organization

OCMAL, OLCA, Above Ground and MiningWatch Canada

description

InformAcción is a Spanish-language facilitator's guide for coordinating strategic corporate research into transnational mining companies. It uses a participatory research action process with community-based groups and their allies whether local, national and/or international. The guide provides a series of questions, sources for publicly available information about Canadian- and US-listed companies, and steps for sharing skills and knowledge among participants using collaborative desk research and on-the-ground information gathering. The process provides a structure for organizing large quantities of data, making it easier to update findings and repeat local workshops over time. The goal is to gain a shared comprehensive understanding of a company in the context of the industry, state and local community where it is operating. This helps identify opportunities to strengthen local organizing and develop short, medium and long-term campaign plans with targeted actions. Trainings have been provided for CSOs at the international, national and local levels, and a Spanish-language online tool is in development.

InformAcción does not have an organizational infrastructure beyond those who have become trained in its use to date. Currently, it is transferred through skill-sharing. Time and funds for training and implementation are found on an as-needed basis. Before the tool can be implemented, local communities and participating organizations have to agree on how they will work together and on their goals. Decisions also need to be made about who should participate, ensuring a good combination of skills and knowledge, as well as the integration of new allies. Areas of knowledge and skills that participating organizations need to have include: the legal and regulatory framework for each locality, basic financial literacy and comprehension of technical/business English, general knowledge of the mining industry and its modus operandi at the community, national and international levels. To ensure workshops are well-prepared and effective, it is vital they be moderated by people with good communication and facilitation skills who can navigate possible internal power dynamics. The process needs a minimum of one month's full-time work for research and material preparation, which is preferably shared among a small group.