forest? Colour is cool.

Robin: that should be cool. Also, Charlotte's 15 minuite theatre event coming up. Multiple drama groups from around Edinburgh to do 15 minuites in one night. Would also like to put together a drama group scrapbook for their works. Shall put together a proposal for this for BB.

Nix; This should be cool, workshops budget should be cool for this. Wants to note that he's not keen on glossy flyers, but that it would be good to do things like flyers would Footprint Press - footprint.org




- Forest bikes

Nix: There was a bike fixing workshop recently. Would like the bike tools to be in a more accessible place?

Milk; How about the basement workshop?

Nix; We have a new box for the tools, can use that?

*Marcus arrives*

Marcus; Current tool location is handy for people coming off the street.

Milk; Who has access to the workshop?

Nix; It was agred previously thatm FWG members get access, though it doesn't really work like this.

Nix; Proposal; Have a box within the yellow fuse box cupboard (where they are currently). Should the Key be signed out for this? Yes.

Marcus; the lock is kinda knacked.

Nix is going to the locksmiths tomorrow anyway, can get a new lock.

Kitchen managers should manage the signing out sheet wich nerea is going to make. Keys will go in the pseudo-secret key cupboard location

One off payment from the action room for a new lock/key, plus new tools to make the bike tools set complete, £10 a month for three months from the budget should be good for this.




- Crafty room

Nix; Wanted to talk about while roman was here, but he has left, shall leave it for later






- Forest as main hosting hub for the "Don't DIY Alone" weekend, February 5th - 8th 2009

Joey; Interested in proposing a DIY skill share event/faire at The Forest on the above dates with outside groups being able to use Forest spaces a bit before and during the event, plus. Is unsure of possibly cost requirements

James; Should this be booked now?

Joey; Probably a good idea, needs to check with related groups. Would like to take over the Forest as much as possible. Closely related events running in different rooms - zine/book faire in cafe?

Nix; Advises that the action group only has responsibility for certain rooms, but can propose to the FWG for using the other spaces.

Joey; Says he has booked the Cafe already.

Nix; Advises that only one event a month is allowed when going through the normal channels.

Joey; wants to have a decentarlised organisation with multiple groups booking cafe/etc slots. Queer Mutiny could hold a party on one evening

Nix; We can help koey co-ordinate with other Forest groups. Free hall use would have to go through the FWG.

Milk: Speak to dorkbot, should well related.

Nix: Proposal; Nix shall liase with the FWG,








- Possible hosting for a new radical library/infospace

Joey; Has come into books from Freedom Press, etc, would be interested in setting up a radical library. ACE is in money troubles atm and a bit out of the way.

James; Forest already has the forest Library

Joey; This would preferably would be seperate from the forest library. With a lending system.

Robin; So the books dont get stolen.

Nix; How about volunteer librarians with books stored in a safe place, say the action room, with people interested in certain titles going through the librarians? Or crafty room? Best out of the cafe whatever.

Robin; Would be interested in being a librarian.

James; Crafty room would restrict other groups from using it?

Robin: Minibar artle library? Internet bibliography, online requests.

Joey; Number of books is in the hundreds. In practice, only space for a couple of book shelves.

James; Worried about theft. How about a library afternoon with the librarians granting book access?

Robin: Is space in the shop totally out of the question?

Others; Pretty much, yeah

Nix; Would only work if the shop staff got involved, though doesn't think the space is available.

Nerea; Have a list of books available in the shop?

Joey; List would be good, both paper/ringbinder and online?

Nix; Issues; Keepings a) safe and b) accessible. Maybe best place is the cafe?

Nerea; Probibably too much for cafe vollies.

Joey; Collective he is involved with would help man it.

Where the freeshop is? - that issue unresolved as of yet.

James: If it was in a lockable bookshelf in the cafe, how much space would be required?

Nix; Move the ugly blue sofa?

James; How much would this effect seating space?

Robin: How much is the currently library used?

All; A fair bit.

James; this would have to go to C&E WG

Nix; Actually, Library comes under action group. Also, there needs to be a library bottom liner.

Locked cupboard in cafe space is unattractive:

Group: hmms of agreement

James: Action room sounds more workable

Nix; Proposal: Radical library to be stored in the action group, related group to have 2 1 hour surgeries?

James: Joey should find out from his group how much those vollies would be availible.

Nix; Times available and propa radical library collective name TBC. Shelving TBA.

Joey: How about the possibility to get new books through Forest funding

Nix; Action WG has a budget, should be shall see about this in future.

James: Stills gallery on cockburn street is actioning bookshelves soon.

Nix will go ask them for one or two for the Forest.









