Monthly Archives: June 2008

Welcome to the Melbourne Social Forum

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The Melbourne Social Forum is a process, a movement, an event and an organisation. The MSF facilitates social change and explores alternatives in the interest of social justice and ecological sustainability.

The Melbourne Social Forum is a catalyst that brings together a diversity of ideas, perspectives, activists, religious traditions, cultures and organizations from the not-for-profit, profit, education, arts, indigenous rights, unionist, social justice and environmental justice areas. By building bridges between many progressive organisations and sharing visions, we are better able to address the pressing challenges of the 21st century, be they global or local in scope.

Our energy materialises through the organisation of events online and in the real world where the MSF provides a platform for discussion, workshops, stalls and the enjoyment of music, arts, food and culture. In 2007, over 500 individuals and organizations took part in our three day event at CERES environmental park where they attended some of the 50 workshops, 30 stalls, 4 key note speakers and enjoyed live music, delicious food, a film festival and other art and cultural displays

Over 800 people have already signed on to keep up to date and get involved with the moment. Will you be the next to join and sign-up for our newsletter?

2004 MSF

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Melbourne Social Forum


 
 

The Melbourne Social Forum is a volunteer effort by members of many independent organisations and citizens concerned about globalisation.

The founding members met at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, and decided Melbourne, and the world, could benefit form a local Social Forum being established here…

 

The festival theme for 2005 is “Your World ~ Your Future: Open Spaces for Open Minds.” As with all Social Forums around the world it is an opportunity for many different interest groups, artists, and any interested citizens to get together to discuss globalisation issues, and what we here in Melbourne might do about them.

The festival is a great opportunity to meet new people, forge new connections and discover synergies and possibilities- for working together, for new ways to achieve alternatives to the current globalisation, from right here in Melbourne.

So come along and check it out – at the very least it’ll be fun with music, food, and lots of interesting people having fascinating conversations! ;)

When?

The Festival will be on the weekend of November 19th and 20th 2005, from 10am until late into the evening… There may be a opening event to be held in the City on the Friday night…so stay tuned…

Where?

The main event will be held at CERES environmental park in Brunswick .

How Much?

There is a small fee for participating: to cover costs of hiring the venue, setting up extra facilities on the day, and to pay for simple things like this website. It will be:

$20 normal 15$ concession for 2 days

$15 normal 10$ concession for one day

Tickets?

You can get tickets before the event (and feel good because you know you’re helping out in covering the set-up costs;) by going to Friends of the Earth @ 312 Smith St Collingwood, from November 1st.


MUSIC, FOOD & STALLS

While there’ll be lots of talk, there will also be lost of fun at the Festival! If you’d like to participate in making the Festival more festive, please contact us. There’ll be four main areas of fun:

Film festival

We are proud to announce that the MSF 2005 will hold a film festival organized by Transmission. More details to follow.

Music

Well, music is a little limiting. How about performances? Artists of all kinds are invited to participate on the day and in the evening ‘concert’ styled celebrations.

Food

CERES has a really nice cafe, and the MSF organising team is currently looking for other licensed mobile food vendors to share their skills and fare on the day.

Stalls

Any group can set up a stall on the day – to promote them selves, something they’re interested in, or whatever will fit into a small tent and be legal;) There’s a small fee, so contact us well in advance to sort out your group’s participation!


SPONSORS

The MSF wouldn’t exist without the generous support from many organisations – through in-kind services, facilitating contacts and providing financial support.

We invite you to support our supports where ever possible! Please contact us if you have something to contribute!

The 2005 MSF is sponsored by:

Borderlands Co-operative

Friends of the Earth

International Socialist Organisation

Global Trade Watch

Prosper Australia

3CR

And many other individuals and groups who aren’t in a position to name themselves publicly;)

Social Forums around the world

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Social Forums around the world 


 
 

Did you know that over 180 social forums have been held in over 120 cities around the world since 2001? As well over a million participants have taken part in social forums and countless organisation that number in the tens of thousands. 

