Working Groups

Working groups are made up of members from all different collectives as well as individuals who are not affiliated with any collectives but want to join the collective effort of the Omni. These groups function as a way to collectivize the labor required to operate the space. Working groups are a great way to get involved, share skills, ideas, opinions and learn from each other how collective action takes place. If you'd like to be a part of one of the working groups, please visit the respective wiki pages to learn how to get involved!

Meeting times may change occasionally. If you show up to a meeting without checking in (either to the wg mailing list or to info@omnicommons.org) you may end up disappointed and alone! So please ask first!

Working Groups
Commons	Focuses on scheduling events and coordinating use of common areas. Maintains our calendar and event request form.	Meets 2nd & 4th Mondays at 5pm.
Fundraising/Finance	aka "Buy the Building" aka "Until the Revolution." Works on strategies for raising money, such as our crowdfunding campaign, writing grants, seeking donors and lenders. Working on the logistics of keeping the building during this Pandemic, securing a loan with a lower interest rate, including working with land trusts and other partners.	Each Tuesday at 2pm via Google Meet. Currently converged Fundraising with Finance. Finance Working Group keeps our books, balances the budget, tracks expenses, debts and deposits, lets us know how much money we have, what we owe and how much we are making or losing.
Construction & Maintenance	Focuses on physical construction, maintenance and alteration projects. Focusing on fire health & safety, accessibility, soundproofing and rodent-proofing. Hosts occasional Saturday afternoon work parties.	email the list
Communications	Works on public-facing communications (messaging, outreach, press and public relations) as well as internal communications (inter-group collaboration tools, wiki, mailing list and other tools for communication and collaboration). The "sysadmins" working group, who maintain our website and mailing lists, are part of this group.	Meets weekly on Tuesdays at 6pm via Google Meet - email the list
Challenging Dominant Cultures	Exploring bias and issues of difference and inclusion in the space, challenging dominant cultural influences and developing projects and relationships more in line with the values of the Omni, as stated in the founding document and statement of solidarity. Some of this work was once taken up by the Building Bloc.	Emerging out of hiatus
"How We Organize"	Proposes new shapes for the commons to organize its activities and discusses the methods we use to shape ourselves, both as individuals and as collectives within a commons.	On hiatus.
Welcoming Committee	Organizes around creating a welcoming and inclusive experience for newcomers and visitors to the project. This work was once taken up by our former collective called the Building Bloc.	Emerging out of hiatus

Working Group Protocols

(NOTE: For help creating correct wiki pages and adding events to the calendar, contact Vicky (vknoxsironi at gmail dot com], Jenny [jenny at sudomesh dot org] or Matt [mattsenate at gmail dot com])

In order to make progress on many different aspects of this project, please use the following protocols. The intention is to support horizontal, consent-based, transparent, good-faith collaboration.

Start a Working Group

• The Omni encourages the establishment of new working groups as necessary to collectivize the labor of the project.
• A list of current working groups is maintained on the wiki here: http://wiki.omni-oakland.org/w/Working_Groups.
• If you see a need for a new working group, propose its purpose and scope at a delegate’s meeting.
• Once approved by the delegates, work with fellow group members to compose a vision statement and scope for the working group. Create a working group page on the wiki and post your vision there.

Bottomlining Established Working Groups

• Work with fellow group members to determine convenient meeting dates and times.
• Help to administer working group email list.
• Announce your meeting times via email to the omni-logistics list and by adding them to the Omni calendar (https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Calendar).
• Publish meeting notes on the Omni calendar, and send a direct link to the notes to the omni-discuss list after every meeting.
• Help to facilitate a positive and fun working group culture by:
  • Designating a facilitator and scribe to take notes at the beginning of the meeting
  • Concluding each meeting with "action items"
• Be present for meetings as much as possible. If not able to attend a meeting, arrange in advance who will distribute notes.
• Forward any major announcements or questions for discussion from your working group to the omni-discuss list and/or to the delegates’ meeting as necessary.
• Ensure proposals that need the approval of the delegates are added to the riseup pad (https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom). Include the date the proposal was added to the pad.
• The most basic rules for bottomlining a working group are autonomy and good judgement (i.e. common sense)!

Join a Working Group

• Check the schedule above and attend the next meeting of the working group.
• Directly contact the individual(s) bottom-lining the group.
• Show up to a meeting, or use the communication channel specified for that group to stay in touch.

Make Progress in a Working Group

• Set goals that aspire to deliver on the working group's "mission" or purpose.
• If necessary, outline tasks in order to reach each goal.
• Make progress on and seek to accomplish any tasks that contribute to the working group's goals.
• When a working group's goals require feedback, formal approval, or simply consent from the Omni delegates, create a proposal:
  • Present this proposal to the Omni delegates meeting to ensure each member-group can build consent in their respective community as necessary.
• When a working group has several divergent options or ideas and cannot come to resolution on them alone, then create proposals that represent these options and present these in some way to the whole collective:
  • Present proposals at an Omni delegates meeting for feedback
  • Ask for feedback on the omnilogistics@lists.riseup.net email list
  • Ask for feedback from other working groups, member-groups, or individuals that are not involved with your working group.
  • Rinse, repeat until you have garnered improvements to your proposal from the invaluable experiences and contributions of everyone involved with the Omni Commons, ultimately building consensus among the entire community.

Volunteer!

• Fill a front door shift: https://ethercalc.com/omni-front-desk
• Help with a project! (See Building Construction and Maintenance Working Group or checkout the Collectives)
• Answer our wishes! Check out the things we're in need of: WishList
• Clean the commons! We all use it, we all need it clean :D
• Help book occupations of time in the commons: Commons Working Group
• Fold flyers and prepare literature! Ask any member for directions to the printer, cutting board and documents we always need more copies of (like our welcoming comic, or the safe space policy)