Consensus Democracy at Occupy Wall Street #OWS #Commons
Consensus Democracy at Occupy Wall Street #OWS #Commons
Consensus Democracy - How do the Occupy Wall Street protesters reach decisions in a very diverse group?
We filmed at the Occupy Wall Street protests recently. One of the wonderful things to emerge in these protests has been the Consensus Democracy approach: broad, highly inclusive, community-focused and introspective - everyone has a voice. This form of decision-making is similar to older forms - for example, Quaker Letters - used to find central commonalities among diverse groups.
Consensus Democracy is very powerful. When decisions are reached, you know that the vast majority agree; and that essentially all in the group will accept the result. There is a lot of listening required: deeply understanding the others' points of view and priorities - good skills for us to re-learn now, especially in U.S. politics!
The use of Consensus Democracy is here described by Jason, one of the Media Team members of the #OWS group who was present from the beginning, and had been there for more than a month when we interviewed him in October 2011.
Attached is a scan of the brochure that the New York General Assembly (NYGA.org) distributed to show people how it works.
Cheers,
Kevin
Kiva Loans
964 Matches. Page 1 of 49 next >>
| Name | Fundraising | Activity | Location | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Norato buy a van to carry tools and cleaning supplies; to purchase soaps, rags, sponges, disinfectant sprays, and other concentrated cleaners; also, fuel to drive and market in the Brownsville area. learn more |
| Services | Brownsville, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Katherineto purchase branded material and lead lists for direct mail campaigns. learn more |
| Services | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States map | ||||||
 Josephto buy a computer and software, to secure a lease for a small office space, and to hire a clerical worker. learn more |
| Services | El Paso, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Angelitato market her business. learn more |
| Services | Humble, TX, United States map | ||||||
 Emmanuelto repair his mobile truck, buy cups, purchase spoons and ingredients, pay for a part-time employee and start developing a company website. learn more | funded | Food Stall | Memphis, TENN, United States map | ||||||
 Gustavoto purchase office supplies, as well as equipment and supplies such as test tubes, syringes and lab coats and to rent office space for his business. learn more |
| Services | Garland, TX, United States map | ||||||
 Michaelto purchase a stage piano for live shows, system upgrades for his cinematic computer system, new microphones and a new mixer. learn more |
| Entertainment | Austin, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Jonto purchase more technology equipment to help protect his clients from data loss, corruption and fraud. learn more |
| Electronics Repair | Carlsbad, CA, United States map | ||||||
 Chattarto buy materials and pay tutors. learn more | in_repayment | Education provider | El Paso, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Kitiyato develop her own line of toxin-free nail polish. learn more |
| Cosmetics Sales | Washington DC, United States map | ||||||
 Mohammadto pay the security deposit and two months' rent for a store front in Langley Park, Maryland where his business will be located. learn more |
| Cosmetics Sales | Maryland, United States map | ||||||
 RajvinderTo finish building a kitchen for their store learn more | in_repayment | Food Production/Sales | Clovis, United States map | ||||||
 Diegoto finance the purchase of more inventory, allowing him to offer his customers a wider variety of car brands and prices. learn more |
| Retail | Virginia, United States map | ||||||
 Alejandroto purchase a truck. learn more | in_repayment | Transportation | Dallas, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Oscarto purchase more furniture and electronic devices to rent to customers learn more |
| Services | Del Rio, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Felicianoto make needed improvements to the store’s display fronts and help fund additional staff and employees learn more |
| Bakery | Dallas, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Dannyto repair his work vehicle learn more |
| Retail | San Antonio, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Sandrato purchase vending machines and food items to be placed inside each machine. learn more | in_repayment | Retail | Houston, Texas, United States map | ||||||
 Justinto hire one part-time employee, purchase a new laptop with the latest technology software, purchase a vehicle to market his company and pay for website upgrades. learn more |
| Computers | Montgomery, Alabama, United States map | ||||||
 Billyto transfer his inventory to a bigger warehouse, pay a Certified Public Accountant, and to advertise his products. learn more |
| Retail | Dallas, Texas, United States map |
964 Matches. Page 1 of 49 next >>
