Our Internal Structure

All the collectives of Radstorm are run independently by their own members. Full autonomy is given to them for their own actions and decision-making, as long as it is in agreement with our Code of Conduct and Membership Agreement terms.

General organization and maintenance for the Radstorm building is done by a variety of volunteers based on their availability and skillsets.

Decision Making

Decisions concerning the entire space are either made at the annual general meeting or as needed by volunteers, voting to approve or disapprove motions brought forward by members.

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.