First Annual May First People Link Membership Meeting

Congratulations to the new leadership committee for May First People Link!

Agaric is proud and excited to be a member of this organization, building fantastic shared internet resources out of open source free software, immense volunteer time, and member's dues.

Principles developed in a time-limited, collaborative-technology-driven process:

1. Bring our political processes and technology -- including resources, communication and support systems -- to a point at which all members of May First/People Link can have confidence in the reliability and control of their data. It is important to recognize varying levels of skill and interest in understanding technology.
 

2. Define what engaged membership in MF/PL actually means. This definition must come from the membership itself, prioritizing grassroots groups of people who face racial, gender, economic or other form of oppression, and who are currently MF/PL members in name but might not feel themselves to be members in practice. The definition should also draw from existing models of membership in our movements. This includes identifying rights and responsibilities of membership as well as opportunities for members to become more actively involved. The responsibilities and expectations of members to other members and to MFPL as a whole will be included.
[This principle, in particular, had every group's endorsement before a last-minute change.]
 

3. Development of governance models for Mayfirst/PeopleLink as a membership organization, drawing from the experience and expertise of members and member organizations.

4. Develop and build direct contact relationships with progressive organizations locally and internationally, and raise our visibility in public discussions, debates, and decisions. This is about (1) defining use of and choice of technology as political within our movements, and (2) contributing to debates about the internet including privacy, corporate and government surveillance, data sovereignty, censorship, and access.

5. May First/People Link will fully claim its role in building an international, alter-globalization movement by continuing our involvement in such movements as the Social Forum, Climate Change and the Palestinian rights. This would/could engage our membership in several ways: organizing delegations of members to summit events and relying on the political experience of our membership to guide our region- and sector-specific work.

6. Continue the existing collaboration with members the Praxis Project, the Progressive Technology Project, and others, to train activists of color to become more capable technologists, and expand that work to include women, and people from less traditional backgrounds. Also, continue giving support to and building on current training initiatives, while working towards the future to expand training programs in the Global South with partners and member organizations as opportunities are identified.