Paris Collective Appendix 3
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Appendix 3 : Sketch of a schedule for the School Gathering
Feel free to look at and modify the original timetable in Excel format.
APPENDIX 4 : Organisational suggestions for a better share and spread of information
More explanations about the ‘information booklet’ concept
Those booklets should gather :
- practical information about the CSC site and surroundings (location and maps to and from, transport links and fares, surrounding shops, ATMs, etc. to do’s and to see’s…)
- practical information about the CSC organisation (who’s who, organisation team, roles, rough idea of the planned timetables and workshops subjects, home rules, map of the CSC place including precise location of any information board and gathering points plus gathering hours, etc.)
As people don’t necessary enjoy reading that much the content will need to be made as visual as possible and writing reduced to the minimum required to simply give a digest of major pieces of information everyone should have at hand. The format should be easy to handle with e.g. a document that can stant in a pocket or a small bag.
Information boards
We are considering setting information boards for an extensive amount of issues e.g. chore chart, house rules, daily workshop list, daily activities planned, maybe a board with the photos and names of all current attendants, a personal message board and an absence list as suggested by Sonja – read details further down - etc. in a word ALL appointments and announcements should be written down on posters at ONE single point that would be kind of the ‘information centre’ of the CSC.
As suggested somewhere on the CSC NZ 06-07 group, it might also be interesting to convert the organizational structure of the Collective to a diagrammatic form and use it as a continuing model. This could take the shape of a big white board at the ‘information centre’ so as projects and people come and go the variable structure components (eg smaller projects etc) and those involved at that time could be added and deleted within the bigger more lasting structures... This would allow people to keep aware of what’s going on through a quick and very visual means of communication.
File folder gathering print-outs of workshops and meeting minutes
At the information centre we suggest to keep a file folder (e.g. a 3-ring binder?) in which workshops and meeting minutes would be gathered daily after being printed out – this way people could come and read through them and get updated or reminded of the work going on (thus avoidance of ‘informational gaps’) and eventually could correct or add to it
Personal message board and absence list
Quoting Sonja’s suggestions in her Eisenstadt CSC feedback form, here is what was suggested :
The personal message board is a wall with marked spaces for every letter in the alphabet where everybody can place or receive a short note to and from every single other person, using an open or folded paper with a name and a message, hanging it up in the right space for the receiver and looking for his/her own “inbox” in the right space too. I saw this rather primitive system working perfectly for a conference of several thousands of people! Material : wall, tape or pins, paper + pens.
There could also be an open space announcement board for everybody, containing e.g. the signup paper for supper with XY or other ideas to share activities, spontaneous polls of the group.
The absence list could be something like a chalkboard. Leaving the house – sign name (maybe destination and estimated return time). Back again – erase. Profit : never again loose time for getting something done by looking for a helper that is out of reach, etc.”