Australian Social Forums:

World Social Forums:

 

We are not alone! Here is an ongoing catalogue of local and regional social forums around the world…

Transatlantic Social Forum    Madrid, Spain    May 18 and 19, 2002
Basque Country Social Forum    Bayonne, France    June 22 and 23, 2002
Meeting in preparation for the European SF in Salonica    Thessaloniki, Greece    July 13 and 14, 2002
Venezuela Social Forum    Caracas, Venezuela    July 4 to 7, 2002
Social Movements Meeting    Johannesburg, South Africa    August 26 and 27 2002
Second National Plenary of individuals and organisations participating in the Portugal Social Forum    September 21, 2002
Belgium Social Forum    Brussels, Belgium    September 21, 2002
Quebec Social Forum    Quebec, Canada    September 27 to 29, 2002
Argentina Forum – Corrientes        October 11 and 12, 2002
Skåne Social Forum    Lund, Sweden    October 18 to 20, 2002
Maldonado Social Forum    Uruguay    October 26 and 27, 2002
Meeting of the Hemispheric Council of The Social Forum of the Americas        October, 28 2002
Bay Area Social Forum    United States    Oct-02
Cameroon Social Forum        November 2 and 3, 2002
Uruguay Social Forum    Montevideo, Uruguay    November 15 to 17, 2002
Small World Social Forum – Canada    University of Victoria – Canada    November, 16 to 18, 2002
Colombia Social Forum    Bogota, Colombia    Date: November 22 and 23, 2002
I Forum on Globalisation, Albacete, Spain    Albacete, Spain    November 26 to December 17, 2002
Norway Social Forum    Oslo, Norway    November 28 to December 1st
Marocco Social Forum        December 20 to 22, 2002
New York Social Forum        January 11, 2003
Uppsala Social Forum    Uppsala, Sweden    January 18 and 19, 2003
World Education Forum     Porto Alegre, Brazil    January, 19 to 22, 2003
Hungarian Social Forum        April 5 and 6, 2003
Journey – Route to the Peru Social Forum        April 24 and 25, 2003
Pays Basque Social Forum        April 26 and 27, 2003
Belgium Social Forum        May, 10 2003
Irish Social Forum Open Day    Dublin     May 24, 2003
Austria Social Forum    Hallein, Salzburg     May 29 to June 1st, 2003
Portugal Social Forum    Lisbon, Portugal    June 7 to 10, 2003
Greek Social Forum    Thessaloniki, Greece    June 20 to 22, 2003
IV Mesoamerican Forum – (Continental Campaign against the FTAA)    Tegucigalpa, Honduras    July 21 to 24, 2003
Foro por un Derecho Social Mundial (Forum for a Social Law)     Buenos Aires, Argentina September, 8 to 9 , 2003
Swiss Social Forum    Friburg, Switzerland    September 19 to 21, 2003
Nigerian Women’s Social Forum    Niamey, NIGER 1    September 25 and 26, 2003
II University Social Forum    Asuncion, Paraguay    September 26 to 28, 2003
Nigerian Social Forum    Niamey, NIGER 2    September 25 and 26, 2003
Santa Fe Thematic Social Forum    Ciudad de Santa Fe, Argentina    October 3 to 5, 2003
Zimbabwe Social Forum    Harare, Zimbabwe    October 9 to 11, 2003
Austral Africa Social Forum    Lusaka, Zambia, Austral Africa    November 9 to 11, 2003
II Uruguay Social Forum     Montevideo, Uruguay    October 10 to 12, 2003
1st Alberta Social Forum    University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada    October 17 to19, 2003
1st Irish Social Forum    Dublin, Ireland    October 17 to 19, 2003
Social Forum Mallorca    Palma, Mallorca    October 17 to 19, 2003
Denmark Social Forum     Copenhagen, Denmark    October 31 to November 1, 2003
New York Social Forum    New York City, USA    November 1, 2003
Brazil Social Forum    Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil    November 6 to 9, 2003
II Health Social Forum    Medicine College of UBA, Argentine    November 7 to 9, 2003
Southern Africa Social Forum    Mulungushi Conference Centre, Lusaka, Zambia    November 9 to 11, 2003
Paraguay Social Forum    Asunción, Paraguay    November 20 to 23, 2003
Social Forum Aotearoa    Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand    November 21 to 23, 2003
Ivory Social Forum    Abidjan, Ivory Coast    November to 25 to 27, 2003
Central Africa Social Forum    Bangui, Central Africa    November 26 to 29, 2003
