NOVASEN General Body Meeting

NOVASEN – last meeting of 2025 notes

In attendance: Johanna, Eleanor, Rose Ann, Sahnun, Kei, Caroline

Next Steps

Next meeting: Decidim intro (Jan 29) 

Meeting after that: Vision board session! (Feb 12)

Updates / Check-ins:

• Goals 2026 - creating options for those commuting from more distant neighborhoods

• Consider meeting once a month on a Saturday, flexible locations, maybe potluck format

• Spring forward is making headway with zoning permissions to construct for cooperative businesses in VA and MD (for school)

• Sahnun meeting with another contact on tech coop, friend Rama a co-op person and moved back into this area recently. Friend might be able to meet on Saturdays but not Thursdays. 

• Johanna reading, growing, had a joyful holiday, family is well. 

Accomplishments 2025:

• Novasen launched April 27, 2025

• Welcomed several new members!

• Launched a book club! Practicing SE, Emergent Strategies

• Launched a housing justice task force conducting research 

• Drafted a mission and vision statement 

  • Identified key work areas: housing, job creation

  • Started writing out “Who Are We” and establishing membership 

• Attended “VOICE’s Homes for All”, “ICE Out of Alexandria”

• VA Dual Power Gathering! SECOSOL annual meeting

• Field trip to Phillips / Spring forward in Annandale, learn about their cooperative development projects 

• Invested in Decidim, created an instance, foundation for democratic participatory process in the region. 

• Strengthened partnership with Clarendon Presbyterian

  • Established regular space w/ aligned group

• Community-building w/ VASEN potluck, 30+ ppl

• October Story Swap! Oct 20, Arlington Mill Community Center led by Kristen Clark

• Made friendships with each other, expanded networks, community connections

  • Bring support & attention to Casa Marisol

Goals 2026:

• Onboarding Rachel, who is helping with Decidim

• Create mailing list with DNOVA Summit participants, VASEN dinner participants, + wider networks 

• VOICE, state meeting, 

• Meeting La Colectiva

• Connect with Community Wealth Builders

• Creative vision board session

• Follow up:

  • Participants in DNOVA Summit

  • Everyday Canvassing

• Establish membership criteria and onboarding

• Set up work session for our cloud space and Decidim

• Housing task force “result;” observations, outcomes

• Set up a cloud space

• Rotate roles

• Make a pamphlet

  • “Who we are”, “What we do”, and “How to join!”

• Write an internationalist position

• Educational sessions, focused sessions for particular topics

• Datacenter fieldtrip to Ashburn/Loudon 

Decidim: We have cloud storage, and calendar available

Contacts / network update - invite on Decidim

Book club: Another session from Emergent Strategy

Upcoming: Nairuti recommended a new book 

People’s Hub training: Matt is going to send in an application. Stay tuned! 

Building our networks:  

Next meeting: Jan 29, Decidim training. Feb 12, Vision board activity 

Recent Resources and Items of Interest:

Schedule: 

• VOICE State meeting on the 20th/21st

  • They focus on housing, should we link up with them?

• Civil disobedience: Does anyone want to do a non-cooperation training?