Process minutes: 2019-11-07

Minutes:

11/7/19
Process Committee Mtg
7-8:45pm, Sitting Room
Present: Jillian, Patti, Bennie, Annie

Agenda:
Check-ins
Brief checkin about all our upcoming events
Next meeting
Discussion about meeting dynamics, cycles of community, and valuing input

11/10 is the Tri-community facilitator’s meeting, 12-2,
Jillian will be in CH sitting room with cider, from 12-1:30 (has to leave
at 1:30 for the opera)

11/16 the training focus is meant for all GOers, and is on consensus and
community building. 9:30-noon. Food at 9:30, start at 10am.
MONKEY: Jillian will ask Becky and Daniel about childcare - $40
MONKEY: Jillian will work on food. Discussed mexican breakfast

12/5 is the Communication and conflict workshop, alt meeting, 6:30-8.

1/11-1/12/20 is the skills and thrills master deed weekend.
MONKEY: Jilian will ask Sandra Greenstone if she might be interested in
facilitating

Next meetings: 11/11 7pm short checkin about 11/16. Next full meeting 11/20
7pm.

Then had a discussion about power dynamics and cycles of community energy
and participation, personal perception, personal responsibility, giving
each other a chance, vast range of personalities, boundaries, levels of
tolerance for systems and process, and levels of awareness of our own
impact. Wide ranging discussion, covered good topics.

Can we have a training about power dynamics in a group? How to prevent some
voices being heard more than others? How to welcome in new voices and make
them feel equally heard.
An issue that all communities have to work on, in cycles, always present in
intentional communities, need to remind ourselves, work in it, periodically.

Remind ourselves as facilitators to help even out the playing field for all
voices.
State a stack clearly and often, and then state clearly if you’re deviating
from the stack, but get back to the stack.

Can you give more specifics of what you’ve noticed over the last months?
Power dynamics of longer term residents getting the mic more often, can
interrupt people talking more often, can interrupt the stack more often,
make more comments that are negative or sarcastic, or can have their input
weighted more than others’ perhaps without much data backing them up. Mic
runner and facil not always looking around the entire room. Its not just
teaching new people how to be part of the meetings. We need to remind
longer term members that the participation of new members is equally
valuable. Calling out the stack is very helpful, helps people relax and
know they will be able to speak. Longer term members count on each other,
and, need to give new people a chance to be counted on.
-end-
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