Delhi Social Forum Meeting        December 8, 2003
Sub-regional Consultation Meeting    Maputo, Mozambique    December 13 and 14, 2003
Senegalese Social Forum    Dakar, Senegal    December 18 to 20, 2003
Central African Social Forum     Central African Republic    Dec-03
Forum for Another Mali     Bamako, Mali    January 4 and 5, 2004
Pakistan Social Forum    Lahore, Pakistan    January 12 and 13, 2004
Guinea Social Forum    Conakry, Guinea    Jan-04
São Paulo World Education Forum    São Paulo, Brazil    April 1 to 4, 2004
Finnish Social Forum    Helsinki, Finland    April 3 to 4, 2004
IV Local Authorities Forum    Barcelona, Spain    May 7 and 8, 2004
Lima Social Forum (San Marcos Journey)    Lima, Peru    May 13 and 14, 2004
Regional Argentinian and Latin American Education Forum for the peoples to have voice, Córdoba, May 21 to 23, 2004
Austrian Social Forum    Linz, Austria    June 3 to 6, 2004
Thematic Social Forum on Social and Solidarity Economy – Buenos Aires, Argentina    June 5 and 6, 2004
Civil Society Forum (XI UNCTAD)    São Paulo, Brazil    June from 11 to 17, 2004
Triple Frontier Social Forum    Puerto Iguazu, Argentina     June 25 to 27, 2004
Congolese Social Forum    Congo    Jun-04
Nigeria Social Forum     Abuja or Lagos (to be set), Nigeria    Jun-04
Social Forum Ivory Coast    Yamoussoukro (Politic Capital), Ivory Coast    July from 16 to 19, 2004
5th Mesoamerica Forum – Contructing Grassroots Power for Self-Determination, San Salvador, El Salvador    July 19 – 21, 2004
Boston Social Forum    Boston, EUA    July 23 to 25, 2004
III World Education Forum    Porto Alegre, Brazil    July 28 to 31, 2004
Morocco Social Forum    Rabat, Morocco    July 27 to 29, 2004
Peru Social Forum    Tambogrande (Piura), Peru    August 2 – 4, 2004
Paraná Medio Social Forum – Argentina    La Paz – Entre Ríos, Argentina    August 14 – 15, 2004
Colombia Social Forum    Bogota, Colombia    August from 17 to 22, 2004
3rd World Forum for Judges – Argentina    Buenos Aires, Argentina    August 30, 31 and September 1
Sydney Social Forum    University of Technology, Sydney, Australia    September 17 to 19, 2004
Uruguay Social Forum    Montevideo, Uruguay    September 18 – 19, 2004
Denmark Social Forum    Christiania and Christianshavn, Copenhagen, Denmark    October 1 to 3, 2004
Melbourne Social Forum         Oct-04
Northwest Social Forum     Seattle, WA – United States    ???
Malawi Social Forum    Lilongwe, Malawi    October 19 – 22, 2004
Benin Social Forum    Catanou, Benin    October 21 – 27, 2004
New York City Social Forum        October 28-31, 2004
Chile Social Forum    Chile    November 19 to 21, 2004
Social Forum Málaga Province        December from 3 to 6, 2004
World Forum on Agrarian Reform    Valencia, Spain    December from 5 to 8
African Social Forum    Lusaka, Zambia    December 10 to 14, 2004
Brisbane Social Forum         2004
Social Forum in Bahia (Brazil)    Salvado, Bahia    October 28th to 29th 2004 
Social Forum in Maranhão (Brazil),     São Luis, Maranhão    November 5th  and 6 th 2004
Northeastern Social Forum      Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil    November 24th to 27th 2004 
Social Forum in Rio de Janeiro    São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro    November 26th and 27th 2004 
Northwestern Area Social Forum    Santos, São Paulo    November 28th 2004  
3rd Potiguar Social Forum    Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil)    December 16th to 19th 2004
2nd Colombia Social Fórum        Dec-04
World Forum on Agrarian Reform    Valencia, Spain    December 5th to 8th 2004 
1st Melbourne Social Forum         Nov. 2004
Pan-Amazon Social Forum    Manaus, Amazonas    18 a 22 de janeiro de 2005
Migration Social Forum    Porto Alegre, Brazil    from January 23 to 24, 2005
I Health World Social Forum, Porto Alegre, Brazil    from January 23 to 25, 2005
IV Judges World Forum    Centro de Eventos do Plaza São Rafael, Porto Alegre, Brazil     from January 23 to 25, 2005
Local Authorities Forum for the Social Inclusion ( LAF)    Território Social Mundial (World Social Territory)    January 25, 2005
