General Assembly Best Practices

Tips and tricks for running our monthly General Assembly.

Prep beforehand

Roles and agenda generally decided at the organizing meeting immediately preceding the GA:

Roles: Decide on who will have these roles:

• Greeters: 2 people who will connect with newcomers. 1 will greet people as they arrive, 1 will stay after to do the post-meeting thingie
• Facilitators: 2 people who will help the group through its process and move through the meeting agenda
• Stack taker: 1 person who will make a list of people in order to speak

Agenda: Develop agenda, including what breakouts will happen. Breakouts can be regular working groups or ad hoc/specific projects/discussions.

MIOP also preps the booklet, literature table and newsreel:

Booklet: Gather working group report backs for printed booklet; integrate into booklet; print booklet

Newsreel: An 8 minute silent new reel showcasing anarchist struggle during the past month from around the world to educate and inspire participants at the GA

MACC Money- Passes the bag to raise money for MACC

What to Bring

These materials should be brought to the GA; MIOP (?) generally bottomlines this:

• Printed booklets
• Banners
• Blank sign up sheets
• Pens, black marker
• Pins, t-shirts, flyers
• Tape

Set up

Some people should arrive around 6 to set up for the GA:

• Write and put up signs with 10th floor and/or arrows directing people to GA on front door of building and in hallways on 10th floor
• Hang banners along walls
• Set up projector and computer and run news reel
• Set up place to host orientation for a smaller group (i.e. back office)
• Move desks out of the way, set up at least 50 chairs in an open circle; place a printed booklet on each chair
• Set up mic and sound check
• Write up summarized/high-level agenda on white board
• Set out merch (t-shirts, stickers, flyers, sign up sheets) on table on right

The facilitators should touch base with different working groups as they arrive to see if each will give a reportback. Knowing this ahead of time will avoid confusion and awkwardness during this part of the agenda.

Pre-meeting Orientation (6:30-7)

MIOP runs the pre-meeting orientation for newcomers, covering topics such as:

• What is MACC? How does MACC work?
• Working groups
• How to get on Discord

GA Agenda (7-8:30)

The GA should start at or about 7. Two facilitators should take turns talking through various agenda points.

1. Welcome
   1. MACC - The Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council is an organization based on the guiding principles of horizontalism, anti-oppression, mutual aid, direct democracy, and direct action. We seek to strengthen and support New York City’s anarchist movement through coordination of existing and emerging projects.
   2. General Assembly
      1. Role: the MACC GA is a monthly meeting open to all anarchists to generate and coordinate citywide statements or actions for the anarchist movement. Welcome!
      2. Safer space policy: MACC has this policy as a positive, pro-active, preventative step towards making our community space safer. The policy encourages people to monitor themselves. In brief, MACC will not tolerate sexual violence, other violence, sleazy/predatory behavior, or any of the isms/oppressive behavior here at the GA or in any parts of MACC.
      3. Accessibility: we use the mics to ensure everyone can hear. We know they can be a bit formal and uncomfortable to use, but we believe it is most important that everyone can fully participate.
      4. Press: No members of the press may report on this meeting without our consent. If you are doing that, raise your hand and we will all boo you.
   3. Facilitators - Give your names. Explain the role of facilitator, which is “to help to guide the group through its own process.”
   4. Terms - a few of the most commonly used terms you may hear tonight:
      1. Working groups - groups of humans engaged in concrete tasks around building the MACC organization and the anarchist movements in NYC. Check out your booklet for more info.
      2. MEA - MACC Emergency Action. One of MACC’s working groups, which  coordinates and participates in street demos and actions.
      3. Discord - tech tool we use to discuss MEA actions, share memes, and more
      4. Organizing meeting - where we plan the GA and make organizational decisions for MACC. Open to anyone who has gone to a GA.
   5. Agenda is written out here. Does anyone have anything to add?
   6. After the meeting, join us to socialize at ___ bar.
2. Working group and event report backs
   1. For full report backs, see booklet.
   2. If you want to get involved with a working group, contact info is on website. Also sign up sheets in the back.
   3. If you want to start your own working group, do it!
   4. [Report backs from working groups and events]
3. Break-outs
   1. Breakouts: describe each break out, assign each break out to a different corner of the room, give a time limit. [Breakouts]
   2. (At the end of time, return to large circle.) Pass the bag - funds collected by MACC are used to support working group initiatives, make propaganda, support infrastructure (like our website), and support folks in emergencies. Suggest $10 per person; if you can give more, you’re helping to cover someone who can’t.
   3. [Report backs on breakouts]
4. Announcements
   1. If people have announcements about upcoming events or other initiatives relevant to anarchists, share them now!
   2. [Announcements]
5. Wrap-up
   1. Congrats on making it through the GA. Now you’re not “new” anymore! If this was your first GA and you didn’t go to the orientation before the GA, and/or you are not currently involved in a working group, and/or you have questions about what to do next, _____ will be hanging back to give next steps and answer questions.
   2. To reiterate, join a working group!
   3. Also everyone is invited to the next organizing meeting. The info of when and where it will be is available ----?
   4. Also join Discord somehow ---?
   5. Also come socialize and drink at ___ bar

Post-meeting greeter

One greeter will hang out afterward to touch base with new folks or folks with questions to discuss:

• Ask people if they’ve met each other already
• Re-do introductions, touching on what brought you here
• Ask who found projects or working groups that they want to get involved with
• Encourage them to consider starting their own projects if they don’t have anything they wanna jump on
• Ask them if they have any questions about MACC
• Tell them about my “new-ness” and how MACC doesn’t want people to feel “new”
• Ask for feedback on the GA as an entry point
• Encourage everyone to mingle, both at Verso and the bar