Main Page: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 04:20, 15 August 2024

Welcome to Boston DSA's wiki! It's here to serve as a reference for how our chapter works, how to organize, and how to get involved in our work.

This wiki is members-only; any DSA member in good standing can request an account here. Make sure to use the email address you used to join DSA. Someone does have to manually check your membership and approve the request on the back end, so if you don't hear anything in a day or two, email tech@bostondsa.org and ask. If you are not yet a member, you can join DSA here!

Getting Started in Boston DSA[edit | edit source]

Join our Discord server! This is where we do almost all of our discussion outside of meetings!
Boston DSA events calendar: Contains info about all of our upcoming events! Most Working Groups meet every month, we have a General Meeting every two months, and we have an Annual Convention every April.
Request an account for this wiki. Make sure to use the email address you used to join DSA. Someone does have to manually check your membership and approve the request on the back end, so if you don't hear anything in a day or two, email tech@bostondsa.org and ask.

How-to Guides[edit | edit source]

The How-to Guides cover a wide variety of topics, and serve as the formal documentation for how to do things in the chapter.

Chapter Policies[edit | edit source]

Chapter Bylaws
Chapter Resolutions Archive
Chapter Policies: Links to chapter bylaws, guidelines and policies regarding member data, security, financials, and other sensitive topics.

Chapter Communications and Technology Platforms[edit | edit source]

Discord: Where we do almost all of our discussion outside of meetings. To get the invite link, either log in to this wiki and visit the Discord wiki page, or log in to the Member Portal.
Email: We send regular events emails to our membership, and each Working Group has their own email list.
Zoom: How to set up a Zoom call
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Google Drive: for leadership to share files with membership - for more detail, see Boston DSA Member Drive
ActionNetwork: to manage member data - for more detail, see ActionNetwork
Spoke: for sending out mass texts - for more detail, see Spoke

Chapter Structure[edit | edit source]

Officers[edit | edit source]

Working Groups[edit | edit source]

Working Groups carry out our external political work. Working groups meet regularly, and information about working group meetings can be found on the Events page.

Committees[edit | edit source]

Committees help the chapter function by carrying out administrative work and other internal organizing. They maintain the various systems we use to do work in the chapter, such as administering elections and maintaining member data.

