The Sheffield Social Forum opened to the global resistance sounds of Manu Chao. Sheffield Indymedia had a number of computers set up on the main stage complete with a wireless Internet node and help on hand for anyone who needed it - yet the basic human skill of putting pen to to paper was also encouraged by the copious amounts of sheets around the hall where you could write a poem, highlight a campaign, or just doodle! People were encouraged to brainstorm creative direct action, upload reports to indymedia, or even something as simple as putting graffiti on the rolls of paper on the walls. In the same way that the preperations for the launch were documented on the wiki the Sheffield Social Forum is documenting a report of the launch on their wiki site.
Reports: On SSF Launch | On article "Struggle NOT submission" | Social Forum Launch - a view from London
Photos: Sheffield Social Forum Launch [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] | [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ]
Listening to speakers
The room was arranged not in the usual rows of regimented lines, but in clusters of chairs so as to facilate the smooth running of the workshops.
About one hundred people attended throughout the day, including many school students, some cool folk from WDM in London, SF folk from Manchester and Nottingham, Leeds ARC and others who had come to politics and social change through the anti-war movement. Others turned up from long ago struggles and campaigns but who had stopped for various reasons being 'active' as it were...
The day was definitely more than the sum of its parts: occasionally chaotic, sometimes amazing and sometimes completely stupid - something good happened. Whether good things continue to happen depends on us...
New ideas and new ways of working together are emerging, slowly. The workshops and networking spilled over into the pub as the sun set on the last dark evening of winter. This was just the beginning...
This article was originally part of a racical weekend article.
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