Nuts & Bolts Meeting Notes – 24 May 2007

1. We discussed the next General Assembly meeting (GA8), which is scheduled for July. Two weekends were proposed, July 14/15 and July 21/22. There was consensus for the later date. There was some discussion of the room at Judson with regard to its acoustics and lack of ambience. The possibility of putting a big banner on the wall was raised. We also determined that we should have more greeters for new people.
2. The progress on updated listserv protocols was raised, but the person working on those protocols was not present.
3. Mat reported progress on establishing a bank account for NYMAA, and was looking into an account with the Lower East Side Credit Union.
4. There was no update on the Office space. It was suggested that alternative office space was available in Brooklyn.
5. We discussed the media liaison proposal, Darcie has a friend who could train someone.
6. Dan reported no significant progress on establishing contact with Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio (MJB)
7. We discussed the following report from the Pittsburg Organizing Group(?)(POG) with reference to how we greet new people at GAs.
“On a nice warm Sunday around 25 people gathered in a local park to find out whether POG is right for them. As a way of helping new people get involved in organizing, POG occasionally holds potlucks. We invite people who wish to get involved to come talk to us, get to know us, and hang out and have fun. For the first hour a couple members of POG give an overview/orientation to new people. This couvers how the group works, what we do, tactical and ideological tendencies within the group, how to get more involved, and leaves ample space for questions. After that other members of POG show up to socialize. We’ve found this combination of a structured explanation and discussion space, followed by a general period of socializing and relaxation, best accomplishes the multiple goals inherent in these types of events.”