I Information and Communication World Forum     Porto Alegre, Brazil    January 25, 2005
World Parliamental Forum    Assembléia Legislativa do, Porto Alegre, Brazil    from January 29 to 30, 2005
People World Water Forum    Geneva, Swiss    March 18 and 19, 2005
Finnish Social Forum     Helsink, Finland     April 9 and 10, 2005
Chicago Social Forum         May 1st, 2005
Portugal Thematic Forum – Meeting Resistances and Alternatives, Portugal, May 14, 2005
Mallorca Social Forum     Mallorca, Spain     from May 20 to 22, 2005
6th International Free Software Forum     Porto Alegre, Brazil    June 1-4, 2005
Swiss Social Forum     Fribourg, Switzerland    June from 3 to 5, 2005
Guadalupe Social Forum    Petit-Bourg, Place de Viard, Guadalupe    June 4 – 5, 2005
West Cameroon Social Forum    Bafoussam    8 e 9 de junho de 2005
4th People’s Forum    Fana, Mali    from July 6th to 9th, 2005
Paraná Medio Social Forum     La Paz, Entre Ríos, Argentina    July from 15 to 17, 2005
Germany Social Forum     Erfurt, Germany    July from 21 to 24, 2005
Brisbane Social Forum     Brisbane, Australia    July from 29 to 31, 2005
International Forum – Indigenous People    Porto Alegre, Brazil    August from 11 to 14, 2005
Sydney Social Forum     Sydney, Australia    August from 27 to 29, 2005
Nigeria Social Forum    Lagos, Nigeria    September 14th to 19th, 2005
West African Social Fórum    Cotonou, Benin    September 23rd to 25th, 2005
3rd Atacama Social Forum     Atacama, Chile    October 7th and 8th, 2005
2nd Solidarity Culture Forum    Lima, Peru    October 13th to 26th, 2005
Southern African Social Forum    Harari, Zimbabwe    October 13th to 15th, 2005
1st Cameroon Social Forum    Yaoundé, Centre Jean XXIII, Cameroon    November 10 and 11, 2005
Uganda Social Forum     Namboole, Uganda    Nov 10th to 12nd, 2005
Rio Grande do Sul-StateYouth Forum    Cruz Alta, Brazil    November from 11 to 15, 2005
2nd Nigeria Social Forum    Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Iyana Ipaja    November from 14 to 18, 2005
2nd Melbourne Social Forum        November 19 and 20, 2005
Chile Social Forum        November from 19 to 21, 2005
1st Quebec Social Forum    Quebec, Canada    November from 25 to 27, 2005
Kenya Social Forum    Nairobi, Kenya    November 25th and 26th 2005
4th African Social Forum    Conakry, Guinea Republic    from December 1st to 5th
Uruguay Health Social Forum    Montevideu, Uruguay    December 8th to 10th, 2005
VI Mesoamerican Forum    San Jose, Costa Rica    December from 12 to 14, 2005
3rd Social Forum Ivory Coast        Dec-05
1st Brazil-Uruguay Binational Camp    Barra do Chuí (Santa Vitória do Palmar), Brazil, Barra do Chuy and Rocha, Uruguay    January from 24 to 29, 2005
Tocantins Social Forum    Araguaína, Brazil    April from 1 to 3 2005
Austria Social Forum    Salzburg    Austria, October 2005
4th European Social Forum     Atenas, Greece    May 4th to 7th, 2006
Dutch Social Forum    Nijmegen, Netherlands    May 19th to 21st, 2006
Maghreb Social Forum preparatory assembly    Bouznika, Marroc    January from 13 to 15, 2006
Guatemala Social Forum    Guatemala    January 20 and 21, 2006
VI Local Authorities Forum    Caracas, Venezuela    January 23 and 24, 2006
Americas Continental Health Forum    Caracas, Venezuela    Jan-06
Danish Social Forum    Copenhagen, Denmark    February 3rd to 5th, 2006
World Education Forum    Nova Iguaçu (RJ), Brazil    March 23rd to 26th, 2006
VII Free Software Workshop     Centro de Eventos FIERGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil    April 19th to 22nd, 2006
2nd Brasilian Social Forum    Recife (PE), Brazil    April 20 to 23rd, 2006
Social Forum Cymru/Wales    Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru/Wales, Britain.    28th April to 1st May 2006
Houston Social Forum         April 29-30  2006
Porto Rico Social Forum    Porto Rico    March 26th to 28th 2006
Border Social Forum    Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,    May 1st to 7th, 2006
2nd Migrations World Social Forum    Rivas Vaciamadrid    June 22nd to 24th, 2006,

