stsing was founded on 27 October 2020, so it is time for the first general assembly. Our hope was to have this during the Inaugural Conference, but due to the pandemic the conference had to be postponed.
Instead, we are planning a hybrid (online and in presence) event on 10 September 2021 at 16–19:30h. For it to be a bit more than simply organisational speak, there will also be a keynote speaker and a discussion on a current concern. Details will be communicated very soon.
Please note that not only members can attend the general assembly event. The technical issue group is currently developing voting systems that ensure that only those eligible to voting on association matters and to candidate for the next stsing board can actually do so. And we also base the system on trust (more information on the election process in item 6 below).
The general assembly will take place as a distributed event, but instead of each participating individually from their home, groups gather in a number of “regional hubs”, and participate together on zoom from these hubs – which can be a small office gathering, a picnic on the campus grass, a private home, a seminar room or indeed wherever you can meet safely (pandemic conform) and have a decent internet connection. Also, members of the board will run the general assembly via Zoom from different hubs, just as key note address and panel discussions will take place via Zoom.
One of the core reasons for organising hubs is that we hope that the local gatherings after the general assembly will go to a local restaurant or a bar to have a bite and a drink. We’ll find a way to stay connected over the evening as well. Maybe we continue the panel discussion that will end the general assembly. We hope the first stsing general assembly will thereby be a nice experience, which we believe happens when people (also) come together in person.
The local hubs can only be organized locally, so please consider organizing a hub in your area. Preferably, you communicate the hub via the mattermost channel “General Assembly Hubs”. Then the chance that other people in your area will see that it takes place and join you. You can also inform the stsing board, which will then announce the board together with other information about the general assembly: board[at]stsing.org