# Spokescouncil Planning Meeting 12-13-2024 ## Results of this meeting: We made the following decisions: - [x] A Spoke is: - [x] - a group of >5 people AND - [x] - the group has access to Woodbine's physical space (i.e. can unlock the door) or Woodbine's resources (e.g. website, Instagram, lease, funds) - - [x] What if your group is <5 people? - [x] - Identify a larger working group that you can caucus with. Perhaps the group that grants you access to the Woodbine space/resources - [x] - Still come to the Spokescouncil meeting to observe and recruit members - [x] - What if our group doesn't have the door code or its own access to Woodbine resources? - [x] - Your spoke is the one that grants you access to the space. - [x] - For example, if Gym people unlock the space for you, you caucus with Gym \- The proposal contains no opinion on how Spokes decide on a Spokesperson - [ ] [x] this is how to announce a proposal 1. hang proposal physically in the space 2. post somewhere linkable 3. send to all groups via groupchats - [ ] [x] we will use this template for proposals https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-proposal-template ## Agenda ### Vibe check (5min - 7:05) What version of you are we getting this evening? ### Previous meeting action item check-in (10 - 7:15) \- **Ella** demarcate reproduction vs. project working groups (in Ella's summary of WGs) - group map added to Briar's "who is a spoke" proposal - [x] **Frankie** to add chat-addition protocol to Signal group description - [ ] **\[someone\]** make the agenda for next time. topics to include: - Plan for the spokescouncil council to meet with outside groups and have a research debrief meeting - [x] **Ella** to add a link to Spokes explainer to Signal description (or Lippy and Ella to collaborate) - [ ] **everyone**: make proposal(s) about the following things: \* - [x] **Ash** to make a date poll for next meeting - [ ] **Frankie and LP** continue research on language acessibiliy, determine spokes language needs, reach out to interpreters - https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-multilingual-research# - [ ] **everyone**: ask Frankie for access to the hopes and fears [Mural](https://app.mural.co/t/woodbinespokescouncilcouncil7401/m/woodbinespokescouncilcouncil7401/1730169934445/7e184fc95009530bc2797977628a55aa93ca7fa6), contribute to said Mural ### Goals/Levelsetting (10) - What do we consider a good outcome for *this* meeting? Do we want to have another meeting before the Spokescouncil meeting? ### Proposal review and discussion, [11 proposals](https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-proposals) (75 - 8:30) 1. Prioritize proposals via dot vote \* How to decide who gets a Spoke \* How to make proposals (meta!) \* How to vote on them \* How WGs should select spokespeople \* Spokescouncil goals \* Woodbine points of unity \* How often should the spokescounil meet? Bi weekly? Monthly? \* How to approach accountability via spokes (one idea: include spokes reps in notes to track which WGs are at meetings as part of accounatbility system, key holder access idea) \* Cleaning project (what would the cleaning project be?) \* Agenda of 1st spokes meeting + how it'll be run \* Strategy for approaching WGs to get Spokes, craft the messaging \* Spokescouncil Signal group proposal (how it will be used, who can be in it, norms/protcols, conflict culture, admin access) \* Spokes/Fishbowl explainer with a decision making flow chart explainer and fist to five explainer (could be one explainer doc we hand out) \* Who from the spokescouncilcouncil should attend the 1st spokes meeting? And how should they participate? \* Research debrief meeting proposal \* +1 proposal\* 2. Discuss prioritized proposals 3. (15 mins) how to edit proposals and agree on them so we don't have to have another meeting. via chat? ### New proposal ideas before 1st meeting (10) - Proposal flyer for invitation and explainer - invitation - what is a spokescoucil? - fishbowl format diagram and explainer - Fist to five explainer - Proposal ideas for basic write-ups to prep for agenda for 1st meeting (Ash): - how did we get to this point historically at wb? - what are the basic expectations/hopes of participation (6-12 months)? - how do proposals work? - how did we decide on which groups to invite to the spokescouncil? - how can more groups be represented? - who is the spokescouncil council? what have we been working on? what is our ongoing role in the spokescouncil? how can new people get involved/what are the expectations in participation? - how do ppl add to the agenda in advance? document? ### Timeline and procedure to edit proposals and get votes from ppl not present (10) ### Action item roundup (10) - [ ] (Paul) Write agenda for next time - [ ] (LP) Set poll for next meeting time - [ ] (LP) Combine Ella and LP's existing explainers, on LP's wiki page and BEEF IT UP - [ ] (Frankie) evaluate which groups would be inlcuded/excluded from spoke representation using the criteria we setlled on - [ ] (Ash) use the new proposal template for the new proposals above in the `New proposal ideas before 1st meeting (10)` section - [ ] (All) Reformat existing proposals into LP's proposal template, for discussion next time ### First spokescouncil meeting date (5) New proposal ideas before 1st meeting (10) # Notes ## what are we trying to get done today? these are the necessary decisions we have to make in order to move forward: 1. who are the spokes? 