"Who are these people? Who elected them?

And how do I replace them with some of my friends?

Can you hear us? Are you listening?

No power without accountability!"

(NPWA lyrics by Billy Bragg)

Shared Project Aims

First Aim

We are working to enable the sharing of resources and resourcefulness specifically by establishing in 2008 a website  that enables people to find and lend items that otherwise would not have been so accessible to them. The working title of this website is freelend.org

Second Aim

We are seeking to work with others who share values of generosity and trust-building in sharing community resources; in 2008 to establish clarity with justfortheloveofit.org about our working relationship, and later with other providers eg freecycle.

Third Aim

We are committed to establishing by 2009 ways for the work of freelend.org to be self-sustaining or amalgamated with an organisation that is self-sustaining. (We define self-sustaining in this context as meaning having the wherewithal to continue to develop and market the freelend.org work and respond individually to enquiries within 5 working days,)

Individual Vision & Mission Statements

People involved in freelend.org may support the above aims and work effectively together whilst having different value systems, personal visions and missions. One supporter of thes above aims may have a personal vision of building the essentials of community -fellowship, security and meaningful participation in a totality greater than one's self and be engaged with freelend for that reason. Another supporter of these aims might simply want to borrow and lend rather than spend.

Levels of decision making

Highest Level -Project and Technical Management joint working group

The initiators of freelend.org are:

• Paul Crosland (project management)
• Edmund Johnson (technical management)

We put proposals to each other (or will receive them from other levels of freelend) and reach decisions in relation to them on the basis of consent.

Middle Level -Technical Management working group

Edmund Johnson chairs this group which reaches consent decisions amongst those who join this group. Where  consent is not achieved, the proposals are referred up to the Project and Technical Management joint working group.

Middle Level -Project Management working group

Paul Crosland chairs this group which reaches consent decisions amongst those who join this group. Where consent is not achieved, the proposals are referred up to theProject and Technical Management joint working group.

Grassroots Level -Ad hoc groups

Anyone can set up an ad hoc group with aims. This newly formed group will then ask for a respresentative of either or both the technical management or project management working group (and any other relevant ad hoc group) to join in the ad hoc's groups proposal making process.

Examples of ad hoc groups being formed are:

• the launch committee of freelend.org
• the marketing strategy group
• the software users group
• the fundraising committee

Consent decision making at each level

(More will be written here outlining the basics of formulating proposals, quick reactions to proposals, re-formulating proposals in the light of quick reactions and the choice to consent or withold consent from the proposal. Without consent the matter is referred to a higher level; with consent people are elected to enact the proposals.)

How to establish or join a working group within freelend

-see the section above on ad hoc groups then join the freelend yahoo group to propose the new group you'd like to establish or join.

Code of Conduct

We are also enacting the Ubuntu code of conduct which is developed collectively on this site

Self responsibility and parting

We endorse the Ubuntu's request that "When you leave or disengage from the project, in whole or in part, we ask that you do so in a way that minimises disruption to the project. This means you should tell people you are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where you leave off." and we are likely to make additional requests which we will ask you to respond to if you begin to work with us and then leave.

We will respect your choice to leave and try to learn what we can from the time we've spent together working towards shared aims.