STRUCTURE & GOVERNANCE

Members of Radstorm have been working over the past two years to put terms to the way the space works. The steering committee is weary of how the space rides a fine line between a collective organization and traditional forms of hierarchy in structured groups. We are still trying to understand exactly what we are supposed to be doing and how we are supposed to function at every stage of membership and how to make decision making more equitable.

We know that equity can not be rushed or assumed. We work through these things case-by-case, opening up discussion relevant to their common themes and then adapt the way we address them through facilitated workshops, pointed meetings, and open conversation among all levels of membership.

Our Internal Structure

Radstorm runs through multiple stages of membership. Users of the space, if interested, become general members, then active members, then can join our steering committee or other subcommittees. The different types of membership is explored in the section titled “Membership”. Users can become any other type of member and join any committee, only depending on how much they wish to put into and take out of the space and given enough time to familiarize themselves with its current state and function.

There is no leader, although, naturally, people fall in and out of roles that are more apparent and hold more weight in the movement of the space. Sometimes, individuals are around long enough to be associated with certain features of the space, and other times individuals are around for a long time and are never recognized at all. We try to make sure that we spotlight artists, give people space to make decisions outside the steering committee, and honour work active members put into the space.

The steering committee has come to recognize that some structure is essential to a functional and accessible resource space. Having guidelines, rules and information available to people in many forms has changed the way users interact with the space; it is more comfortable and welcoming at first, and easier to adapt or adjust parts of the space over time. Becoming more visible and working to name the things that happen in the space has meant less confusion and more time creating the things we set out to. Part of this has been creating and offering this handbook to those who want to know.

Naming the organizing members has made us more accountable for our actions and, honestly, more thoughtful in the way we confront and work through problems. It also provides an avenue for users and members to communicate with those who are actively involved in the space. You can find a list of our steering committee members under its own section.

Decision Making

Radstorm’s steering committee and sub-committees strive to make decisions by consensus. Typically, when group decisions are being made, we only move forward on a vote when there is mutual agreement. If someone is the outlier, we will continue discussing possibilities of moving forward, or table it to be returned to. If new information that requires a decision is presented, the sharing member should try to provide it in a straightforward and unbiased manner, answering questions they feel equipped to. Sometimes this can mean that decisions take time to make, spanning multiple meetings and requiring work to be put into understanding missing pieces.

Most decisions are weighed against our protocol, mandate, and code-of-conduct, and most of the time, these can provide straightforward answers. Other decisions must take into account the history of experiences at Radstorm, or people’s personal experiences inside or outside the space; this can lead to disagreements that are resolved over time or through compromise.

If a decision is made and the result falls flat, we talk through it, take action, and then learn for next time.

AT OUR CORE

Transparency

Radstorm works towards being transparent around our decisions, information we release and why we are doing so, problems we have run into, and steps we make to resolve visible issues. Some things we are transparent with on a members-only basis; most of this is unnecessary for others to see and covers basic information about the functioning and wellbeing of the space. By joining the listserv, you will be updated on this kind of space information. We also respect requests for confidentiality and will never disclose information we have not been given consent to provide.

By being transparent, we hope to build trust between active members and the communities that exist around us. We also know how the internet can echo, and choose wisely how and when to provide certain information through our social media.

Being a broad collective with many voices and opinions, sometimes things happen that aren’t known to other parts of the collective. Other times, it takes us more than a reasonable amount of time to deal with a situation or we make the wrong choices moving through it. This means that we’re going to make mistakes, some irreparable, but we’re also going to take time to reflect on them. Through our collective structure, we can trust each other to confront these things very specifically, at first, and then in a more comprehensive and general way over time.

“Do-It-Yourself”

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) does not mean that you have to literally do things by yourself all the time, although sometimes it certainly does. The way someone thinks about DIY will be specific to them. In general, a DIY attitude can mean that, rather than depending on systems to support your daily existence, you collect information from many different sources and levels in order to build those supports yourself. It may mean listening and learning from friends and strangers while also providing them with support and experience.

DIY means that you do not require a typical professional level of expertise on certain subjects- you do not need a degree or a specific type of job or qualification to do much of anything. DIY means moving away from normalized systems and structures- often run through layers of oppressing forces- and taking in a more comprehensive view. This means learning about the basics of things, things that have been washed away in exchange for simple comfort, to learn how total systems truly function. This means bringing in marginalized voices and those who have been blocked out to speak to their histories, experiences, and the ways they have had to maneuver through those systems that feel comfortable to others. DIY is a total approach to learning, and therefore experiencing and engaging with the world.

Radstorm operates as a DIY space because we believe these themes hold true from an individual to a universal level. It isn’t a set of rules, but rather the idea that you can build your own rules through direct experience and learning, through humility and willingness. Of course, there are a million things we depend upon to run the space- city infrastructure, those certified in maintenance and repair, planning regulations, our landlord, much of which falls under the same themes discussed in the section for “Finances”. We operate to provide resources to others, and to provide these resources in K’jipuktuk (Halifax), we have to exist within certain systems, at least for now.