- Publishing and zine/book distro in Forest shop

Nix; This would be a Behind The Scenes meeting, would advise this to be brought up o the bb










- Joe champion

James: Joe wants to runs a fools workshop, has done two already out of his own money which he made a loss on, would like to apply for free use of the hall for 4 workshops, prob on Saturdays. Wants to encourage folks to be more creativly foolish. A grant was applied for but was defered to the action group as it should be a workshop. Name of the group is Jonathan Kay's (sp?) Fools Academy.

Nix; Proposal - This should be a free forest workshop.

People; Sounds cool, bookign should be make





- Plastic bags t'ing

Nerea; basically, prople bring in plastic bags, we give them cotton bags.

Marcus; Cotton bags not incredibly sustainible - 1 sturdy plastic bags can be made out 50 plastic bags.

Charlotte: This would work..

Nix; Would be against buying in cotton bags. thinks action room budget should help pay for repairs on Swith's machine. How about taking clothes from the freeshop and making them into bags?

Nerea: Would there be enough material availible there for bags? Also, Swith/Pomme have said making the bags is time/effort consuming. This for an event in December.

Robin: Knows tailors/seamstresses that can get material for cost prices, would this work?

Nix: Three sowing machines to be availble eventually, how about having a workshop for this?

Robin: Peeps bring in plastic bags and get the material/template and either make it in the forest or at home.

Marcus: Would we create the hemp outselves?

Robin: That would be v. difficult in other way.

Robin shall get a few meters of material and make test bags with nerea, etc.




FIN



(most of this is paraphrased - if anyone who was present feels anything is wrong, do say)
hey, if you don't like it, post on the BB (so you can ask about participating for better) | MilkMiruku

swithun
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by swithun » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:11 pm

Thanks for the offer of repairing my machine. I'm not sure if it is broken, and if it is, it was me, rather than The Forest, that broke it. And as I found when replacing the foot pedal - you almost pay more for the little things that you do for the whole thing. So I don't think mine would be worth repairing.

I'll be impressed if you can make enough bags to give away in December. And I'm not just a miserable cynic - I'm a miserable cynic who spent quite a few Saturday afternoons making a handfull of bags.

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ravanwin
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by ravanwin » Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:00 am

Guys -

be careful with opening up access to the action room. while it may sound elitiest --- a lot of people from the FWG use that room for meetings and for producing things and closing it off will interfere with this.

for what it is worth - please book

CIA Nights into the action room from 6 - late starting next monday and every other monday there after
and
Forest Publishing for every wed. at 6.45 pm --- so at least we won't be tripping over people.

For what it is worth - i still think groups could be using the craft room for meetings etc unless they really really need action room and this would be one less resource to look after / control / keep tabs of. We also don't want loads of random individuals hanging out up there.
r

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James
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by James » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:21 pm

As said at meeting, forest things will of course be in - they should book time. Roman will note cia nites (All night) and publishing (1 hr?)

Roman will be pushing people to the craft room if it turns out they can use the craft room instead

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ravanwin
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by ravanwin » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:45 pm

1) all nite

2) all nite

we don't want to be rushed out though we'd be done by 8 / 9 normally

Nerea
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by Nerea » Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:56 pm

Today is 26th of November, it´s a beautiful day :) Well...I´m writing because the conclusion of the last meeting regarding the plastic bag project was that the bag-making machine would be fixed by Forest and that material would be purchased to make test bags.
This hasn't happened yet and we need to find a solution for our "bag problem" very soon because time is running out before our festival starts.
Swithun and Pomme said they already had a difficult time producing bags with the machine and to be honest we don't have the time to make 200 bags ourselves because we are all working a lot anyway. I think it is important to listen to them because we can learn from their experience and not waste time and money this time.
As Swithun suggested, it is possible to buy bags for 25p each and we would like to have the money to do this. Maybe it is even cheaper than fixing the machine anyway and it is certainly easier for everyone.
I know that the decision in the meeting was against giving us money to buy bags but given the circumstances I would like to ask for it again.
Please give us the money and then we can get to work.

Thank U for listening :) X

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martinmckenna
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by martinmckenna » Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:55 am

i think buying the bags is the option in this case . any excess will be printed into forest bags via the screenprinting posses who only need a project to get there squeegees going ! 25p a bag ! come on ! the national gallery sell these bags for life and they sell really well .

if people fell strongly about making them , it may be a good idea to do a workshop on how to make them . the ones swith made are excellenty ! but i can see the labour time spend in the making and its looks long .

martin
Heaven is a disaster

Lambchop , The Saturday option .

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nix
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Re: Action WG - Sunday, 9th November, 7pm - 8:45pm

Post by nix » Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:32 pm

i have a mouth full of wool.
I eat my hat.

buy them.

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