[jnv] September meeting, Leeds launch

[JNV]

In this email:

1) SEPTEMBER MEETING: PRELIMINARY AGENDA AND CALL FOR FURTHER ITEMS
2) LEEDS LAUNCH REPORT
3) MILAN RAI SPEAKER TOUR

Best wishes,
Jonathan Stevenson,
(On behalf of the JNV coordinating group)

- - - - - - - - - -

1) SEPTEMBER MEETING: PRELIMINARY AGENDA AND CALL FOR FURTHER ITEMS

JNV NETWORK MONTHLY MEETING
7.30pm, Thursday 4th September
Quaker International Centre, 1-3 Byng Place, London WC1E 7JH 
For a map, see <http://tinyurl.com/lgfg>
All welcome. Please send a representative of your group.

PROVISIONAL AGENDA
The coordinating group have come up with a number of proposals which, time permitting, we think it would be good to discuss at the September meeting. These are:

- Network independence from JNV campaigns
- Coordinating group: who we are, what our role is
- Affiliating to/becoming part of the network
- “Renaming the network” session at the conference
- What else to do in the network session
- Skillsharing/training through the network: getting started
- Network decision-making: involving everyone
- Future network gathering?
- Next Big Thing after the conference: day of regional forums?
- Fundraising/money

We also think it would be good to have parallel practical planning sessions on:

- Developing regional forums: how to do them, how to support them
- Grassroots Anti-War Conference: ongoing preparations

We’ll be circulating more details about the proposals on Monday, so that those coming to the meeting have a chance to consider them in advance, and those outside London have a chance to send comments to be fed in at the meeting.

CALL FOR FURTHER ITEMS
If you have a proposal that you’d like to put or have put to the network at the September meeting, please send it to us by 9am, Monday 1st September on <network@j-n-v.org>. Ideally, proposals should take the form of a short summary of what you’re proposing, and an estimated amount of time for us to spend on it at the meeting. Thanks!

- - - - - - - - - -

2) LEEDS LAUNCH REPORT

The first non-London meeting of the Network took place last week in Leeds. I, Jonathan, represented the Network coordinating group. Members of a number of Yorkshire groups, including ones in Leeds, Bradford, Ossett, Sheffield and Hebden Bridge, as well as Yorkshire CND, attended, and there was interest and enthusiasm for the idea of the Network. Participants placed particular emphasis on the fact that the Network is intended to be ‘non-hierarchical’.

Some people at the meeting liked the fact that the Network is trying to be complementary to the Stop the War Coalition, rather than trying to compete with it. Other people (who are not affiliated to the coalition) liked the fact that the Network is another way of connecting with other anti-war groups.

The Network coordinating group is actively seeking groups elsewhere in the country to host other local forums for discussing the grassroots network and how it might be useful to local groups. If you know a group which might be interested, please get in touch with the coordinating group via <network@j-n-v.org> or by phoning 0845 458 3117.

- - - - - - - - - -

3) MILAN RAI SPEAKER TOUR

Milan Rai, JNV co-founder, is doing a speaking tour in September and October to talk about his new book, Regime Unchanged, a follow-up to his earlier War Plan Iraq, and about JNV and the network. Current dates are:

6 Sep, CND Conference, Birmingham University
7 Sep, Birmingham University
10 Sep, Ipswich
11 Sep, Brighton
12 Sep, Hayes
15 Sep, Media Workers Against the War, London 
16 Sep, Oswestry
17 Sep, Chester
18 Sep, Bangor
19 Sep, Newcastle Emlyn
20 Sep, Bridgwater
23 Sep, Colchester
27 Sep, Official Book Launch, London
12 Oct, Scottish CND Conference, Glasgow
23 Oct, Oxford
26 Oct, London

If your group would like to invite Milan to do a talk, please call him on 0845 458 9571 or email <milanrai@btinternet.com>.

For more tour details (up soon!), please check the JNV website: <www.j-n-v.org>.