Occupy Toronto Activist Assembly Jan 20-22

Occupy Toronto Activist Assembly Friday, January 20-Sunday, January 22, 2012 OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at St George and Bloor. This is an invitation to Occupy Toronto’s first Activist Assembly on the weekend of January 20, 21, 22. This will be a conference style event, focused on developing Occupy Toronto’s activist capacity. Join the FaceBook Event:www.facebook.com/events/270078499716966 SCHEDULE: Friday: 7:00 – 10:00 -Opening Panel – Discussion of why Occupy is effective. The focus of this session will be on the importance of outreach, protest, mass mobilization, and of constant recruitment of new people. The panel will be facilitated by an Occupy Toronto facilitator, followed by an open discussion with the attendees and break out groups to address the question “Why are we here?” Speakers: Carolyn Egan – is the president of the Steelworkers’ Toronto Area Council and United Steelworkers Local 8300. She is a long-time pro- choice, anti-war and social justice activist in Toronto and a leading member of the International Socialists. Judy Rebick – is a veteran activist, on feminist, democracy, anti- racist and international solidarity issues. She is also a writer, teacher and sometime journalist. She has a new e book coming out in March called Occupy This!. She is the founding publisher of rabble.ca and a regular on the Q media panel. Syed Hussan – is an organizer, activist and writer based in Toronto. Hussan has been involved with anti-colonial, migrant justice, feminist, anti-racist, environmental justice, anti-war and prison abolition movements and is active in No One Is Illegal – Toronto and Toronto Stop the Cuts Network. As part of his involvement in the Toronto Community Mobilization Network, Hussan was charged with Conspiracy. Though his charges were dropped after 18 months, 6 activist and community organizers have been jailed for the Anti-G20 protests. Saturday: 11:00am -12:15 -History Session (select one) Room 1 – Egypt and the Arab Spring Room 2 – Greece, Spain and the European fight back Room 3 – The Struggle in Wisconsin Room 4 – Paris 68 – a near revolution in France. Room 5 – Students for a Democratic Society – The American student movement of the 60s Room 6 – Indigenous Resistance 12:30-1:30 lunch 1:30-2:45 – Discussion with Occupier’s from across Ontario  (select 1 room) The Southern-Ontario Occupies will also be involved in this assembly. We are inviting people from various camps to talk about their unique experiences in other cities. Room 1 – Ottawa/ Montreal Room 2 – Kitchener / Guelph / Niagara / Room 3 – Kingston /Windsor /London/ Room 4 – Pickering/Hamilton/Brampton/Orillia Room 5 – Sault Saint Marie / Sudbury / Barrie 3:00-4:15 – Issues discussions (select one) Room 1 – Environmental Justice Room 2 – Militarization, Colonialization and Occupation Room 3 – Financial Collapse Room 4 – Austerity and Neoliberalism Room 5 – Economic Alternatives Room 6 – Building fortress North America 4:30-5:45 Discussion of OccupyTO’s Committee structure   Sunday:  11:00-12:45 Classroom style teach-in (select first option) Room 1 – Speaking to the Media Room 2 – Facilitation Training Room 3 – 10 steps to effective campaigning Room 4 – Direct Action Training Room 5 – Marshal Training Room 6 – Anti-Oppression/Anti Racism Training 1:45- 3:30 Classroom (second choice) Room 1 – Speaking to the Media Room 2 – Facilitation Training Room 3 – 10 steps to effective campaigning Room 4 – Direct Action Training Room 5 – Marshal Training Room 6 – Anti-Oppression/Anti Racism Training 3:45 – 5:15 Committee Discussions Room 1 – Outreach / Action Room 2 – Media Room 3 – Facilitation / Marshals Room 4 – Finance Room 5 – Women’s / Accessibility Committees Room 6 – Marshals 5:30-6:00 Closing Ceremony – Main Room REGISTRATION: ****Please note: Everyone who plans on attending this event must register to attend Registration is Free and MANDATORY!*** You can register online by sending your full name in an email entitled “registration” to [email protected] Or by signing up on the signup sheet that we will be bringing to almost every Toronto General Assembly from now on. Those who have not registered for this event, will not be allowed into the rooms. BUSES: For those people out of town, we are working on organizing buses to pick a few people up from all across southern Ontario (and Quebec.) This is STILL NOT CONFIRMED. If we find the funding for it, we will have one bus leaving Montreal, one bus leaving Windsor, and one bus leaving Sault Saint Marie to stop off at various towns and cities and pick people up on the way to Toronto. (and also drop people off on Sunday evening.) Everyone who wants to get on those buses must sign up for a seat with a liaison from your town. If you don’t know of a liaison to speak to from your town, e-mail [email protected] and we will either send you contact info for your town’s liaison, or ask you to BE your town’s liaison....