THE US SOCIAL FORUM will take place June 22-26, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan and we're excited to tell you that it's coming together in big big ways!

THE US SOCIAL FORUM WILL PROVIDE A SPACE to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. It will help develop leadership, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.

Building off the World Social Forum process, the first US Social Forum took place in Atlanta in 2007 and brought together 12,000 people from all places & experiences in belief that Another World is Possible. This June, 20,000 organizers & activists, justice-seekers, community builders, artists, peacemakers, educators, healers, listeners & loved ones are converging for a renewed opportunity to celebrate, organize, teach, debate and otherwise contribute to the growing call that Another U.S. Is Necessary!

Official Website: http://www.USSF2010.org

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WHAT HAPPENS AT THE US SOCIAL FORUM?

On the first day (Tuesday) there will be a massive Opening March and Ceremony. On the last day (Saturday), there will be a huge People’s Movement Assembly {see below} and then a Closing Ceremony. In between, there will be:

1. SELF-ORGANIZED WORKSHOPS: Any registered group can propose TWO workshops once they register [deadline April 20]. Workshops are encouraged to be interactive, collaborative, popular education style, with clear ideas for how folks can incorporate the lessons into their upcoming work. The themes for the three workshop days are:

* Day 2: Connecting Detroit and the U.S.
* Day 3: Connecting the U.S. and International Work
* Day 4: Solutions, Alternatives and Visions

2. PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT ASSEMBLIES: A "PMA" is a discussion process by which a community can identify a specific and tangible proposal for actions or policies to advance work. Communities and whole cities are doing PMAs on various topics to uplift local issues all over the country leading up to the forum, and then at the forum there will be PMAs. Generally the PMAs at the forum will be organized like this:

- Wednesday Day 1. Listening to Detroit (economic crisis)
- Thursday Day 2. Discussion
- Friday Day 3. Resolutions
- Saturday Day 4. Calls to Action beyond the USSF

3. PLENARIES: Plenaries are large sessions that will align with the themes for each day. Plenaries won’t be something that’s formed around one issue or request- they will be interactive sessions and, just like in 2007, it's not so much for big name folks to be speaking but for humble & amazing grassroots organizers & community members to reflect on the intersections that they’re witnessing at the ground level.

4. WORK PROJECTS & WORK BRIGADES: Leading up to the forum hundreds of folks are coming in Work Brigades to support and work with Detroiters, from gardening to healing, screen-printing, exchanging organizing methods & retrofitting houses. During the forum there will be Work Projects where folks can go into the community and get their hands dirty making real-life, needed improvements here in Detroit which will last long after the Forum.

5. DETROIT EXPANDED – DEX. For those who can’t make it, nationally and internationally, we’re working on an interactive web presence so y’all can see what's happening and input on it (check http://ussf2010.org/media for some initial media). This helps us tap into the reality that we’re part of an international political process, not just a 5 day event. We want the world to see us all here in Detroit, and engage with us in these conversations about our collective future!

6. CANOPIES…in 2007 we had tents…in Detroit we’re calling them canopies for legal reasons, but it’s the same idea. Folks will be able to secure a canopy that can be set up throughout the forum in the gorgeous and huge Cobo Hall where self-organized activities can happen, merchandise can be available, folks can screen videos, hold ceremonies, and immerse folks in their work.

7. ARTS & CULTURE! In addition to the self-organized workshops, there is a process by which folks can put in a cultural submission [deadline April 20]– to sing, bring art, act, bring poetry, participate in the USSF Progressive Film Festival and so much more, including the 8,000+ person Leftist Lounge party (http://www.leftistlounge.com). Arts & Cultural organizers realize that our creativity is where we shift and embody new culture, so the work of this part of the forum will weave in through the plenaries, the open spaces and every other part of the forum. We have the gorgeous and massive Cobo Hall and Hart Plaza for all our work, and there will be stages with ongoing amazing performances throughout the forum.

8. CHILDREN'S SOCIAL FORUM and YOUTH CAMP. In 2007 we tried this on and saw how powerful it is to engage children not as creatures to be dropped off and just cared for, but as political beings to be engaged. In Detroit the youth working group and local community are also working to pull off a youth space for youth to kick it, organize and network throughout the forum.

