The basic purpose of the Venezuela Solidarity Network is to increase communication among groups that oppose US intervention in Venezuela, support the right of the Venezuela people to self-determination, and support the Bolivarian revolution. The Venezuela Solidarity Network also seeks to enlist additional progressive groups into Venezuela solidarity work, and to facilitate our ability to unite in joint actions. The work of the Venezuela Solidarity Network takes place in its committees. Committees report on their work to the entire Steering Committee and when appropriate bring recommendations to the Steering Committee. Any national or local group that agrees with the VSN Mission Statement is welcome to join the Steering Committee. Send an email to VSN@afgj.org with your organization name, email, and contact person. To be an effective member of the Steering Committee, member groups need to participate in one or more committees.

The Steering Committee set up four initial committees and the group meeting May 21 is recommending an additional two committees. In addition there are some working groups which I’ll get to in a minute.

The four committees and the contacts for initial facilitators are:

Public Education/Outreach
Xiomara Garcia Gunderson, OR Bolivarian Circle: xiomara20@comcast.net
Daniel del Solar, Marin Interfaith Task Force: solarmedia@hotmail.com

Action/Emergency Response Network
John Peterson & Cort Greene, Hands Off Venezuela - marxistjp@gmail.com & cortgreene@excite.com
James Jordan, Turnwinds – jpj@mutualaid.org

Tours and Delegations
Tom Baker, Chicago Nicaragua Solidarity Cmte - nscchicago@igc.org
Lance Selfa, ISO — laselfa@hotmail.com

Fundraising
Chuck Kaufman, Alliance for Global Justice – Chuck@afgj.org
Cheryl Labash, US/Cuba Labor Exchange — clabash@pipeline.com
The May 21 Steering Committee also saw the need to recommend the formation of two other committees:
1. Media Committee
2. Webpage Editorial Board

Neither committee has an initial facilitator yet so please email vsn@afgj.org if you would like to volunteer to call an initial meeting of the committee or if you would like to serve on it. Burke Stansbury from CISPES: burke@cispes.org and Daniel del Solar: solarmedia@hotmail.com, have offered to assist on the web page. There are two functioning Working Groups as well in the VSN at this time. They are:
1. Worker-to-Worker Solidarity – James Jordan, jpj@mutualaid.org
2. People of African Descent in Solidarity with Venezuela (PADS-V) – Banbose Shango: bshango@yahoo.com & Bob Brown: paroots02@yahoo.com.

Working groups are affiliated with the VSN but may include wider membership and will take autonomous actions from time to time.
There has been discussion of setting up Working Groups for “Students & Youth” and for “Academics” among other ideas. Any member of the Steering Committee wishing to initiate a Working Group is welcome. You can post an invitation to the Steering Committee listserve and recruit participation.

To summarize: All groups that share the basic goals are welcome and encouraged to help shape and guide the Venezuela Solidarity Network. The main work takes place in committees so to effectively provide leadership, participation in a committee is virtually required. We seek to build the broadest possible solidarity with Venezuela across ideologies, faiths, nationalities, ethnicity, gender, and class.