An Update from the PPI Board!
Since July’s General Assembly (GA), the board has been working on mostly logistical and administrative tasks that will help PPI run smoothly in the long term. We’ve also been brainstorming and planning for the future; discussing projects, political activism, and devising ways to support Pirates around the world. So far we have had six meetings on Mumble. These meetings are always open to PPI members and the general public to not only listen in but also contribute any ideas you may have. Please consider attending one or more of these upcoming board meetings:
- Monday, 24 October 2016 21:00 CEST
- Sunday, 06 November 2016 08:00 CET
- Monday, 21 November 2016 14:00 CET
- Sunday, 11 December 2016 21:00 CET
- Monday, 26 December 2016 08:00 CET
Getting Started
One of the first tasks completed was moving PPI’s physical location from Brussels, Belgium to Geneva, Switzerland. We have also opened a bank account with PostFinance, and appointed three cashiers to help us manage our day to day finances: Marie-France Perroud, Pat “Valio” Maechler, and Rüedu Sommer, who are all from the Swiss Pirate Party. We very much appreciate their help! Additionally, two of our board members volunteered for the positions of general secretary and treasurer: Thomas Gaul (PPDE) and Keith Goldstein (PPIS) respectively.
Board meeting procedures
Efforts to increase the board’s transparency and accessibility are being made by amending the rules of procedure. At the last GA, a number of suggestions for how to do this were made in motion MO-4. The times and dates of board meetings now rotate to enable fair access of participation. A meeting notification to all PPI members including the pre-agenda goes out at least 24-48 hours in advance of each meeting, and another email with the minutes is sent afterwards and posted on the PPI wiki along with the audio recording. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to attend any of the meetings and you want to have a conversation with the PPI board, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us and we will arrange something with you.
All PPI members are welcome to submit agenda items by sending them to: board@pp-international.net
All we ask is that any items you want to submit are sent at least 48 hours before the meeting, so that we can all go into it knowing what will be discussed.
Using Redmine
We want our members to participate in decisions in a way that is efficient and accessible, any time of the year. This is why we have set up an online voting system through Redmine. All member parties can appoint a delegate to vote on policy decisions, which will be particularly useful between the annual general assemblies. Any member can make a proposal, which will be read, discussed, and debated before a final vote. We hope Redmine will encourage greater participation and communication between all PPI members and the board. Furthermore, we hope it will provide more flexibility for the GA—enabling delegates from more distant parties to participate more efficiently online, and enabling more time to be spent on workshops and community building.
We want your feedback!
All PPI members should have received an email from Bailey (the vice-chairwoman) asking for feedback to the questions listed below. If you did not receive this email, please send us your responses to these questions. We want to know your thoughts on the current state of PPI, your experiences, and how you feel the organization can improve. These are our questions for you:
1. As a PPI member, do you feel that there are any crucial changes that need to be made in the organization? If so, what are they?
2. Are there any problems you’ve seen or experienced in the past (or present) that were handled poorly? If so, what do you feel should have been done to address the issue(s)?
3. Do you think that PPI has any strengths that can be built upon?
4. What are your expectations of the PPI board for 2016-2017? What do you absolutely need to see from us in the next 9-10 months?
5. If you could imagine a perfect PPI, what would it look like? How would it function? What is its role in the international Pirate community?
6. Is there anything else you want us to know, which might not be relevant to the previous questions?
Budget
Development of the 2016-2017 budget is under way and we are still assessing our financial situation. More information will be given to you about this in the near future. While PPI has existed for over 6 years, the organization still has a long way to grow. Our board will be examining how to improve PPI’s use of financial and human resources. This includes the implementation of a Bitcoin payment system for financial transactions, as well as fundraising so that we have the financial means to support a global political movement.
Action Plan
A communication and action plan is being developed for how we will move forward, such as how to assist new Pirate Parties in getting started, as well as connect Pirates with helpful contacts and resources depending on their needs. We have started with an inventory of Pirate Parties around the world, as well as social networks and other helpful connections at our disposal. We are working to get to a place where we can provide meaningful support to Pirates particularly during election time, effectively raise awareness around campaigns and causes that Pirates are taking on in their respective countries, and help spread the word about meetings and actions taking place globally. PPI’s main purpose is to encourage and help strengthen collaboration between Pirates on common goals and ideas. Building a strong global solidarity network will provide a foundation for more unified actions, statements, and political goals.
Be a PPI Volunteer!
In the coming months between now and our next update, our board members will work tirelessly to help strengthen the global Pirate movement. We remind PPI members that we are all volunteers, who are employed in other jobs and activities, including our national Pirate Parties. We are confident that we can make a lot of good things happen with PPI in the coming months, but we must take it one step at a time and there is no way we can do it on our own. Please join and assist the board in developing the organization…and please, bring us your craziest, most revolutionary ideas!
Keep fighting the good fight,
PPI Board 2016-2017
