BeLocal page for BeWelcome
note: don't care any formatting since it's done for BW wiki
!!!building up BW community!
BeWelcome is just in a phase when building more and more tools and features is not just what we want. We wish to give the first steps to a *Real Life community*, people helping each other, not only waiting for a message from another member but weaving the network.
What does that mean? Local volunteers, meetings, helping travelers, bringing the benefits of BeWelcome to offline members of you community, ... the ways to develop the cultural exchanges we are wishing with BeWelcome are infinite.
!!!BW members are the builders of their community! We are opening this participative space where we hope that, together, we will create and set the basis of our Community. Some structure to organize it, but more important some energy to make it real and fun!
We count with your involvement and contribution! Let's start with 1 month of brainstorming, and then summarize the results of the brainstorming, debate them and make real what we'll have decided!
To try to be productive, the Local Volunteers team organized separated topics to deal with, and started with introducing its proposals. Up to you now!
We'll try to take decisions by consensus when it is possible, else we'll open polls where things will be decided. In all the cases please take the time to read the informations before, so you have the necessary background to contribute, to take the others in account but also be creative!! And of course... if you have suggestions about this own process, they are very welcome (pietshah)
!"Together we know everything" We trust our collective organization to build the best basis for making Real Life interactions numerous, rich and creative, making Cultural Exchange real! We don t seek for a uniliteral fixed mission. We are desperate for a plural, flexible and developing idea of our collective.
For each topic, 3 RULES:
- Be Respectful. Read the others and learn from them
- Be Creative. We're brainstorming - you are actor, you are the new input!
- Be Constructive! We need to build the real.
OBJETIVE: concluding all the topics before Berlin Beach Camp in May, when a workshop will allow real conclusions and implementation!
!!1. What is Community?
What we want Community for? What should promote BeLocal?
First, a little abstract discussion, to get the general feeling. Here we'll definitely not define a unique view, but bringing together the points of view will help! For each of us, Community means a different thing. Some of us even think that a community feeling is not necessary. But we are here, together, and full of wishes to do more things. What means for you the BeWelcome community? What do you expect from it? How do you see it, concretely? What is your personal mission as a Local Volunteer in your community?
This debate will probably allow the other - more concrete - discussions to be focussed on the right expectations.
!!2. BW communities or global ones?
Which relations with CS and HC groups?
In lots of cities of the world, CS, HC (or other platforms) groups are running and organized. What should be our behaviour with them? Furthermore, lots of people will be in these groups already. What's our view? Openness, yes - but how? Are there other groups we could / should involve in our process? I'm thinking here not just about Servas Groups (AFS, Rotary, environmentalists, Ex-patriates, Peacecorps Volunteers, etc). Maybe we could work together with schools, ecologists, anarchists, indigenous groups, etc. How can Local communities work together with other established communities?
!!3. Tools & co
Are tools the essence of local exchanges? Can we get out from dependence to them?
The Tools offered by BeWelcome in the moment (28.Feb 08) are sufficient for a brainstorming. Message System, Forum (with notification) and this wiki are here and waiting to get extensively used by us. We are used to wait for tools before doing things. But if we meet about Real Life relationships, are the online tools the very basis of it? BeWelcome does not just exist because of the website - this is for myspace, facebook, etc. - we are REAL! How could we be less dependent on the tools and already make more for Cultural Exchange, at a Local level?
!!4. Features on BW.
What should be implemented on BW to develop local life.
Ok, tools help. What should be the core things to develop, to help our objectives to happen? Let's try to think and design them, not as cool gadgets but as contribution to our Cultural Exchange wishes. As a start for discussion, we can have a look at this draft: http://test.bewelcome.org/playground/cities.html
!!5. The role of Local Volunteers? Do we want Local Volunteers? What would be their role?
Is it just about helping travelers? How can we give benefits to the 6 Billion people who are not yet members of BeWelcome? see some general views about BeWelcome: http://www.bewelcome.org/forums/s30/page2/ A big work has ben done, mainly by Kjell, from the HC experience: see the Local Volunteer Guide, drawing the "must do", "can do" and "don't do" for a Local Volunteer http://www.bevolunteer.org/wiki/Local_Volunteer_Guide.
!!6. Local Volunteers structure
How are organized LV? How are they shown on the site?
We have no obligations - everything is to be created. A traditional approach would be a hierarchical one, base on geography: city volunteer, region, country, general/top coordination. If so, how would that work. Would we have other ways, maybe more appropriated? How to be flexible? How LV will be shown on the site? As a "special member", will he have some emphasis/visibility?
!!7. Who can be LV?
Are there some conditions, application? Is there a commitment?
One first point is the conditions. Another is the commitment, how to "stay" LV. Fabian proposed an innovative approach to "measure the activity of volunteers". http://www.bevolunteer.org/wiki/How_to_measure_activity_of_Local_Volunteers but its nothing more then a proposal so feel free to modify or even reject it.
!!8. Background
Special functions of LV, behind the scene. Coordination.
Probably people will need to work behind the scene. What will be this work? Who will do it?