9. DETROIT LOCAL ORGANIZING... the DLOC (Detroit Local Organizing Committee) also has some stuff popping off – tent villages and a bike warehouse for folks who are biking to Detroit. The Boggs Center will be hosting a transformative space with some gardening projects. Detroit is one of the most exciting transitional spaces in the world right now, and these projects will be a way to see it all!

10. INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION: There is a team of folks who sent out invite letters and are working on visas for folks who are coming from outside the country to participate in this forum, and this same group is also helping to weave international voices throughout the forum, so if you’d like to be matchmade with someone who is doing similar work in another part of the world for your workshop or PMA, you’ll be able to do that!

11. DIRECT ACTIONS: The local community is planning some major actions that will advance local campaigns and local needs, and developing an action protocol that asks anyone coming in from out of town to respect that local action schedule. We also know folks are coming and wanting to do actions on all sorts of issues. We will be working to coordinate these to maximize the attention each action gets.

12. OPEN SPACE. While it seems like there is so much planned that there’s no space for openness, organizers feel it’s a priority to have open unplanned space for folks to converge, plan, share and network. So we’re securing spaces for that to happen.

13. TOURS: Detroit is a living historical center. We will be doing tours of the gardens of Detroit, labor tours, movement tours – there are so many ways to see this amazing place you will be in.

14. GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING: This is a collective effort and the bulk of funds are going to be drummed up from the ground up. Start now raising funds with and for your community to participate and to contribute to the capacity of the overall forum. Get tangible resources to do this at the Feed the Roots! Grassroots fundraising page: http://ussf2010.org/fundraising.

Phew! There is actually much more happening. Organizers encourage folks who want to be influential in the forum process to get involved...

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5 EASY WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT:

1. INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS VIA FACEBOOK & this 'event' page (click "Invite People to Come" to the right under the poster graphic). Also post the event link to your status & favorite groups and encourage friends to do the same: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111695722194402

2. REGISTER ONLINE NOW
Head straight to http://ussf2010.org and click on the big register button. This is step #1 and gets you in the mix.

3. POST FLYERS & SHARE VIDEOS/AUDIO/PHOTOS/WRITING
Check out http://ussf2010.org/outreachmaterials for flyer downloads, online badges/banners, blogging ideas & ways to hit the streets.

4. TWEET (@ussf)
#USSF2010. June 22-26 - Another World is Possible at the US SOCIAL FORUM in Detroit. Register now and bring your 20,000 closest friends!

5. GET INVOLVED BY ORGANIZING LOCALLY
Check out http://ussf2010.org/get-involved for ideas on organizing info sessions, assemblies, brigades, caravans & delegations. Or join a National Working Group for ways to support the heavy lifting - from communications to logistics to outreach to program and culture.

If folks want to do work towards the forum that isn’t necessarily part of the official process, they can form a committee and do their thing- we'll see you there for sure.

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SEE YOU IN DETROIT!

It's hard to imagine folks not wanting to be a part of this historic process. The Midwest site of the USSF marks a fierce resistance movement for social, racial, gender, and economic justice. Detroit has the highest unemployment of any major city in the country—23.2% (March 2009)—with nearly one in four Detroiters unable to find work. Michigan has had the highest number of unemployed people in all 50 states for nearly four years. Thousands of living wage jobs have been permanently lost in the automotive industry and related sectors. Some think that it will take at least until 2025 for Michigan to recover from the economic collapse and social dislocation, and what's happening in Detroit and in Michigan is happening all across the United States.

As grassroots activists, organizers, and community members we struggle daily to address the indignities against our people and protect our human right to the basic necessities of life. The Social Forum process presents an opportunity for us all to help build a US that works for everyone. Let's Plan it. Build it. Bring it.

Analía Rodriguez wished to share this with you all: “The forum for us is an opportunity to gather with others who live on the margins and place ourselves at the center. We have to stop letting others speak for us and speak for ourselves. We are in the struggle because we are the struggle, it's up to us."

http://www.USSF2010.org