Icarus Community Call 6/15/08--3pm EST/12noon Pacific

Present:
Malonedies, Vancouver, BC
Sandpiper, San Antonio, TX
Strangedoll, Asheville, NC
Inel, Asheville, NC

(casual meeting. notes half-heartedly taken.)

Review ground rules and guidelines for conference calls:
Say name and where you're calling from when you arrive
Practice stepping up/stepping back, use active listening
Take a breath between thought and speech/leave space for all to take turns talking.
Saying name before talking is helpful in identifying who is speaking.
We will use screen names/locations in notes unless you prefer & state otherwise.

Check Ins:
who/where/how long & how involved in icarus? What's going on in your world?

Sandpiper: Involved on forums since 4/07. Learned about through ordering Bonfire Madigan CDs. Started coming to organizing calls during fall 07 mad gifts organizing. Connected with friend, began a support group of 2. Trying to get others to join and meet up. Planned group trip to farmers market.

Malonedice: New to forums. Learned of site from art gallery. Likes the anon aspect of site and finds it comforting.

Inel: Met Icaristas on tour of "navigating the space" reader in 04. Organized radical mental health collective in 05 with others. Minimal past forums use under other user name 04, returned to forums 06-07, began coming to community calls, organizing around mad gifts tour and met up with icarista for VA Tech workshop. Currently working with organizing collective as support network coordinator (since 2/08).

Strangedoll: Introduced through reader in 04. Posted a lot on the forums and wrote article for publication. Quit posting because felt like it was all said before. Still lurking and reading.

Question?

What's going on with working groups (brought up in last community call)?
Who is involved?

Answer:

Icarus is shuffling tasks into 5 different work groups. Still getting organized.

Education/Outreach--Coordinator, Michael/Co-coordinator opening for person in NYC. Work out of office at Fountain House. Includes outreach, fountain house relations, campus organizing, conferences, etc.
Admin/Development--Coordinator, Mimi
Includes distro, FJC financial relations, general office, and development tasks.
Media/Publications: Coordinator, Will
Includes developing new publications, revising existing ones, madness radio, and marketing materials.
Website/Tech Team: Coordinator, Nick with Admin Support Coordinator.
Maintaining website, technical support, developing tools/database for overall icarus, etc.
Support Network: Coordinator, Molly/Inel
Includes supporting local groups, both existing and emerging. Connecting volunteers to working groups, addresses grievances/seeks resolution, ally org relations, web host/presence.

(not inclusive of all tasks.)
Coordinators cultivate volunteers to form work groups and sub-groups and report back to collective entity.

How does one set up a seed event in local community?

Ask for support by emailing supportATtheicarusprojectDOTnet, post on web forums, look at what has worked for others, check out "friends make the best medicine" guide, request materials like postcards, download flyers, etc. If conference or other event where Icarus will be present is happening in your area it is a good time to collaborate on an event. To bring someone to your town to help out requires a request and usually financial support for travel.

Sandpiper brought up the idea to sift through old threads for ideas of projects people in community have initiated or want to initiate. She still wants to pull them together so we can figure out how to support them.

Pulling great writing, ideas, etc out of threads is a real tangible way folks can volunteer. Can be especially useful when new publications and specific tasks are being planned.

Malonedies-Likes the idea of an icarus chat room for sharing support in real time without making more permanent posts on threads.

Has been tried and brought up several times. There is one currently operating...? Or has been recently. Will find link to discussion about chat room.

Hmmmmmmm? What else did I forget?