COPLA Structure

This document lays out how the coordinating platform (COPLA) of Code Rood will be organising itself. It was written at the start of 2019 based on the experiences of the first two years. It was tried to balance the practical needs (and actual reality) with the theoretical best organisational structure.
We will strife to be:

• Decisive with uncomplicated decision making processes in order to better act upon current events and to make sure time is spend effective
• Transparant so that the role and the functioning of the COPLA is clear for everybody
• Sustainable with more attention for stress, group dynamics and trust within the COPLA

• Code Rood is a movement of people who organise themselves in working groups and local groups. The COPLA exists of coordinators of the working groups who commit for a period, for example half a year. The working groups decide for themselves who of them will take up the role of coordinator.
• Everyone who is in a working group can also decide to join the COPLA, for example to join in on the conversation and decision making process of a certain topic or to check out if they want to be more involved within the COPLA. During COPLA meetings there is no difference between coordinators and other people from working groups.
• Working group coordinators are responsible that their working group functions well. This means, among other things, the planning of meetings and working days, and maintaining contact with the members of the working group. Furthermore they are responsible that there is a delegate fo the working group at the COPLA meetings and they are responsible to make sure everyone in their working group is up to date with what happens at COPLA meetings. There is at least one coordinator per working group.
• Every half year the composition of the COPLA is evaluated: the roles will be discussed and perhaps rotated, coordinators can step up or down, and personal capacity and learning goals are discussed. Every working group decides who will be their coordinator. The COPLA decides among themselves about the other roles, which can be for example some one who is keeping an eye out on the group dynamics or someone who is present to take minutes.
• The COPLA aims to be a good representation of the working groups. Decisions can be made when there are five or more people present at a COPLA meeting
• The coordinators have a buddy withing the COPLA. BUddies check in with each other and make take care of each others well being.
• The COPLA is supported by a secretarial working group who organises meetings, the internal communication within the COPLA and the working groups. Besides that this working group will also control the feedback of COPLA meetings to the other working groups and forwards external questions to the correct person or working group.
• Organising the COPLA evaluation and talking about the composition of the COPLA every half year is the responsibility of the secretarial working group.

• The COPLA aims for an inclusive and safe composition as described in the safer space policy.
• The dates for every COPLA meetings will be chosen well ahead of time and they will be told to the working groups. We aim to make sure the agenda and the location is made known to the working groups at least two days before the meeting. People should indicate whether or not they are coming to the meeting at least one day beforehand.
• Facilitating COPLA meetings is rotated.
• Decisions are made on basis of consensus or consent.
• The working groups will receive feedback on the decisions and updates on ongoing projects. Summaries of the minutes will be send to every working group.
• The COPLA meetings are, in essence, accessible for people who want to join through the use of a webcam. If this is not possible for safety or privacy reasons a suitable solution ought to be found. When organising COPLA meetings a priority should also be to make sure of geographical spread of the persons who want to join the meeting.  Travel costs can be reimbursed, to do this mail geld@code-rood.org.
• Working groups coordinators can decide to discuss certain subjects privately (without devices that have microphones on them in the room and without making minutes). This can be done to make sure projects for which a surprise effect is necessary are kept secret and thus that the surprise effect will succeed.
  
• The functioning of the COPLA is evaluated every half year.
• Minutes are kept in an online archive to which every working group member can have access to*.
• The COPLA organises itself through a mailing list and Signal group. Other active people within Code Rood can get access to this list and to this Signal group through the secretarial working group. This working group also makes sure it is clear to everyone who is apart of this list/group.
• We aim to make the locations of the meetings as accessible as possible for the working group coordinators and members.
• The COPLA also does fun things and works on team building.

• The COPLA decides on theme’s that are important to certain working groups, or on subjects that concern the whole of Code Rood, and it can decide to transfer the decisions on some subjects to an action conference.
• The COPLA is used by working groups to coordinate and align.
• The COPLA can be used as a channel to provide feedback to the whole active core of Code Rood.
• The COPLA guarantees the goals and vision of Code Rood.