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.

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.
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]
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]
Announcements
1. If people have announcements about upcoming events or other initiatives relevant to anarchists, share them now!
2. [Announcements]
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