Calling ALL Indy Group members and ALL Indy organisations!
This is an open invite to every local indy group in Scotland… and to any pro-indy grassroots organisations and suppliers that would like to participate with them in building a fully inclusive campaigning network across the entire Yes movement.
The purpose of the weekend is to practically and simply show how indy group memberships (and the wider Yes movement) can interact directly with one another, as a network of equals, using the simple to use communication functions of the IndyApp 3.0 platform
About the platform
The IndyApp platform is not traditional social media like Twitter or Facebook. It is not a publishing site focused on individuals, like those two traditional platforms are.
Instead, IndyApp3.0 has been designed to encourage the creation and networking of activist groups, like yours, working locally all over the country. IndyApp3.0 lets any Yesser find and join a local indy group – or create their own, and then easily make contact, share ideas, resources and campaign experiences with fellow indy groups from right across the platform. It’s a private and secure tool for the grassroots movement to organise ourselves nationally into an effective, local community-focused, indyref2-fighting monster!
Individuals are important for sure – but make no mistake, Scotland’s independence can only be won collectively. So we, the NYR, are creating a weekend event where pro-indy representatives from all over the country can come together to make sure Yes is properly networked this time, and organised, in every community of Scotland, ready to win IndyRef2 whenever it is called.
Only already organised activists in our local community groups, can begin this systematic networking of the movement. We all need to come together, face to face, and take responsibility for beginning that organisational process – and for making sure it actually gets carried forward and completed! We believe that the IndyApp3.0 networking platform, and the commitment shown by all attendees during this full training and network-building weekend will be a strong practical start, to cascade that networking across every group in Scotland, enabling self-organisation from within. The groups organising themselves to work and communicate together is the single most important way of strengthening the wider Yes movement as a whole.
After 5 years of work and support from key vanguard groups and individuals, we now have a grassroots communication platform designed and ready for exactly that purpose. We’ve just about raised the funds required to subsidise a full weekend of training for every indy group and Yes organisation committed to that networking idea and to supporting one another, together as a movement, to win. The Platform is built, the opportunity is in place – only you the groups can take it now and make it happen.
If you would like to support the event but cannot attend, our crowdfund is still open and currently at 67% so any help with that would be fantastic!
The IndyApp National Training and Networking Weekend is being held in the Perth Station Hotel over Saturday and Sunday on the 1st and 2nd of February.
Day 1
Registration, teas and coffees from 10 am, for an 11am sharp start – 17:30 end
Day 1 is full practical training. Working in groups, attendees will be taken through every local and national networking function of the platform. Practical lessons in the use of the Forums, Action Rooms, Resources and Editor Portal, exploring the strategic benefits to the grassroots of IndyApp 3.0
Day 2
Attendees will use their training from Day 1 to begin the structured network building process. This is the day that designers, suppliers, bloggers, broadcasters, national Yes organisations, Yes supporting political parties, pro-indy Union and community charity representatives are all welcome to attend and participate in creating the support structures required across the movement.
So, if you want your grassroots fully organised and networked nationally – then only you, in your autonomous local groups, can provide the legitimacy and critical mass needed to make it happen. All you, as groups, have to do is participate… but you do NEED to participate if you want that networked movement. No one else can, or is going to, do this for us!
If you want your group participating with all the other groups in this, time is short and places are limited. Please check the attached list of confirmed groups – if your group is not on the list yet, maybe find out why not? – Perhaps, if you are interested, you could come along as your group’s representative? You would be very welcome.
To book your group’s places, just follow this link.
Attendee Logistics
This is NOT a turn up on the day event, it’s not a rally or a Gathering – it is full practical training from lesson plans, and structured networking for up to 200 activists (and their groups). This obviously requires a great deal of attendee/organiser planning to hold successfully, and so we, the organisers, MUST have the full list of all attendees to work from before the 20th of January.
We have a total of 160 training places available (half of which are already taken) with another 40 Yes organisation places on top of that for Day2. Each place is £25 per person and is being heavily subsidised to include tea, coffee, snacks, lunch, evening meals and shared accommodation for Saturday night if required (plus breakfast). If you want to attend on behalf of your group but cannot afford even the subsidised attendee fee, please contact us and we will try to help. We do not want any group excluded from taking part in this grassroots training and network building process.
We are really looking forward to seeing you all for a great weekend of training, networking and most important of all, socialising with fellow activists from right across the country. 🙂 Come and help make it a flying start for Yes in 2020!
