An urgent plea for help.

[Pale Blue Dot]

I'm forming an Economic Crisis committee at the school where I teach. I spoke about it at our staff meeting last week, and I already have several other staff members who want to be involved. The group will be devoted to finding community-based solutions to the extraordinary challenges that parents, students, and teachers will be facing because of this economic mess. I believe we need to act urgently; yesterday, I found out that one of my students - a straight-A, hardworking, sweetheart of a kid - is going hungry because her family has lost all of their sources of income. We're hearing new stories like this every single day.

As has been pointed out to me on several occasions here, I've been all doom and gloom (rightly so on that account, I believe), but I haven't offered any solutions. This is because I don't HAVE any. This group is designed to help find some we can use at the community level.

There's my problem: I have never started or run a group like this, or any group for that matter. How do I run the meetings so that they're productive, and not simply gripe sessions? What should I cover at the meetings? How do we generate ideas and then put them into action quickly?

Any help that you can give would be greatly appreciated. As I'm sure you know, there is simply know time to fool around anymore. I don't have any of the answers, but it is vitally important that we try to find workable solutions as quickly as possible. Thank you!

If you believe that what I'm doing is important, please keep this kicked; I won't be able to check in on this thread again until later this afternoon.

[ixion]

1. just for starters, Robert's Rules of Order is a great, albeit arcane, way of

handling a meeting.

In any case, you, as organizer, have a huge say in whether these are productive sessions or just bitch sessions. I would say you want to organize the meeting into sections, some planning and some bitching. Then don't allow one to occur in the other.

Breaking into small groups to work on problems is also helpful. You need to try and build a team, to bring a sense of camaraderie to the group.

But maintaining an orderly progression to each meeting is key to success. Print a meeting schedule, give it to those who attend, and force the group to stick to that schedule.

Think of it in a similar context to the classes you teach.

Make sense? Hope this helps.


ps: I've been one of those "doom and gloomers" too, so I'm right there with ya. :hi:

[HereSince1628]

2. About running productive meetings...

A thought from decades around jaw-flapping college committees.

-Keep in mind that "doing things that help" often depend more on boots on the ground than committee mtgs.
I mean don't spend all the time discussing proposals for "bake sales"--spend more time baking and distributing.

[BlooInBloo]

3. kick.

[yellerpup]

4. Kicking for you!

In setting up a group it would be a good idea to first identify people in the community who are already doing outreach and ask them for ideas. Go to a meeting and see how they manage it. Every community is different so what works in one place my not be as effective in another. For example, at our school students are not allowed to wear jeans (you might translate this for a company or commercial business) but on Fridays, if they pay (a minimum of) a dollar to the charity that we are sponsoring that week, they can wear jeans to school. We raise between $500-$1,000 every two weeks just with this program. Give people incentives ( a local elementary school principal promised to kiss a pig if the kids read a certain amount of books, the kids did and he made the front page of the local paper puckering up to a porker!) and an opportunity to compete (by helping) and they just might surprise you. If a person shows up at your meeting and tries to take and keep the floor by grousing, call time on them if they haven't presented a solution. The problems are evident, the solutions are what is needed. Good luck to you! :kick:

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

5. Hmm. Sounds like quite a challenge.

Getting people (especially well-educated people like teachers) to act in unison is one of the hardest things you'll have to do, especially if you don't have a big, outgoing personality.

On an administrative level, Roberts Rules can come in handy when running meetings, especially if you're trying to maintain a formal, orderly environment in which everyone's rights are protected. You can pick up a used copy fairly cheaply, but I'd be willing to bet there's a copy online, too. Of course, Robert's Rules is long and sometimes mundane, so I'd recommend The Guerrilla Guide to Robert's Rules. When I was teaching, I loaned my copy to the newly-elected union president, and she found it to be quite helpful.

I'll have more about defining a focus and a course of action in a moment.

[SarahB]

19. Fortunately, the OP does have a big, outgoing personality (when he wants to charm it up).

I think he can really make a difference of this is done well and he has the strong capacity to do so.

To Pale Blue Dot: :yourock: !

[CanonRay]

6. Have a written agenda and stick to it.

Only at the very end, when the real work is done, have a new business or "Other" so people can vent, bitch etc.

[trof]

26. YES! An agenda is essential.

And use it like a herd dog to keep moving the strays back on topic.
If possible, distribute it by email to attendees beforehand. Sometimes that gestation period helps folks come up with some good ideas.
Have printed copies to distribute at the meeting.
Check off items as you cover them.
Make notes, etc.

I'm polite when I run a meeting, but I don't hesitate to head off a long winded bullshitter by saying "John, we're getting a bit off topic here. Let's get through our agenda and then you can have your say."
Good luck.
on edit: sorry, this should have been a reply to OP.

[izquierdista]

7. Checklists and agendas

The more specifics to cover at a meeting, the less likely it will devolve to a bitch-and-moan session. Try to stick to the agenda: discuss the problem, ask for solutions (and volunteers to work them), make an action item and move on to the next item on the agenda. Too much talking and too little doing is the way to get nothing accomplished. You may have to be a real hardass and shut people up and move on to the next item, but do it.

