Saturday April 3rd, the first support group for Elbaradei’s Association for Change in the US met in Washington DC. Around 20 people gathered face to face (and several joined via Skype) to discuss ideas and strategy for action plan.
The group agreed on the following:
1- Work together (organizations and individuals) under the umbrella of the Association for Change—USA
a. Coordinate and collaborate with the mother association in Egypt to work on the following goals:
i. Support the seven demands of the association towards a free Egypt.
ii. Adopt the demand of allowing Egyptians abroad to vote in elections.
iii. Conduct the upcoming elections in Egypt under local and international monitoring.
b. Register the group in Washington DC as a legal nonprofit entity to be able to conduct recruitment, membership and fundraising drive.
c. Create lose and decentralized support groups out of Washington DC area, in the rest of the states around the US and Canada. Currently there are groups forming in six other states (NY, NJ, CA,MA, NC, TX) and individual volunteers in 8 other states (FL,GA,MI, OH, OR, PA, SD, TN). These groups work independently, according to their local needs and abilities, but in coordination with me the group in Washington DC.
2- Carry on immediate actions of support that include:
a. Expand the ongoing signatures campaign using all possible means, including:
i. Uniting the facebook groups to support Elbaradie in the US into one to make sure all around the US are updated. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60603382959
ii. Use the website: http://www.ceomasr.com/ to spread the word about the activities of the association in the US, until we are able to have a page on Elbaradei 2011 website for coordinators in the US and around the world.
iii. Allowing people to fill in as much information they are comfortable with and create a separate petition to support solely the right of Egyptians abroad to vote, without the rest of the language, to allow for more engagement from people around the US.
b. Organizing a demonstration in front of the Egyptian embassy in Washington DC on May 1st, 2010 to call for Egyptians abroad to vote.
i. We expect at least 100 people to show up (if not more), in addition to international media.
ii. We are planning following demonstration in New York, in front of the Egyptian Consulate, in May (still need to confirm with the NY group), before the Shura Council election.
iii. Other demonstration will continue around the US until the parliamentary elections in the fall
c. Fundraise for the demonstrations’ costs and to host Elbaradei or whom he chooses to represents in a tour around the US to meet with the Egyptian community and mobilize them in the campaign.
i. Checks should be sent to Dr. Amin Mahmoud, who will be working as a treasury, on the following address:
Hukuk Elnas
P.O.Box – 87362, Montgomery Village, MD 20886-7362
ii. Georgetown University in Washington DC agreed to feature Dr. Alaa ElAswani in October.
Please let me know as soon as possible what you think and what can you do to help in the above action items. For example, you can help by:
d. Forwarding the attached email, with the signature campaign, to all your list of Egyptians in the US, and ask them to sign/join..
e. Recommend yourself or people you know to join the local groups in each of the states mentioned above, or in a new state..
f. Join any of the demonstrations that will be scheduled in your area to call for the right of Egyptians abroad to vote.
g. Donate money to the above account to host Elbardei or his representatives in the US to meet with the Egyptian community