[slideshow_deploy id='250']GlobalSquare is a series of online and physical meetings and assemblies whose participants and organisers are individuals linked to the 15M, Occupy, Student Movements, Yo Soy 132!, Tharek, Idle No More!, VIA22 as well as other movements. Our objective is to prepare a lively open space for physical contact and exchange during the World Social Forum (WSF) which will take place from 26-30 March 2013 in Tunisia where the flames of the global intifada first sparked in January 2011. We are hoping to enhance collaborations and exchange among citizens and activists who are linked to various movements in different continents by organising collective events and actions towards, around and beyond the WSF.
Within the context of recent horizontal meetings in Madrid, Spain (Agora99) and Florence, Italy (Firenze10+10) a diverse group of individuals active in grassroots movements and networks around the globe started a conversation about participating in the WSF in Tunis. Recognizing it’s value as a time and place to come together, meet, share, and strengthen our networks by exchanging our experiences and practices, we started an open participatory process to prepare for it. Through regular meetings and an inclusive mailing list we have wish to create a space open to a variety of initiatives, especially for participants from the various movements that emerged throughout the last two years (Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, Spain Chile, Usa, Quebec, …..).
Many proposals have been suggested in the past meetings: a series of assemblies, an open space about the future of our struggles, skill-sharing workshops, a camp and a migrant caravan to Tunis, links between local actions and activities and Tunis, and more.
In order to give an extra tool to this process we have started a website which is important as it allows us to share information, to build up the proposals, to work together in an open, horizontal and transparent way. On this website you can also find all the relevant information about GlobalSquare like previous discussions, proposals, collaborative pads etc.
We hope you’ll find the idea interesting and if this is the case you are welcome to join our mailing list, our working groups, our on line meetings and preparatory processes. Here is an overview of the many ways you can get involved in this initiative
The next general Mumble meetings of GlobalSquare in Tunis:
- Sunday 17th February 2013
- Sunday 3rd March 2013
- Sunday 17th March 2013
History
The international mobilisations of 15 October 2011 have brought the ongoing stuggles througout the arab region, in Spain, the United States and other places to a global level. Ever since new international waves of international mobilisation emerged from new networks of people involved in local groups and assemblies, for example the initiatives for GlobalMay and GlobalNoise. As a result of these processes we are now equipped with new dynamic networks and new tools for international communication.
In the meetings of Agora99 and Firenze10+10, in november 2012, a diverse group of individuals, active in 15M, Occupy and other grassroots networks the future of our movements was a central theme: many proposals for new international mobilisations, campaigns and meetings have been presented and discussed. The World Social Forum of 2013 was mentioned as one of many opportunities to meet with movements of Tunisia and the region and other movements, old and new, that share similar principles and aspirations.
With the working title ‘Occupy the WSF’ we started regular online meetings to carry on our debates and preparations. We decided GlobalSquare would be an appropriate name, referring to the ‘movements of the square’. We realized that this name is also used by another initiative, namely The Global Square, a project for the creation of a new social network tool for participants in social movements. This project is currently inactive and the initiators were happy to share similar names, since we all try to do the same thing: bring people together for global change.