Working Groups

November 1st, 2011 · · Comments Off
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Working Groups are groups of people focused on addressing specific tasks or matters concerning Occupy Rochester. Anyone can join a working group by getting in touch with their point of contact. Working groups cannot make major decisions, or speak for the general assembly as a whole. Instead, they create proposals to take back the General assembly. NOTE: please email your contact info to OR-Welcome@lists.rocus.org to have your WG info added to this page. Thanks.

Welcoming Committee

Facilitation

The Facilitation Working Group (FWG) helps the General Assembly (GA) to live into the fundamental principle of shared leadership and shared meeting facilitation in the autonomous, horizontal, direct democratic model of governance at the heart of the Occupy Movement. FWG researches best practices, recommends meeting procedure, and is a resource and support for all facilitators during GA. FWG works on line at the Rocus listserve and meets once a month at a time TBA.

Legal

Rochester 48 Legal Defense Committee

Winter Wheat:

Winter Wheat has two interrelated goals: to present teach-ins that put the #Occupy movement into broader perspectives and to bring the conversation out of the park and into venues throughout the region.

Scheduling:

The Scheduling Working Group manages the Occupy Rochester Events Calendar and works with the community to schedule events at Occupy Rochester. We are specifically tasked with collecting requests for non-General Assembly (GA), non-Working Group event requests made through the website by community groups and individuals to hold an event at the park or under the banner of Occupy Rochester. The requests are brought before the next GA for approval by the group.

Anti-Oppression

The Anti-Oppression Working Group works to build solidarity and unity among diverse groups. We place the conditions and struggles of those who have been historically, and who still are most-heavily impacted by systemic racial, economic, social, and cultural injustices at the forefront of the Occupy movement, and we work to build concrete and realistic campaigns around these struggles.

Media

The Media Working Group is Occupy Rochester’s official connection to the mainstream and independent media community. We compose press releases about approved Occupy Rochester activities or send along press releases drafted by the General Assembly or other working groups of Occupy Rochester. We maintain a list of media contacts, which is continually evolving.

We also are a point of contact for media outlets that wish to speak to Occupy Rochester members. We aim to get as many different voices speaking to the media, reflecting the diversity of voices within Occupy Rochester. We are by no means the only source of these activities, but are tasked with being systematic and consistent about our communication with the media community.

Livestream

The Livestream working group is a collective of media activists who produce content for our livestream channel. This channel is dedicated to the local occupy movement in Rochester NY in solidarity with occupy movements across the country and revolutions around the world. We have live feed coverage of our General Assemblies, teach-ins, protests, rallies, and discussions on building a more free and just society. Join us!

Tech

Providing information technology solutions and support to Occupy Rochester.

Accounting

The accounting working is responsible for collecting donations, managing, and dispersing them to the other working groups as approved by the GA. We strive to make this a transparent process!

Conflict Resolution

The conflict resolution working group respects the humanity of all individuals and strives to resolve conflicts and reduce harm with care for all. Using various methods of restorative justice practices we hope to bring healing and transformation to our community where conflict exists. We achive this through offering resources, training, mediation and the Restorative Circle process. We hope to establish new community systems which are based on care and understanding instead of punishment and guilt.

Remote Occupiers

We are remote occupiers; we stand in solidarity and peace with those who assemble 24-7 in Washington Square Park. We believe in occupying wherever we are: our homes, our workplaces, our schools, our faith communities, our communities. We are a working group dedicated to community outreach and volunteerism. We are a clearinghouse for people new to the Occupy movement who want help finding a place to volunteer, a working group to join, and a place to set up a tent. We invite everyone to join us.

Electoral Reform

Working on solutions and action to increase the people’s equal representation in our government, and eliminate the undue influence of the 1% and corporations.

Student

The Student Working Group seeks to build solidarity and unity not only among students in the Rochester area, but within the various institutions in which they learn, work, and grow. Students of all ages, faculty, staff, and the Public are encouraged to attend our meetings, as we strategize and execute campaigns. We work in solidarity with the global Occupy movement and maintain partnerships with Rochester Students for Social Justice and the Community Education Task Force, among other community groups. Key areas of interest include defending the right to quality public education, student loan debt relief, the responsible investment of university endowments, concerns regarding tuition and military recruitment, and advocacy and action around other pertinent issues of social, economic, and environmental justice.

Alternative Energy

The Alternative Energy Working Group’s goals include 1. To be prepared for a possible loss of electrical power at WSP and have a plan ready to implement in such an emergency. 2. Working to create sustainable alternative energy solutions for the encampment at Washington Square Park and beyond.

Strategy and Tactics

We strive to further the aims of the Occupy Movement, in order to ENSURE the success of our Collective problems, bringing together the different elements that make up the 99%!!! It is ONLY through our mutual efforts, that will we be able to enact the change that is NEEDED!!!

Social Work

For Social Workers, Students of SW and interested others, to organize as a part of Occupy Rochester. Among our goals is to put together a Teach-In on Social Work-related issues at Washington Sq. Park. To provide, on a strictly voluntary basis, advice, referrals or assistance to individual members of the Occupy Community or Encampment at WSP who are in crisis and/in need of assistance or referral, with respect to homelessness, physical or mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction. Teach In: What the Occupy Community needs to know to respond effectively to members of our community in need, and how we can help…also, how can we all make sure to Do No Harm? How can we provide support and maximize empowerment and participation for individuals in crisis or with phys health/mental health/addiction challenges while providing healthy boundaries for the well-functioning of the Rochester Occupy Community. To collaborate and provide assistance and support with other Occupy Rochester working groups, when and where we can be of service, particularly with respect to local resources available to any individuals in need.

Worker Justice

The focus of the group is to build the groundwork for a grassroots-led worker movement to empower, educate, politicize, and organize low-wage workers and advocates to take direct action, launch public campaigns, and fight wage theft and workplace exploitation. We envision a world of living wages, worker-controll​ed democratic workplaces, and worker co-operatives, where all labor is valued.  Join us at our weekly meetings for energizing, inspiring, & action-oriented discussion!

Occupy Your Health

Occupy Your Health wants to change the c onversation about health care.  We believe Health care is a Human Right OYH is here to open the doors to the people of the Greater Rochester area.  Lets unite and take back our right to assemble,  share information and help each other grow, heal and learn.  We are coordinating with many local and regional practitioners, organizations, non-profits, advocacy centers, clinics, healers, doctors, students, therapists, artists, musicians, and other individuals or groups that want to start changing Rochester for the better. We want to start growing a community that is self-sustaining and nourishing to the needs of the public.

Rochester Urban Gardeners (RUG)

RUG is a collection of people, farmers, food activists and others who want to start creating more urban gardens to empower the rochester area.  We believe quality food is a human right and everyone should have access to this…and be able to grow it themselves and create sustainable practices in the process.