Difference between revisions of "Welcome to the Omni Commons"

From Omni Commons
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(→‎Overview: more core values)
(63 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
__NOTOC__
__NOTOC__
=Omni Collective=
What if one of the largest community centers and venue spaces in the Bay Area was run by a volunteer collective where everybody is a leader, where people give what they can and take what they need? We are trying to do just that, at the Omni Commons.


==Overview==
== Who's in Charge? ==


A Collective of Collectives in Oakland, California. See [[Founding Document]] for governance.
Everybody! Members of our 10 collectives make decisions together using consensus - they're called "Delegate Meetings" because every group is supposed to send at least one person. Meetings are at 7pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, and open to all!


''From Latin omni-, "all, every, the whole, of every kind,"''
To make meetings shorter, our delegates have created [[Working_Groups|working groups]] to do much of the work of running Omni Commons. More info below.


OMNI Oakland Collective is comprised of several Bay Area collectives. Its express purpose is to build consensus among member collectives with minimal possible bureaucracy for the administration of a common space and sharing of resources for the use and stewardship of the greater community.
See also:
* [[Orientation: What is this place%3F]]
* Our [[Founding Document]] (including a statement of solidarity)
* [[Safer Space Policy]]
* [[Conflict Resolution Policy]]
* [[Omni History]]


The point of the OMNI Oakland Collective is NOT to function as any sort of governing body for the groups involved in any general sense. There are no senators. Its only and sole point is to administer the space, pay bills, make group decisions about the shared space, resolve any conflicts between the groups in the space, interface with the state, banks, authorities, etc. Logistics and bureaucracy: That's it.
= How To Join =


* What kind of groups? Mainly:
We love new people! There are many ways to get involved:
** Non-profit
** Volunteer-led
** Donation-based
** Offer value to the public for free or sliding scale


* What core values do groups share?
* join a [[Collectives|member collective]]
** Fostering radical discourse and education
* join a [[Working_Groups|working group]]
** Maintaining an active, publicly accessible commons
* come to an event on our [https://omnicommons.org/calendar/ calendar]
** Providing a venue for innovative cultural production
* Use the space for [https://omnicommons.org/occupy your own event or meeting]
** Striving for social, economic & environmental justice
* [[Responsibilibuddy|Help out]] with somebody else's event
** Standing in solidarity with all oppressed people
* join a [[Mailing_Lists|mailing list]]
** Cultures of consent, against rape, violence & exploitation
* come to a general omni meeting (1st & 3rd thursdays, 7pm)
** The survival & thrival of our communities and neighborhoods
* buy us toilet paper or take out the [[Trash|trash]]. No,seriously.
* Help us [[Omni-readiness|work on the building]] to make it safer and more accessible
* Here is a list of [[ToFix|outstanding issues]] in the building which need skilled labor
* Here is a [[Calendar]] of all our meeting notes
* if you're an existing group or organization interested in joining Omni as a formal member collective, [[Join|submit a proposal]] to the delegates!


===OMNI Oakland Collective Processes and Structure===
== Volunteers Needed ==
We need volunteers for many jobs!
* Help answer our emails to info [at] omnicommons [dot] org
* Make a big sign for above our front door that says "Omni Commons"
* Apply for grants to fund Omni - there are many opportunities passing us by!
* Assist with the ongoing maintenance and building projects large and small - there is no shortage of work to do in this big, beautiful building, and all forms of contribution are appreciated!


* Meetings
'''Quick tools: '''
** Times and Location
<div style="float:left;">
*** 1st, 2nd and 4th Thursday of the Month at 2141 Broadway
<inputbox>
*** 6:30pm for newcomers
type=create
*** 7:00pm for delegates (open to all)
preload=Log
placeholder=New page name
width=24
break=no
</inputbox>
</div>
<br/><br/>


* Governance
<div style="float:left;">
** Structure:
<inputbox>
*** See our foundational document here:  [//https://sudoroom.org/wiki/The_Omni/2014-04-03#Ratifying_Our_Foundational_Document Our Foundational Document]
type=create
** Articles of Incorporation
default=2015/mm/dd Working Group Name
** Bylaws
prefix=Event:
buttonlabel=Create archive
width=24
break=no
inline=true
</inputbox>
</div>
(on the Archival [[Calendar]])
<br/><br/>


