Second Irish Social Forum

dublin | public consultation / irish social forum | press release Friday August 27, 2004 18:03 by Liz Curry - Dublin Social Forum keykiet at yahoo dot com

This is an invite to the second Irish Social Forum to be held Fri 8th Oct to Sun 10th. in UCD & the ATGWU.

Last year's Social Forum was a great mix of activists, anarchists, NGO's & everyone & anyone interested in discussing current issues too important to leave up to politicians.
The Social Forum is also a great way of finding volunteers, getting ideas & inspiration & sharing resources.

A critcism of many "progressives" is that we know what we are against but what are we for? Any opposition can criticise but do we have practical alternatives?
The Social Forum is a space to discuss workable alternatives and find others also willing to help implement them.
The slogan of the World Social Forum is "Another World is Possible" .
More optimistically Another World is Happening right now everywhere where people are taking responsibility for & charge of their own communities, workplaces etc.

All are welcome to the Social Forum. If you or your organization is interested in doing a workshop please get in contact. Meetings are every Mon. all welcome.
Details are in the attached invite.
See you Oct. 8th,
Liz Curry.


IRISH SOCIAL FORUM
...for Irish civil society to build an Irish Social Forum

Invitation to
Irish Social Forum Summit
Oct 8-10th 2004, Dublin

The Irish Social Forum is a gathering for everyone concerned with war, racism and the implications of corporate-led globalisation i.e. neoliberalism. It is a space to bring together everyone who wants to see global justice, Workers’ rights and a sustainable society.


Following the success of the first ISF Co-operation and Solidarity Summit of October 17-19th 2003, plans are now well underway to organise this year’s summit in Dublin with UCD featuring as the main venue.


This is an opportunity for people from around Ireland to come together to engage in debate, organise action and build networks to strengthen the global justice movement. It will also feature music and film showings celebrating the global movement.

The Irish Social Forum process

So what is the Irish Social Forum?
Launched on July 6th 2003, the Irish Social Forum is a process for the various sectors of Irish civil society to come together to share concerns and analysis, to exchange ideas and experiences, and to build alliances in order to offer alternatives to the implications of neoliberalism. Last year’s summit was attended by almost four hundred people and featured workshops on a variety of issues such as prison privatisation plans, intellectual property, farmers’ issues North and South, the trade union movement and young people, GATS, West Papua, and feminist organisations. The ISF draws its inspiration and energy from the international movement of social forums, such as the World Social Forum and the European Social Forum, which together are strengthening and uniting civil society in the belief that “another world is possible”.

This year’s European Social Forum will take place in London on October 14-17th 2004.

So how does the Irish Social Forum process work?
• The ISF is a local edition of the World Social Forum.
• It is not a group or an organisation. It does not constitute a locus of power to be disputed by the participants in its meetings, nor does it intend to constitute the only option for interrelation and action by the groups and movements that participate in it.
• It is an open forum for the democratic debate and public expression of the views of groups working on the key issues felt and experienced by ordinary Irish people.
• It is not restricted e.g. to voluntary activity or particular professions, but aims to make links across our different ways of organising and operating.
• Other social forums have since emerged throughout the country, e.g. the Northeast Social Forum, the Cork Social Forum and the South East Social Forum.

Fri Oct 8th: Introduction to the Social Forum with music and films
Sat Oct 9th: Speakers and open floor discussion on Multiculturalism and approaches to dealing with Racism
All day Workshops
Sun Oct 10th: Different forms of Opposition to Neoliberalism


We now invite you and groups to shape the content of the social forum by getting involved. Contact us with your ideas, come to the meetings, the summit or propose a workshop.
For more information please contact Interim Convenor Barry Finnegan on 085 – 142 3454 or

www.IrishSocialForum.org