International Student Movement

Regional Meetings in 2011

For over 2 years groups and individuals have been shaping and using the International Student Movement (ISM) platform to exchange information, network and coordinate protests against the increasing privatisation of education and for free emancipatory education on the global level.
Towards the end of the year 2010 some activists began to initiate regional ISM platforms. So additionally to ISM Global, we now also have (at this stage only in form of facebook groups): ISM (Asia), ISM (the Balkans) and ISM (North America).

During the past few global chat meetings participants decided to call for a "Spring of Resistance" (March - May 2011). At the same time they agreed that it could be very useful to have regional meetings before April 2011.

The following aims for the meetings were collected during the chat (Dec.19th):

• Connecting regionally
  -> Reports could be exchanged in advance to learn about the situation elsewhere. These could be collected in a booklet, send to everyone ahead of the meeting and distributed during it as well. This proved to be quite useful at the European Education Congress in Bochum last year.
  -> Collect materials such as posters, symbols, political films and music, pamphlets and stencils, etc.
  -> Exchange experiences and strategies during protests, so we can learn from each other.
• ISM global and ISM regional
  -> Discuss how the ISM on the global level can be improved and consider to set up a regional ISM platform; e.g. regional communication infrastructure like mailing list, chat meetings, homepage, page/group on facebook, etc.
• Collecting ideas and coordinate actions together
  -> e.g. for the "Spring of Resistance" (after presenting and discussing the concept)

These points are only suggestions of course. But if we focus on these points at different regional meetings, then exchanging the results and moving forward together afterwards will be easier.

All groups and individuals identifying with the struggle for free emancipatory education are encouraged to consider to coordinate and arrange a regional meeting before April 2011 as well.
You can do the following, if you consider to host a regional meeting:

• check if a meeting in your region is already being organised (they will all be listed as comments below),
• post a comment to this thread after you signed up to the website,
• send a message to the ISM mailing list to explain your idea and get in contact with other groups in your region
  (if you are on facebook, then messages on the walls of the according groups/pages can help as well).

Questions and suggestions regarding the ISM, the idea to have regional meetings or the "Spring of Resistance" can be send to .

Meetings confirmed in the following regions so far:
Asia - the Balkans - central Europe - German-speaking Region - North America - Russia

~ one world - one struggle ~

PS: If it is too expensive and troublesome to organise a physical regional meeting, then it might be possible to also arrange such a meeting online through chatrooms. Video- and/or telephone-conferences might be options as well.