==The Collectives==
<center>
* [[Sudo Room]]
<newsfeedlink feed="Special:RecentChanges" format="rss" icon="rss.png">'''Subscribe to Recent Changes to stay up-to-date.'''</newsfeedlink>
* [[Bay Area Public School]]
</center>
* [[Timeless, Infinite Light]]
* [[Live Space]]
* [[HackerSpa]]
* [[Counter Culture Labs]]
* [[La Commune Cafe and Bookstore]]
* [[Oakland Nights Live]]
* [[Food Not Bombs]]
* [[Creative Empowerment Project]]
* [[As-Yet-Unnamed Celluloid Film Processing Lab]]
 
==The Building==
* It's a 22,000 sq ft building, built as a meeting hall for the Ligure Club in 1933, on Shattuck and 48th.  After decades serving as a social club for members of the Italian Oakland Scavengers club a garbage collecting collective, it was transformed into the Omni, a music venue featuring mostly heavy metal and rock that provides the name sake for this project.
** [[Images and Floor Plans]]
 
===Space Features===
* a appx 4000 sq ft, 2 story ballroom / event space with mezzanine
* an industrial kitchen & walk-in freezer (needs fixing up)
* a massive back room with capacity for vertical expansion
* 55'-ish ceilings
* massive basement with windows above street level (currently blacked out)
* a separate room that used to function as a disco (with lighted floor)
* a warren of odd little rooms, a stage, lots of bathrooms, skylights throughout
===Price/Sq Ft===
===Distribution of Space===
====Tentative Distribution of Space (Not final, will likely change!)====
** Sudo Room: Half bocce call court room
** BAPS: mobile units - based out of a balcony room in the ballroom, having classes in unused space around the building as needed
** Timless, Infinite Light: 2nd floor, Balcony room above bar, on corner of Shattuck / 48th (NE corner)
** HackerSpa Wellness Center: Cluster of rooms between bar and bocce ball court room
** Counter Culture Labs: Half bocce ball court room
** Food Not Bombs: Shares basement industrial kitchen & food storage area with cafe-bookstore, hopefully serve food too upstairs to the community - either in the cafe, or the ballroom, etc
** La Commune Cafe & Bookstore: Bar area
** Live Space: Disco room in back (NW corner)
** Oakland Nights Live: Uses ballroom area for performances, some storage in the building somewhere
** Celluloid Processing Labs: Part of the basement 
** Creative Empowerment Project: Part of basement (screenprinting gear)
 
====Use of Shared / Common Space====
** Schedule-able shared spaces around the building
** Ballroom (scheduled mostly as per current Common room)
** Parts of the basement
** Bookstore / Cafe
 
===Use of Space===
* How do we envision using the space?
** To collaborate on projects
** To host classes and performances
** To network, meet each other, welcome newcomers
** To store resources for common use (or equitably restricted)
*Concerns about use of space
** Will there be commercial activity in the space? 
*** Yes, bookstore/cafe will operate as businesses
** will profit-sharing be required of profitable endeavors?
*** Ideally, consensus can be reached that profitable endeavors can help to subsidize rent/mortgage/property taxes
===Financial Concerns===
* Rental Terms
** Expenses
*** Move-in Costs
*** Monthly Rent
** Revenue
*** From Member Collectives
*** From Other Supporters
**** Loans
**** Donations
**** Grants
===Legal Concerns===
* Permits
* Zoning
* Licensing and Certification
 
==Questions for Collectives==
* [[Timeline]]
* [[Space Requirements]]
* [[Finances]]
* [[Loans]]
* [[Naming]]
* [[Questions]]
 
==To-Do List==
* Finalize proposal
* Build Consensus of Member Collectives
* Review Contract (agreement) and sign
 
==Need help using this Wiki? ;)==
Consult the [//meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.
 
== Getting started ==
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]

Revision as of 22:21, 10 August 2017

What if one of the largest community centers and venue spaces in the Bay Area was run by a volunteer collective where everybody is a leader, where people give what they can and take what they need? We are trying to do just that, at the Omni Commons.

Who's in Charge?

Everybody! Members of our 10 collectives make decisions together using consensus - they're called "Delegate Meetings" because every group is supposed to send at least one person. Meetings are at 7pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, and open to all!

To make meetings shorter, our delegates have created working groups to do much of the work of running Omni Commons. More info below.

See also:

How To Join

We love new people! There are many ways to get involved:

Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers for many jobs!

  • Help answer our emails to info [at] omnicommons [dot] org
  • Make a big sign for above our front door that says "Omni Commons"
  • Apply for grants to fund Omni - there are many opportunities passing us by!
  • Assist with the ongoing maintenance and building projects large and small - there is no shortage of work to do in this big, beautiful building, and all forms of contribution are appreciated!

Quick tools:



(on the Archival Calendar)

'''Subscribe to Recent Changes to stay up-to-date.''' (rss) Subscribe to Recent Changes to stay up-to-date.