US Palestinian Community Network Second Popular Conference

Building a Popular Grassroots Movement for Palestinians in the US

General Assembly, Sunday, October 31, 2010

I. BYLAWS | II. ACTION PROPOSALS | III. ELECTIONS FOR THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE

As Palestinians in the shatat [diaspora], we must continue to strengthen our grassroots popular movement. Democratic participation is the only way to safeguard our self-determination and continue to resist for our national rights.

We therefore strongly urge you attend this Assembly as we equally participate in shaping the direction and agenda of our community in the months and years ahead.  USPCN is held accountable for its national work by its membership.

To that end, this General Assembly will:

  • Vote to adopt Bylaws that safeguard our internal democratic process;
  • Elect National Facilitator members of the Coordinating Committee and encourage the ongoing local elections for local representatives to the Coordinating Committee;
  • Issue a National Call to Action that sets the agenda and timeline for national action and work based upon the Action Proposals submitted by the Palestinian Movement Assemblies and Workshops.

I. BYLAWS

In the furtherance of accountability and inclusive participation, the USPCN Coordination Committee seeks to review and ratify its bylaws at the General Assembly.  A USPCN Subcommittee drafted the bylaws in August 2010 and the full text can be found here http://www.palestineconference.org/uploads/uspcn-bylaws-august.pdf.  A summary of the bylaws can be found in your registration packet and online here http://www.palestineconference.org/uploads/bylaws-summary.pdf.

We encourage you to review the bylaws and submit amendments by 3 PM on Saturday October 30th. NO AMENDMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 3 PM ON SATURDAY. To submit amendments please use our online form to submit them to generalassembly@palestineconference.org or to the registration desk.

II. ACTION PROPOSALS

The First Popular Conference held in August 2008 was a tremendous success for its ability to convene such a broad and diverse grouping of Palestinians and Arabs from throughout the U.S. To build on its initial success, the USPCN seeks to create a space for Action Proposals to be ratified during the General Assembly. Participants are encouraged to develop Action Proposals in collaboration with one another during the workshop sessions, the Palestinian Movement Assemblies, or alternatively during their free time.

Since the USPCN is a loose network comprised of many parts—the viability of the Action Proposals is contingent on participant leadership and the ability to sustain these actions. This means if you want to propose a project for the USPCN, you must identify who will lead this effort. While the national body will be able to provide a national platform, including visibility on its website and members located throughout the U.S., the national body will not have the capacity to lead the Action Proposals that you envision.

In order to be a USPCN project, the Action Proposal must be submitted before, and endorsed by, the General Assembly at the Second Popular Conference. To do this, please:

1)    fill out the Action Proposal included in your registration packet or submit form online here to generalassembly@palestineconference.org

2)    Submit the form no later than midnight on Saturday October 30th; and

3)    Be prepared to say a few words about it during the General Assembly session.

All registered participants will have the opportunity to vote on the proposal without amendment. Amendments to the proposal must be made after the proposal is adopted and within the Committee leading the action.

III. ELECTIONS FOR THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE

The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the US Palestinian Community Network (see USPCN Bylaws, Article 12, Sec. 1). The Coordinating Committee is the facilitation vehicle for the US Palestinian Community Network. It acts to coordinate national actions and projects and build community participation across the country. See here for full description of Coordinating Committee Roles and Responsibilities. Most of the CC’s representatives are elected locally by the local USPCN chapters. As a grassroots movement, this Coordinating Committee can only function if there is direction from the local communities through their representatives.

The mandate for the current Coordinating Committee will expire on December 3, 2010.

Coordinating Committee Elections will take place in two stages:

1)    ELECTIONS FOR NATIONAL FACILITATORS: At the General Assembly, October 31st, 2010, elections will be held for seven National Facilitator positions on the Coordinating Committee. These positions are for those USPCN members that may not have a local base, but who can help coordinate efforts across chapters and help build national momentum for USPCN activities. Scroll down for more information on these elections at the General Assembly.

2)    ELECTIONS FOR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES: Local Representatives to the Coordinating Committee will continue to be voted for through a local elections process. Elections must be held by Friday, December 3, 2010. Current local representatives will facilitate these elections. If they are also running, election procedures will be turned over to local chapter members who are not running.  The mandate for ALL current coordinating members ENDS on Friday, December 3, 2010. Local chapters may request an extension for the actual election date due to extenuating circumstances, but they MUST BE SCHEDULED by December 3rd, 2010. Elections held before December 3rd will be recognized and official.

Representation of local USPCN chapters on the Coordinating Committee is based upon size of USPCN membership in that city. As a local USPCN chapter expands, so will its number of representatives on the Coordinating Committee. Please see USPCN Bylaws for more details (Article 7, Sec. 1).

If you are a new USPCN member and would like to start a local chapter, please see USPCN Bylaws (Article 5 and Article 6).

USPCN membership is also open to individuals who are not part of a local USPCN chapter.

Elections of the National Facilitator members of the Coordinating Committee, Sunday, October 31st General Assembly

Seven National Facilitator CC members will be elected.

How to nominate yourself:

  • Nominees must be USPCN members. Nomination forms are available online here, at the registration desk, and in your registration packets. They must be submitted by midnight, Saturday, October 30th, 2010.
  • Ballots with names and brief bios for all nominees will be distributed at the General Assembly.
  • Nominees will have an opportunity to present themselves before the Assembly goes to a vote.

Election rules:

Only registered USPCN members are permitted to vote.

All registered conference attendees will have a registration number. This will act as your voting number. This number will be placed in your registration packets, and can be obtained at the front desk.

You will write your registration number with names of three votes on white index cards distributed at the Assembly. This is your voting card.

Electronic ballots to vote online will be available for people who registered, but cannot attend the conference on Sunday from 9am until 12pm. Votes may be cast by submitting your filled ballot to: generalassembly@palestineconference.org.

All votes will be counted by an USPCN elections committee.

Election results will be announced at the end of the General Assembly.