01 AIM for Yes Garnock Valley & West Kilbride
02 Airdrie for Independence
03 AUOB
04 Aye Aberdeen
05 Aye Crieff
06 Aye2Aye Fort William
07 Ayrshire Indy
08 Be More Brechin/Brechin Yes
09 Butterflies Rising
10 Castle Douglas
11 Constitution
12 DGP4Indy
13 Grassroots Oban
14 Indy Group Alpha
15 Indy2 all the way
16 Inverclyde for Independence
17 InverYess
18 Kirkintilloch Lenzie and the Villages
19 Pensioners for Independence
20 SNP Sidlaws
21 Spirit of Independence
22 Yes Bearsden and Milngavie
23 Yes Bellshill and Mossend
24 Yes Blantyre
25 Yes Bute
26 Yes Clackmannanshire
27 Yes Dunfermline and West Fife
28 Yes Edinburgh North and Leith
29 Yes Edinburgh West
30 Yes Elgin
31 Yes G78
32 Yes Grangemouth
33 Yes Helensburgh and Lomond
34 Yes Inverness
35 Yes Kelty
36 Yes Kirkcaldy
37 Yes Kirrie
38 Yes London
39 Yes Marchmont and Morningside
40 Yes Perth City
41 Yes Ross & Sutherland
42 Yes Rutherglen and Cambuslang
43 Yes Shettleston
44 Yes Skye & Lochalsh
45 Yes Strathaven
46 Yes2Arbroath
47 YesEastwood
I welcome this initiative and hope that this defines the creation of Yes2 movement . One that will NOT later become subsumed by any SNP campaign or by SNP activists .
Let there be a clear distinction this time round. When I knock on a door I’ll be there as a YES Campaigner not an SNP Campaigner.
Regrettably my shifts that weekend will prevent mt attendance. I hope that I might influence fellow local activists to attend.
Wishing all who put this together -Good Luck
I fully support your position , David .
I would like to have seen , before now , a YES presence at elections to Holyrood to support ( not divide ) the SNP . With the system used at these elections ( constituency and List ) it is surely possible to form an alliance with the SNP , who will win most constituency seats , to allow a YES candidate to run unopposed ( by other independence parties ) for the List vote .
I am aware that the Wings founder has been touting such a scheme but I would be happier supporting a YES candidate as Mr Campbell can be too abrasive and may turn off potential voters .
Hi James,
the most important thing is to get a system by which all the different elements of the Yes movement, the local groups, the Yes organisations, the designers and suppliers, the Indy media and the Yes supporting political parties can all talk to one another directly, securely and privately. The IndyApp platform has been designed to fulfil that purpose. I think many of the percieved problems of the movement come from the fact that the main way we currently talk to one another is through individuals (sometimes anonymously) publishing on fb twitter and websites. This has it’s strengths but it is not an ideal set up for strategic discussion, building of alliances and developing shared campaigns. All that becomes much easier once we have a date for IndyRef2 but in the meantime it is up to the already committed and organised elements of Yes, to work together and prepare.
Jason
Thanks David and too bad you can’t make it. If you can talk to your fellow activists it would be great to have them attend. The important thing is to have as wide a representation from the Yes Movement as possible. If IndyRef1 taught us anything it is how easily and effectively Independence supporters were able to wear their different hats when campaigning for their main goal of Scottish Independence. That becomes easier as soon as an IndyRef2 date and campaign are announced but our job just now is to prepare as a movement for when that happens.
One of the main purposes of the IndyApp platform and this training and networking event is to build a strong enough, and easy enough to use, organisational system to:
a) deal with the vast numbers of normal, non group and non party members, that will, just like last time, definitely want to get involved in IndyRef2 campaigning for Yes (and probably nearer the end of the campaign rather than the beginning).
b) having a way to effectively mobilise and use that large groundswell of keen but inexperienced supporters to it’s max in local face to face campaigning.
Neither of these things were achieved by Yes HQ during IndyRef1 and that really did cost us dear in the end. Preparation and organisation to deal with what we know is coming is paramount to preparing for IndyRef2 as activists.
A lifelong supporter of Independence, l am a writer who lives in France.
In addition to financial contributions, is there any way I can contribute to the cause?
You can write for us or support us to continue: https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/donate
Can you email me to discuss?
will do
Hi C.E. Ayr,
This is exactly what the second day of networking is for. We want to start getting folk with indy projects an d campaigning ideas, working together and finding support for one another by using our Action Room function on the new IndyApp platform. These are for folk in local groups and for folk to set up nationally across the platform. If that starts to be used as designed it will mean that people like you will be able to browse through all the action rooms and the campaign topics or projects they are tackling and offer your help, perhaps you have a specific expertise in the subject or just a real passion to get involved. Making contact with the folk working on that project will be just a click away. This is the way we hope to expand and tap into all the many, many incredible talents, professional knowledge, experience and expertise that the Yes movement undoubtedly has – but like yourself, has a hard time accessing as a campaigning resource. This way, hopefully self motivated people can start finding and getting involved in campaign projects with similarly minded folk that have already made a start.
Hope this helps. There will be much more on this once we have had our training and networking weekend.
Jason 🙂
Please keep me posted, Jason.
Good luck with the weekend, it sounds excellent.
Thank you C.E. Ayr 🙂
Keep an eye open for articles and updates. Once the training is done and the Groups are organised enough on the app to respond to general public enquires we will be embarking on a national publicity drive to encourage download of the app and participation in the grassroots Yes movement through the structures of the hundreds of local groups. Keep your eyes peeled and I look forward to reading your articles in Bella.
Jason 🙂