Source:

http://www2.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=foruns_nacionais_eng  and many thanks to Peter Funke for initiating this.

A world social forum movement

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World Social Forum Movement


 
 
The World Social Forum (WSF) is a global meeting of thinkers, artists, writers, activists, documentarists and organisations, who come together in an ‘open space’ format to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges and inhumanities. The WSF is more specifically a challenge to the mono-logic (and assumed ortho-doxy) of neo-liberal economics, the ‘Washington consensus’ and its handmaidens, the IMF, World Bank and other programs that extend the power of a global corporate elite under the misnomer of ‘development’.

The roots of the type of corporatist development being critiqued at the WSF can be traced back to the post-Bretton-Woods world economic order as framed by the allied victors of WWII and, more specifically, 80-s neo-liberalism pushing-through the successive GATT (General Agreement of Trade and Tariffs) ‘accords’ as a way of eliminating trade barriers and of de-nationalising industries and resources. This led to and almost ubiquitous series of protests against the privatisation of resources in former colonial states and / or developing countries. For decades, grassroots movements emerged throughout the ‘South’ to protest World Bank projects that displaced indigenous peoples, IMF structural adjustment programs that undermined public welfare and health systems, and global financial speculation that wrecked havoc on smaller economies, their currencies and stock markets.

In the 90-s, the word globalisation came into vogue, describing a series of interconnecting phenomena surrounding corporate globalisation, information communications technology systems, trans-nationalisation, a global ‘information economy’, ‘economic democracy’ and the like. Much of this literature assumed a neo-liberal and corporatist understanding, that a global free market system was finally bringing the world together in a ‘golden straitjacket’ and would ultimately help to modernise the ‘under-developed’ world. What this literature missed or omitted were the other ‘globalisations’ under way, the globalisation of environmental issues which increasingly cross borders, the globalisation of security concerns, the globalisation of human rights movements against corporate and state crimes, the globalisation of consciousness, which challenges ethnocentric versions of reality and nation-based governance, and the emergence of global civil society.

The nascent anti-globalisation movement which emerged in grass-roots form in the South (although there were increasing signs that the UN-generated World Summits prepared the terrain for these, especially the Copenhagen Social development Summit in 1995 and others), emerged in full bloom in suburban USA in the form of the ‘Battle of Seattle’. By ’99, corporate globalisation was no longer just a threat to indigenous peoples, but was also identified as a threat to the ‘suburban north’, their unions, democracies, ecosystems, and human rights. Thus, a global anti-globalisation movement focused strategically on putting the issue on the map by targeting the major meeting places where neo-liberalism unfolds: the meetings of the World Trade Organisation, the World Economic Forum / Davos, for example, in the hope that the media might cover such protests.