The next Global Week of Action!! But when?
Many groups and activists from across Europe met recently in Brussels for the first time face to face. We realized how similar our struggles are and that we can only counter the commercialisation and privatisation of public education by uniting internationally and globally in the long-run.
We want free and emancipatory public education, which is accessible to all and enables people to critically reflect their environement. Public education systems which are independent of business and governmental interests and receive enough funding by the state to provide quality education to all.
Without free and emancipatory public education a democratic life and a proper democracy can't exist!
People around the world already successfully united for the "International Day of Action against the Commercialisation of Education" (05/11/2008) and the "Reclaim your Education - Global Week of Action" (20 - 29/04/2009).
With each internationally co-ordinated protest we get stronger!
We are very motivated now to unite for a Global Week of Action coming November, which will be even bigger than the previous day and week of action.
With the next Global Week of Action we once again want to promote the global nature of the struggle, create the basis for a truly international movement and increase the political pressure on a global (and with that also on a local) level!
During one workshop activists agreed to suggest, that this week of action should take place in November 2009! So that we have enough time left to mobilize locally and globally (7 months) and most students around the world are not on holiday.
Since Nov. 17th marks a very historic day (see: International Students' Day [I + II]) and groups across the Philippines are preparing protests during that day anyway, I suggest that we have the Global Week of Action from Nov. 16th (Monday) until the 22nd (or OPEN END!).
This is a suggestion.
Please give feedback until May 31st, if you agree with this time frame or prefer a different time frame!
If we all start to work together on this NOW, then this will be HUGE!
Belgium
For Brussels it will be okay, and for the rest of the belgium I will try to make it works!
Jérémy Grosman
U.S.A.
Hi folks,
I would say that in terms of the U.S.A., the 16-22nd are ok, but not great. The reason for that is that the following week is Thanksgiving, which is a major holiday in the United States, during which time all the universities and colleges are closed.
Depending on the militancy of the actions in the U.S., and their duration, the presence of that holiday at the end of the week of action would mean a definite cut-off for media, participation, etc, for U.S. activists. I've been involved in student protests that went into holiday weekends and weeks in the past, and my experience was that with the student body gone on break, the ability of the administration to crack down on us was greatly heightened.
That all said, it's unclear at this point whether the U.S. student movement will become more aware of the global week of action, and more involved. I hope so, and I'll be working to make that happen. But I wouldn't want the entire plan changed simply to accommodate a ~potential~ U.S. presence.
If there were flexibility in scheduling, I would say that moving the protests up just one week, so that they culminated (and perhaps continued from) the 17th, would be best for U.S. students. Nov 11-17.
All the best - Ben
I just published a poll...
... which will be active for two weeks.
Please cast your vote and we will finalize the time frame for the next Global Week of Action during our next international online chat on June 7th:
Click here to get to cast your vote.
NOTE:
The result will not automatically mean that the time frame is chosen which receives most votes, but it might help to make a decision during the next chat.
Leipzig, Germany
11. - 17.
about the next global week of action
i think it would be best to put that week in October, for example from 19th to 23th because in most countries that is the second week of the 2009/2010 school year. so, i think we should show with that that we are not kidding and we should try to occupate that week as many colleges as we can, all over the world... we should fight harder..
one world - one struggle!
education is not for sale!
Alpha, CROATIA
Global Action
I suggest that this will be on November, like second week because October is the time for students to have their vacation. They will be out of our campus. By the way, I invite you guys here in the Philippines to come and visit our country on July because we will be having a huge protest against the State of the Nation Address of our president who has been pushing the education sector to be owned by few rich families, and transform the educational system into a commercialized one.
I suggest a video conference for us so we can also discuss the educational problems that every country are now facing. Thanks.
Long live our struggle!
Jomar
Berlin, Germany
so far I have received no information about the preference of one date or another. anyway - the courses begin in the middle of october and if groups from berlin join (this time maybe a bit better organized than so far) it might me easier if the week of action won´t start that soon after the semster start. so if there are enough votes for this, I think a week in the middle or end of nov might be better and I see no reason so far why the suggested week (Nov. 16th (Monday) until the 22nd) shouldn´t work.
grottian in taz sais: in MAY.
hi. here are the details: http://shortlinks.de/z0hv
I love this article! Very
I love this article! Very interesting information!
Hardwood Floors