Newcomer Welcome!

WELCOME TO OCCUPY SONOMA COUNTY

Occupy Sonoma County was formed on December 3, 2012 as a new Occupy group based on founding principles of egalitarianism, skill-sharing, leadership training, humanity, and relationship building. The original founders of OSC were all participants in the Occupy Movement since it's beginning in 2011.

Occupy Sonoma County was formed with a primary focus of stopping GMOs. We care deeply about many issues and wished to be most effective by focusing on this one important topic.
In 2016 we expanded our GMO Campaign to include climate change, climate justice, toxic chemicals, and other Earth-related topics and changed the name of our GMO Campaign to the Earth Action Campaign.

Most people who join OSC join through the Earth Action Campaign meeting, and some only attend that one meeting each month. Others attend that meeting as well as Monthly Meeting to be involved in decision-making and all of the inner workings of OSC. Some of us attend every meeting. Everyone determines their own level of involvement.

We also welcome volunteers who offer their support without attending meetings.

Donations of financial support are always welcome.

Meeting Schedule
(see the schedule line-up on our front page (right sidebar) or on our calendar)

Consensus
Decisions are made by consensus. We use a type of consensus called the Objections Method. A proposal is made and discussed. If no one objects to the proposal it passes. If anyone has an objection or concern further discussion continues in an attempt to include those concerns. Consensus is an alternative to voting. Some Occupy groups use a form of consensus based on 80% voting. We prefer to include everyone into a new proposal that is acceptable to everyone. With a shared vision and a strong basis of common ground within the group, consensus is often reached quickly using this method.

We have adapted the use of Occupy hand signals (PDF) that show silent responses during a meeting.

Core Values
Occupy Sonoma County is founded on core principles of egalitarianism, deep democracy, and healthy relationship-building. We wish to create an inclusive community that is open to everyone in Sonoma County with a commitment to social justice and shared leadership. We embrace the principles of the Occupy Movement and wish to apply a regional strategy for effectively organizing county-wide campaigns that are globally relevant.

We wish to build a positive community that is true to our core values. We focus on creating community standards for behavior and communication, provide models for resolving differences, and intentionally build positive group dynamics. We achieve these principles through skill building, internal education, shared teaching, consciousness-raising, and vision-building. We look to models of democracy, movement history, and our own experiences, to create community agreements of accountability, positive relationships, and community standards of humanity and justice.

We are guided by our core values of humanity and egalitarianism, where everyone is a leader, where power and skills are shared, and where everyone is encouraged to contribute their greatness. We are all leaders! Everyone’s leadership is encouraged.

Community Standards
We have agreed on guidelines for how we treat each other as outlined in our Communication Guidelines and Anti-Oppression Statement.

• Everyone who participates in OSC agrees to read, endorse, and follow these basic guidelines (PDF) for communication.
• Everyone who participates in OSC agrees to read, endorse, and follow this standard against oppression (PDF).

We are seriously committed to social change and prioritize this work along with other commitments to our vocations, families, and other things that
are important in our lives.

We are the 99%!