2. how are proposals made? 3. how do things get voted on? ### do we want to have another meeting before the spokes meeting? - maybe one more to allow for outreach and smoother rollout ## proposal review - we probably won't come to final decisions on these proposals today and we'll have to figure out how to do that ### Proposal Group 1: who gets a spoke? (10 min) #### Briar's proposal - everyone gets a spoke #### Frankie's proposal - a spoke is a group of 5 or more people that has access to WB's space or resources. - if a group doesn't meet these critera they can caucus with a recognized group - these critera define what spokes will exist initially but also are applied for every meeting, such that if a group changes in a way that they no longer meet these criteria, they will not have spoke representation at the meeting. ### concerns about key access - people could consolidate power by people being able to reduce the number of people who can unlock the door - the MOUs equate key access with recognized group existence? do we want to follow this example? - we could possilby just limit spokescouncil membership to groups we deem in actual need to the key code #### how do we change how the spokescouncil works once we start it? - we can create a proposal just like any other the initial groups can be decided via Frankie's criteria, but further groups would require an explicit proposal? we're starting from a place where we don't fully understand who has key access and what is going on in the space ## TODO: look at which groups would be included and excluded with the current criteria ## frankie's revision - removes language related to space access and allows for groups to self-identify as being woodbine-affiliated - we could ammend this to allow the council to vote on allowing new groups to get spokes - pushback on this because it puts too much responsibility on the spokesconcil in allowing them to decide who is a working group - clarification: it's not about who is a WG, it's about who gets representation in the spokescouncil. also anyone is welcome to attend as an observer (?) and they can then decide if they want to join - concerns about malicious groups created for explicitly wb-political or obstructive purposes - giving the council voting power for new spokes perpetuates the gatekeeping that already exists ### voting on frankie's revision vs changing it to also require the council voting in new groups - [x] it seems we are willing to try the former- frankie's revision ## Proposal Group 2: How to make a proposal ### LP's proposal - make a document for the proposal that includes: - list groups and people it effects - list money and resources required - try to create variations on the proposal that anticipate likely objections should also include who (person or group?) is creating the proposal, and the date it was submitted having a template for this is a useful thing: [https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-proposal-template](https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-proposal-template) blocking concern on using this template is that it should stress who will be bottom-lining the proposal (it could be everyone) because we already have a lot of problems with accountability. a concern is that this addition will allow a group to "voluntell" someone else to do some labor. adding a strong recommendation that any proposal that asks for labor from a particular person or group be written in consultation with them - [x] we will use this template for proposals https://basement.woodbine.nyc/spokes-proposal-template ### Violet's proposal how to announce a proposal 1. hang proposal physically in the space 2. post on website 3. send to all groups via groupchats should we ammend this to include advanced notice (1 week?)? no. \[discussion about how to get it to the spokescoucil in the first place for dissemination, but we can figure that out later\] ## TODO: use the new proposal template for the new proposals above in the `New proposal ideas before 1st meeting (10)` section ### using input from the chat for quorum? should we be getting input from people who aren't here in person when we're making decisions? the decisions we've made aren't long-lasting and are easy to change so maybe we can just go with it this time and use the new system going forward.