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-This is the internal wiki for the [https://www.bostondsa.org/ Boston chapter] of the [https://www.dsausa.org/ Democratic Socialists of America]. We are a democratic organization committed to the project of building a mass socialist movement in the United States and freeing people everywhere from the deprivations of capitalism. If you are not yet a member, you can join DSA [https://act.dsausa.org/donate/membership/ here]! If you are a member looking to get more involved, check out the [https://wiki.bostondsa.org/view/New_Member_Resources New Member Resources] for some steps to get yourself plugged into chapter activities. Once you’re ready to get involved, visit the [https://www.bostondsa.org/events/ Chapter Events page] to see information about working group meetings and new member orientations. Find a working group you care about and pitch in!
+Welcome to Boston DSA's wiki! It's here to serve as a reference for how our chapter works, how to organize, and how to get involved in our work.
+This wiki is members-only; any DSA member in good standing '''can [[Special:RequestAccount|request an account here]]'''. Make sure to use the email address you used to join DSA. Someone does have to manually check your membership and approve the request on the back end, so if you don't hear anything in a day or two, email [mailto:tech@bostondsa.org tech@bostondsa.org] and ask. If you are not yet a member, you can join DSA [https://act.dsausa.org/donate/membership/ here]!
-== About the Boston DSA Wiki ==
+== Getting Started in Boston DSA ==
-Welcome to Boston DSA's wiki! A wiki is an editable website and any member of Boston DSA can view and edit this website. It's here to serve as a reference for how our chapter works, how to organize, and how to get involved in our work. If you would like to view and contribute to this wiki, please read the [[Main Page#How to contribute to this wiki|How to contribute to this wiki]] section below.
+* '''Join our [[How to use Discord|Discord]] server!''' This is where we do almost all of our discussion outside of meetings!
+* [https://bostondsa.org/events/ Boston DSA events calendar]: Contains info about all of our upcoming events! Most Working Groups meet every month, we have a General Meeting every two months, and we have an Annual Convention every April.
+* '''[[Special:RequestAccount|Request an account for this wiki]]'''. Make sure to use the email address you used to join DSA. Someone does have to manually check your membership and approve the request on the back end, so if you don't hear anything in a day or two, email [mailto:tech@bostondsa.org tech@bostondsa.org] and ask.
-NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 emergency, all chapter meetings and events (except for protests) are meeting remotely for the foreseeable future. We realize this makes navigating the chapter a little harder since you can’t just turn up to a meeting anymore. Pages related to safely and cooperatively planning online events include [[How to set up a Zoom call]] and [[How to make a Facebook event]].
+== How-to Guides ==
-== Chapter Resources ==
+The [[How-to Guides]] cover a wide variety of topics, and serve as the formal documentation for how to do things in the chapter.
+== Chapter Policies ==
-* [https://www.bostondsa.org/ Boston DSA website]: Contains information about the chapter, along with working group contact information and a calendar of events.
+* [https://www.bostondsa.org/bylaws/ Chapter Bylaws]
-* [[New Member Resources]]: New to the chapter? Start here! Find out how to get on the email list, how to get involved in a campaign or working group, how to get on the chapter Slack, and other key information about the chapter.
+* [[Chapter Resolutions Archive]]
-* [[Chapter Communications]] (and other technical resources): Here is a list of the various media the chapter uses for communications, along with information for use and process guidelines. Importantly, it includes How to set up a Zoom call.
+* [[Chapter Policies]]: Links to chapter bylaws, guidelines and policies regarding member data, security, financials, and other sensitive topics.
-* [[Chapter Policies]]: Links to chapter bylaws and other documents, as well as guidelines and policies regarding member data, security, financials, and other sensitive topics.
-* [[How-to Guides]]: Not sure how to do a thing? This section includes process documents and best practices for a variety of activities within the chapter, including events planning, administrative tips and tricks, and other organizing basics.
+== Chapter Communications and Technology Platforms ==
-* [[Online Voting Guidelines]]: Information about the online voting and discussion system used for absentee voting on resolutions posed at chapter-wide meetings. (During covid-19 restrictions, all voting is handled through this system.)
-* [[Chapter Priorities]]: Information about the chapter’s process for selecting chapter priorities, as well as a description of the current chapter priorities and how to get involved with them.
+* Discord: Where we do almost all of our discussion outside of meetings. To get the invite link, either log in to this wiki and visit the [[How to use Discord|Discord]] wiki page, or log in to the [https://members.bostondsa.org/home Member Portal].
-* [[General Meetings]]: Information about the monthly all-chapter meetings.
+* Email: We send regular events emails to our membership, and each Working Group has their own email list.
-* [[Annual Convention]]: Information about our annual chapter convention (not to be confused with the national DSA convention, which occurs every two years).
+* Zoom: [[How to set up a Zoom call]]
-* [[National DSA|Information about National DSA]]
+* Social Media: [https://www.facebook.com/BostonDSA/ Facebook], [https://www.instagram.com/boston_dsa/ Instagram], [https://x.com/Boston_DSA Twitter]
+* Google Drive: for leadership to share files with membership - for more detail, see [[Boston DSA Member Drive]]
+* ActionNetwork: to manage member data - for more detail, see [[ActionNetwork]]
+* Spoke: for sending out mass texts - for more detail, see [[Spoke]]
 == Chapter Structure ==
@@ Line 33: / Line 40: @@
 === Working Groups ===
