IFM Congress Report

May 21, 2010 by louise delmege    No Comments    Posted under: Span That World

First things first; what is IFM:SEI…

The International Falcon Movement – Socialist Education International is the umbrella charitable group for Woodie-minded organisations all over the world. It helps the organisations to form strong relationships and spread ideas internationally. IFM is extremely important for everyone involved, but it is the unsung thread which makes international camps like global village possible, and creates opportunities for young people all over the world. It is especially salient for the small organisations overseas where left wing politics is even more absent than here as they are reassured in the knowledge that they are not isolated but have international friends and solidarity.

The importance of IFM-SEI to the WCF and DFs was not at all clear to us just a few months ago. Despite out roles in the International aspects of the movement; Bridget as International Rep and Jess as Venturer Rep for CoCamp 2011 we we’re largely ignorant to the oppotunties available and the vastness of the organisation itself.

This was all to change when we were invited to the IFM Congress on the 15th – 18th of April this year. IFM Congress is the 3 year meeting open to all members of IFM paying or non-paying where delegates from each organisation come together to talk about how to improve IFM and what we want to focus on in the future. This year the congress was held in Prague in Czech Republic. It just so happened the the event coincided with the infamous weekend when a volcano in Iceland decided to burp. Luckily, with our green woodcraft hats on we had decided to travel by train, first starting at St Pancreas and taking the Eurostar to Brussels. All would have run smoothly if Bridget hadn’t of forgotten her passport and had to beg and blag her way through customs with only minutes to spare before the train departed! We discovered that it is possible to get through using a drivers licence and a copy of a passport on a laptop. From Brussels we changed trains and got a train to Kol’n in Germany where we had that very well known authentic German cuisine; vegetarian cold noodles! From Kol’n we took the overnight train to Prague and settled into the hotel just in time for a quick nap before the congress began…

We were wondering before the congress began how effectively everyone would be able to communicate with one another, seeing as it was an international organisation. There were organisations from as far reaching as Indonesia and Bangladesh, Brazil and Mauritias! It was great to see that tucked away in a small booth at the back of the room there were ear pieces and hard working translators which alternated between Spanish and English for us. We were equally amazed by everyone who spoke English so well as a second language which put Jess’s poor French to shame.

We were also unsure how formal the Congress would be. There was of course as with any conference or AGM the formalities of finances and assurances and amendments which were voted on as we sat around a table with delegates from our country. From the Woodcraft Folk came Jon Nott, Jess Poyner, Bridget Holtom, Carly Walker-Dawson, Lloyd Russel-Moyle and Andy Piercy.

Firstly we discussed the 3 year plan (similar to WCF 5 year plan) that gives the presidium and members of IFM a clear plan of what we want to work towards and concentrate on. Different areas of the plan were set on different tables where we talked about how to improve them in detail. Everyone then had about 20 minutes each on four tables so that delegates  could focus on the parts of the 3 year plan they found most interesting, a bit like open space at AG. One of the sections I worked on was International Partnership & Solidarity on which we said that we liked the idea of it becoming a more equal relationship; friendship not charity. Over the next three years IFM will provide the space for organisations to share experience and ideas about solidarity and will be “setting up a system of organisational twinning”. Hopefully this will make it easier for districts to start international links or to strengthen the partnerships they already have.

The most interesting discussion was about the voting system at IFM Congress, at the moment the amount of votes each organisation gets depends on the amount of members each organisation has. This means that the biggest groups which are mostly from Europe hold the majority of power at IFM Congress, and they also pay the most in membership fees as fees also rely on the number of members in the organisation. The votes range from 1 vote to 5 votes. Some member organisations were dissatisfied with this system and so a motion was put forward that gives every member organisation 2 votes which prompted the exploration of different ways of achieving democracy and the positives and negatives of different systems. In the end the majority voted against giving all organisations 2 votes, but it was suggested that the lowest number of votes was increased to 2 votes and the highest remain 5 votes. Added together European votes would not be able to unanimously vote out something that a smaller organisation had proposed and the non European organisations added together would have slightly more votes. This seemed quite popular but before it was voted on the Congress asked the Presidium to work on it and come back with a motion which could be passed on the first day of the Congress so the new voting system could begin with immediate effect.

This might all seem quite complicated, and indeed it was. But the Congress was not without its own quirks, outings and hilarities. The volcanic eruption led to the creation of the Ash Cloud Management Centre, and the evenings were spent singing around imaginary campfires or drinking cocktails in the city centre.

We met ‘comrades’ from all over the place and for me atleast, it seemed the whole international scene clicked together like a jigsaw. Locally each organisation works hard to empower and educate young people, but here we could see the global partnerships come alive and plan for the future. With the solidarity to rival intergovernmental powers and politics, these are the links which give us hope…

AND its not just accessible to those with contacts in the International sphere, or those who can afford to travel to the Queer Easter – its for everyone. Unknowingly you ALL pay to be a member of IFM:SEI. It only equates to about 50p from your £10 membership fee, but that contribution is your vote, your democracy and your opportunity. You could do an internship in your gap year with Mirim Brazil, or host a delegation from Senegal not just at CoCamp but at DF Camp. For more information, ideas or inspiration contact your internationl rep at brijh@hotmail.co.uk!