Circle Call 2020-02-26

Agenda

• Welcome new co-ops
• Fund update
• Worker Co-op Weekend
• Decision making process
• CoTech EMF

Attendees

• Abi (Outlandish)
• John, Maciek (Code-Operative)
• Chris Lowis (Go Free Range)
• Chris Croome (Webarchitects)
• Sz (Animorph)
• Lucy (InFact)
• Alex (Common Knowledge)
• Leo (Autonomic)

Minutes

• Welcome new co-ops Jarrow and Paper Rhino. Web Architects have worked with Paper Rhino - we never realised they were a co-op, now we do and they've joined!

• Chris L has been "on-boarding" Danny from Jarrow and Chris C has been working with Paper Rhino.

• Alex raised that it would be good to have a better on-boarding process. There was agreement.

• Sz gave an update on the CoTech fund based on this post: https://community.coops.tech/t/cotech-fund-pilot-year-report/1948

• Happy Dev have a "president of the network"

• We spoke about using funds to hire someone to help build the network

• Leo, Alex and Lucy all expressed interest in joining the CoTech fund.

• Chris C introduced what the Worker Co-op Weekend is. The CoTech session will run all weekend in parallel with the Worker Co-op Weekend. There's bursary's available from SolidFund. Food should be good. Ticket booking is open: https://www.uk.coop/uniting-co-ops/events-calendar/worker-co-op-weekend-2020.

• If people would like to get involved with the organisation there's a thread: https://community.coops.tech/t/cotech-gathering-at-the-worker-coop-weekend-may-2020/1409.

• Decision making process in CoTech. Context: https://www.loomio.org/d/KYe1LMoJ/newcastle-2019-governance-decision-making-2-proposals/5

• Problems we were trying to solve:
  • Constitution only talks about decisions on membership and doesn't have guidance on how to do something else
  • The call is a good space for decisions to be made but it felt that the quoracy requirements meant that it was hard to make a decision

• Lucy couldn't vote (no Loomio account) - this seems like a problem
• Alex in favour of a deepening relationship in CoTech. Is nervous about what happens to more peripheral members.
  • If there is a change to how the democratic processes we need to work out a way of letting everyone know what is planned
  • In order to facilitate this we should move the date back
• Sz wanted to make us aware of the Co-op liason proposal: https://community.coops.tech/t/welcome-moles-to-co-op-liason/1822
• Abi said that in a sociocratic style considering the votes to point the direction of travel is a good way to think about it

Actions

• Alex volunteered to update the processes for on-boarding the next time someone joins. To talk to people who have on-boarded recently (Chris L, Chris C, Danny @ Jarrow) for information.
• Sz to ask Aaron @ Agile about the work to flesh out the benefits of membership
• Chris L and Sz to work out how to turn January's proposals into changes to the constitution
• Chris L to make sure Lucy and Alex are on Loomio