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The following is a summary of the key decisions and commitments made at the 2011 SFA Steering Committee face-to-face meeting. We hope these notes will provide some transparency and accountability within SFA.
As a fluid network united by our work in the Campaign for Fair Food, the steering committee provides national and regional direction, coordination, support and resources for local work and organizing. Check out the 2011 Steering Committee (and more pictures from the face-to-face) here and get in touch with the SC member in your region!
Objectives
The goals of the retreat included planning for the upcoming February-March Ahold and Publix mobilizations, escalation in the supermarket campaign, and advancing broader SFA development (with the Steering Committee (SC) as an integral force behind that process). We were to review SC roles and responsibilities, jointly meet with the new SFA Administrative Committee, revise campaign plans and strategy, and, of course, develop closer relationships with each other and with the CIW, and have a good time!
Campaign
Several exciting campaign ideas and plans were developed, focusing on but not limited to the crucial upcoming Ahold-Publix mobilizations. A Northeast Encuentro is set to take place February 4-6 in New York City; the CIW's Modern Slavery museum will tour the Southeast in March; coordianted national supermarket actions will be held regularly; and the SC will be establishing connections in key communities where SFA's presence has diminished in recent years in order to strangthen the supermarket campaign. SC members made powerful personal and collective commitments to organize, educate and mobilize their communities toward the Ahold-Publix actions and beyond.
SFA network development
The SC committed to holding network-wide SFA calls periodically. Regional Encuentros will be held in several locations to build organizing skills and capacity within SFA. A “Break for Justice” – bringing a small group of active, committed members of the network to Immokalee for a 4-5-day skill-share, training and strategy retreat – will be held before the end of 2011.
Fundraising
SC members committed to taking a leadership role in fundraising to support their local work and to recruiting 2 to 3 SFA Sustainers each by the end of the year. Several SC'ers will also continue their work on the Sustainer Working Group to continue to explore ways to secure sustainable, grassroots sources of funding for SFA.
Staff transition
SFA continues to seek applicants for the national co-coordinator/staff position as two current staff members will soon be transitioning out of Immokalee.
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