-Working groups carry out our external political work. Working groups meet regularly, and information about working group meetings can be found on the [https://www.bostondsa.org/events/ Events page]. A list of current working groups is below; if you have an idea for a new one, check out [[How to start a new working group]].
+[https://bostondsa.org/chapter-structure/ Working Groups] carry out our external political work. Working groups meet regularly, and information about working group meetings can be found on the [https://www.bostondsa.org/events/ Events page].
-* [[Eco-Socialism Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/cambridge/ Cambridge Working Group]
-* [[Electoral Working Group‎]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/ecosocialism/ Ecosocialism Working Group]
-* [[Healthcare Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/electoral/ Electoral Working Group]
-* [[Housing Justice Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/healthcare/ Healthcare Working Group]
-* [[Immigration Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/housing/ Housing Working Group]
-* [[Internationalism Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/internationalism/ Internationalism Working Group]
-* [[Labor Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/labor/ Labor Working Group]
-* [[Mental Health Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/our-work/political-education/ Political Education Working Group]
-* [[Mutual Aid Working Group]]
+* [https://bostondsa.org/?page_id=580 Socialist Feminism Working Group]
-* [[Political Education Working Group]]
-* [[Prison Abolition Working Group]] (on hiatus)
-* [[Socialist Feminist Working Group]]
 === Committees ===
-Committees help the chapter function by carrying out administrative work and other internal organizing. They maintain the various systems we use to do work in the chapter, such as administering elections and maintaining member data.
+[https://bostondsa.org/our-work/committees/ Committees] help the chapter function by carrying out administrative work and other internal organizing. They maintain the various systems we use to do work in the chapter, such as administering elections and maintaining member data.
-* [[Childwatch Committee]]
-* [[Communications Committee]]
-* [[Elections Committee|Elections Committee (Hellections)]]
-* [[Direct Action/De-escalation/Security (DADS)]]
-* [[General Meeting Planning Committee]]
-* [[Membership Committee]]
-* [[Tech and Infrastructure Committee]]
-=== Campaigns and Teams ===
-Campaigns and teams are individual projects, some of which are large enough to have their own infrastructure outside of a working group, others of which are run by individual working groups. Four campaigns are chosen as Chapter Priorities every year. Our current campaigns are:
-* Take Back the Grid
-* DSA for Rent Control
-* Tenant Organizing
-* Anti-Harassment and Inclusion
-* Boosting Member Participation and Capacity
-=== Identity Caucuses ===
-Identity Caucuses are affinity spaces hosting social events for members who share particular identities.
-* [[Disability Caucus]]
-* [[People of Color Caucus]]
-* [[Queer Caucus]]
-* [[Women's and Non-Binary Caucus]]
-=== Political Caucuses ===
-Political caucuses are vehicles for socialists to organize within the chapter in support of a shared political program.
-* [[Forward Caucus]]
-* [[Libertarian Socialist Caucus]]
-* [[Revolutionary Socialist Caucus]]
-* [[Reform & Revolution Caucus]]
-=== Informal Groups ===
-* [[Musicians' Caucus|Artists, Musicians, and Creators Caucus]]
-=== Sister City Program ===
-* [[Sister City|Our current sister cities]]
-== How to contribute to this wiki ==
-# If you're a member of Boston DSA in good standing, '''you can [[Special:RequestAccount|request an account here]]'''. Make sure to use the email address you used to join DSA. If you're not a member of DSA, [https://act.dsausa.org/donate/membership/ join here!]. If you can't afford dues, email membership@dsausa.org and request a hardship waiver. If you're in another DSA chapter and would like access, contact the admins at boston-dsa-wiki-admins@googlegroups.com.
-# Abide by these rules:
-## Don't write other people's personal information besides first names (and last initials; think Rosa L) and non-personal email addresses (like tech@bostondsa.org or other emails they made for this purpose). No home addresses, workplace information, last names, personal email addresses, or work email addresses without explicit consent.
-## Don't write anything about sensitive direct actions.
-## Don't write anything that might compromise coalition partners or their members, or other vulnerable people.
-## Get consent when taking notes at a meeting; people may want to use an alias or go off the record.
-## These rules apply to Google Docs that you link to in the wiki as well. If a Google Doc has sensitive information in it, it should not have link sharing on (so that when people click on the link, they will only see the content if they have been granted permission to see it).
-# Pitch in!
-## If you see something incorrect or out of date, don't hesitate to fix it.
-## If you have extra information that abides by our rules, add it!
-## If an edit is getting changed back and forth multiple times, there's an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Edit_warring edit war], and we like no war but class war. If you see an edit war, try resolving it through communication or tell the admins at boston-dsa-wiki-admins@googlegroups.com and we will take care of it.
-## If you see information that violates our rules or is clearly inappropriate, undo the edit AND tell the admins at boston-dsa-wiki-admins@googlegroups.com. As always, our [https://www.bostondsa.org/code-of-conduct/ code of conduct] applies.
-[[Example wiki page]] has basic instructions on how to create and edit new wiki pages.
-[[Why use a Boston DSA wiki?]] and [[Wikifaq]] cover the answers to some basic questions regarding wiki use.
-If editing a working group resource, consult [[Standards & Practices]] for a template and general guidelines.
-[https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents Here] is a comprehensive guide to [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Editing_pages editing existing pages], adding new pages, and viewing revision history.
-[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cheatsheet Here] is a cheat sheet to formatting edits to pages.
-[[Contribution Wish List]] - check out what people want to see or add something you want to know about!