[P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] questions re funding of p2p value conference

Sun Jul 3 19:41:40 CEST 2016

I think the realities of organizing events is underestimated. They are two
choices, one is the grassroots barcamp type events, in which everyone is
welcome, and everyone has to fund his own trip; these events are great, and
important, but have advantages as well as disadvantages One disadvantage is
that it excludes those who can't self-fund their trips.

The other choice is to go for paid conferences. This involves other
disadvantages, such as the rules imposed by funders (very stringent demands
for transparency for example with EU funding). But it has some advantages
...  one is the choice of speakers, which can be more focused on past
expertise; the other is that speakers' trip can be paid, as well as small,
or sometimes bigger stipends; the paid entries can help fund those without
the means of self-funding.

So, in the case of the Synergia conference, this is an entirely unfunded
conference. The price was set taken into account the travel costs and very
small per diems for the teachers/speakers; and full lodging of
participants. In this context, the fee amounts to 900 EURO per week, full
pension, which is, in the context of the prices of Tuscany, actually very
cheap, though of course, will also exclude those with financial
difficulties. For this, you get access to a quite extraordinary roster of
teachers/speakers and intense dialogue with other participants. For people
with jobs in the cooperative economy, for which this conference is
intended, the cost is not un-realistic. For those without income, the price
is prohibitive, but bursaries are available. According to John Restakis,
the program requires 15 paid students to achieve break-even; after that,
bursaries can be funded.

I for example, would not be able to attend neither Tuscany nor the P2P
Value events on my own, in either format, but I can attend both because my
travel and basic costs are provided for. This is not a gift, but a small
reciprocal payment for my contribution to the event. In contrast, the
self-organized barcamp absolutely preclude me from making a living from my
contributions.

The second issue is that of 'democracy'. The P2P Value event has been
organized and decided by all those involved in the research project, i.e. a
consortium of 8 organizations, and James was responsible for organizing the
event as part of the contract; in the Synergie case, this is also a
collaborative effort of many dozen people, involved in the Synergia
consortium, a voluntary association of cooperativists the world over.

They take their decisions in good faith, given the funding and other
realities they contend with. Yes, it means not everyone can attend, but
within the parameters they work with, they strive for the maximum inclusion
of motivated participants, and find individual solutions when possible.

Now the alternative of barcamps of the massively self-organized WSF ...
well, I can't afford to go those either, they exclude all those that are
not able to self-fund. So no system is perfect,

and both are easy to critique from the outside, by people who are unwilling
to dive into the real difficulties and constraints of organizing these
events,

As far as I can recall, Orsan, you organized exclusive events with TNI, and
you did that very well. Far from critiquing you for these exclusionary
events, I would commend you for it, for bringing important players
together, and for funding our trips and participation. I feel the same
about John Restakis and James Burke, and given their efforts and
responsibilities, I can find sympathy for their irritation when they are
critiqued by outsiders who are not contributing to the organization of
these events, and unaware of the constraints they are operating with.

Michel

On Sun, Jul 3, 2016 at 10:23 AM, Orsan <orsan1234 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Does anyone know who is you James? you write it like you know all on the
> list, and you know me.
>
> Your sarcastic tone is really annoying, and you don't know me, you don't
> like me at all. Neither I know you and like you.
>
> The truth is your paid job is to sets up and event, funded by EU, where
> Global Commons agenda is supposed to be set up, you guys, as once Restakis
> accidentally declared to public,  on the driving wheel... Plus charging
> participants... Sorry but it will not be like that.
>
> There will be annoyed ones critically targeting what is being boiled..
>
> WSF is another story, I will complain about that later, which is not your
> paid job area.
>
> Things boil down to agenda setting, and power struggle. We will luckily
> discuss all publicly this time. God bliss commons, p2p and the Internet.
>
> Good luck.
>
>
> On 3 jul. 2016, at 01:33, Michel Bauwens <michel at p2pfoundation.net> wrote:
>
> thanks james!
>
> On Sun, Jul 3, 2016 at 5:59 AM, james burke <lifesized at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> A public response will follow. We know him personally and like him,
>> although he likes to complain a lot.
>>
>>
>> J
>>
>> On Sun, Jul 3, 2016 at 12:19 AM, Michel Bauwens <michel at p2pfoundation.net
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Dear James et al,
>>>
>>> thanks for responding to this question and critique by Orsan Senalp:
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2016 20:16:36 +0200
>>> From: Orsan Senalp <orsan1234 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [P2P-F] Eu funded Global Commons Conference, 2-3 September,
>>>         Amsterdam
>>> To: "<networkedlabour at lists.contrast.org>"
>>>         <networkedlabour at lists.contrast.org>,   P2P Foundation mailing
>>> list
>>>         <p2p-foundation at lists.ourproject.org>,  Commoning
>>>         <commoning at lists.commons-institut.org>
>>> Message-ID: <EEA10DC4-F19B-45E8-B22C-3EEC5753BEC8 at gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> I am based very Amsterdam but heard about this event from Facebook. It
>>> was not clear from the website if registration fee will be charged. In case
>>> there is a fee for participation, although I am very close it seems as many
>>> other commoners it would not possible for me to join this event; let alone
>>> the ethic problem of charging people for already funded event by EU, with
>>> public money.
>>>
>>> .....
>>>
>>> Peer Value:Advancing the Commons Collaborative Economy is a conference
>>> integrating conversations and plans of action for shaping and connecting
>>> the Commons on a global level.
>>> The conference is organized along three tracks:
>>> Track 1: P2P: Inclusive Politics, Activism and Law for the Commons
>>> Track 2: Decentralized Tech and Beyond:Global Design,Local Production
>>> Track 3: From Platform to Open Cooperativism
>>> We will explore questions such as:
>>> What are the conditions that encourage communities to work as peers,
>>> creating commons?
>>> What are the best practices communities can adopt to safeguard their
>>> resilience?
>>> Decentralization - why is it important, and how is it implemented and
>>> maintained?
>>> How can the working methodologies honed by well-established digital
>>> communities act as transitional guidelines for sustainable ?material?
>>> manufacturing?
>>> What about social innovation and livelihoods - how does contributory and
>>> open accounting work with the systems of value creation found in CBPP?
>>> How can civil society participate in recommending policy proposals that
>>> support CBPP for governments at the local, regional, national - even global
>>> - levels?
>>> Join your peers, add your voice and take part in the growing
>>> conversation about the Commons as an important, emerging collaborative
>>> social model.
>>> Register now >
>>>
>>> This event is funded by a European Union FP7 research grant.
>>>
>>> Web: Peervalueconf.eu <http://peervalueconf.eu>
>>>
>>> ....
>>> In solidarity,
>>>
>>> ?rsan
>>>
>>> --
>>> Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at:
>>> http://commonstransition.org
>>>
>>> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
>>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>>>
>>> <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates:
>>> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
>>>
>>> #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> James Burke
>>
>> T:+31 (0)6 5244 6445
>>
>> Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifesized
>> LinkedIn: nl.linkedin.com/in/lifesized
>>
>>    -
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at:
> http://commonstransition.org
>
> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>
> <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates:
> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
>
> #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
>
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>
>

-- 
Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org

P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net

<http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates:
http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

#82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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