If there are two conflicting ideas to solve a problem, try the shotgun approach: try to move both forward at the same time and see which one makes faster progress. Get people to make a commitment and report back to you in advance of the next meeting so you don't have to waste time getting status reports at meetings. Smile at people as you cut them off for being long-winded.

Be positive and upbeat running the meetings. The more desperate the tone of the discussion, the faster you have to put it behind you so that you can discuss items where progress is being made. Point out at the beginning and at the end of the meeting what is being done so the participants can have a sense of progress. Commend people who are making progress in front of the whole group; have a private moment afterward with those who are not (not to criticize, but to motivate or ask what the holdup is).

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

8. Another thing you need to keep in mind is what exactly you want to do.

You've stated that you don't want meetings to devolve into gripe sessions, so you need to have a clear purpose. So, you need to come up with a statement of purpose or a mission statement around which your group can rally when things are getting disorganized or too unfocused.

When I was chair of the ethics committee of the Graduate Student Association, I had a long-term mission statement (to define and create ethical policies for the conduct of graduate students and to advise fair courses of action to the executive board and administration when a student behaved unethically) and a short-term mission statement (to create policy recommending interaction between graduate and undergraduate students outside of the classroom and to protect my constituency from persecution from an overzealous administration).

From what you're saying, you might want to focus your group on brainstorming and enacting ideas directly to help your community through these horrible times. Take some time to think about how you want to word this. It will guide the course of all your meetings.

Also, I'm sorry for give advice in multiple posts. I'm trying to keep kicking this for as long as I can.

[LiberalEsto]

9. Start by introducing yourselves

one at a time, going around the circle. Have everyone state why they are there, what their major concern is.

At our Unitarian-Universalist church, we begin every committee meeting with a check-in. Everyone gets a couple of minutes to talk, uninterrupted, about how they're feeling, what's bothering them, what good thing has happened to them. This helps people know one another and understand each other better. I think it helps a group work together in a more cooperative fashion.

Learn about Active Listening and teach the group to listen to one another effectively. Here's a link with info:
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/activel.htm

Then maybe start the group on brainstorming a list of critical issues, writing each one down on a large pad or blackboard. Prioritize them. Then brainstorm a list of possible solutions and resources, and write those down. Maybe people can volunteer to tackle specific areas by themselves or with another person.

[MadHound]

10. Others here have mentioned Roberts Rules and having agendas

So I think that you're covered there.

A suggestion for you and your school there, plant a garden this spring on the school grounds. You can build a large number of lesson plans around a garden, biology, geology, etc. You also wind up with a bountiful harvest next fall, and can use the food for supplementing your students' diets next fall and winter. Sure, this means that you'll get stuck with taking care of the garden over the summer, but hey, it is something you can do to help out with little investment.

Start a garden, start a compost pile, do it all organic. The kids will like it and so will you. And they will learn.

[ProgrezivIndie]

13. (K&R) I agree that "doing" is far more productive than "meeting"

...but, meetings can be useful in organization of the "doers". Try to get some community professionals (social services, local churches, legal aide, etc.) involved as "guests" at your meetings.

Having a garden is a good idea, but in some areas of the country that is impractical at this time of the year (but do try it, moving forward... this mess ain't going away anytime soon)! So, as to the immediate problem of kids going hungry... perhaps some parents need to swallow their pride (I know that sounds harsh, but it has to be said).

For those families who can not afford enough groceries, try to convince others who may be able to donate (cash or goodies or time/transport), for such things as bake sales... try instead "to get some real food" to those in immediate need. Anyone can donate the food and/or take the time & effort to deliver it... check-out one of my other posts for what may prove to be a good resource:

struggling with the grocery bill, stimulus not very helpful...

bless you for your willingness to ACT toward resolution!

[wildflower]

23. The garden is an excellent idea; also a clothing swap

Where members can trade clothes (especially children's clothes, for their child's latest size). Meeting some food and clothing needs is a good first step.

[cobalt1999]

11. Already good advice here

There will be a number of followup tasks. Assign a SINGLE owner to each one; make a due date for each one; have the owner give the group updates.

If more than one person owns a task, no one does.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

12. Plan, plan, plan!

Clear written agendas are vital for any organization. People like to have a sense of what they're doing at a meeting, and without an agenda it's easy for members to become frustrated, confused, and eventually lose interest in the group.

Here's a sample agenda:

I. Call to Order and Attendance (2 min)
II. Approval of minutes from previous meeting (5 min) - even if you're not this formal, it's good to review what you did last time. By doing so you not only will refresh everyone's memory but also you will keep members who missed a meeting in the loop.
III. Old Business (5 min) - Get any unfinished business from the last meeting out of the way.
IV. New Business (30 min) - Ask people to let you know if they want to bring anything up at a meeting before hand so you can make sure there's time to talk about it. And, of course, you should be flexible enough to allow last-minute changes, especially if something very important comes up.
A. Item 1
B. Item 2
C. Item 3
D. Item 4
V. Dismissal

It's vital to have your agenda written out and available to everyone in the group. The one thing I absolutely hated about meetings with the MTA was that our president never provided a written agenda for our meetings, so it wasn't always clear what we'd be discussing.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

14. Delegate responsibilities.

You can't do everything by yourself. Get as much help doing things as possible. One person per task should be enough in most cases. When you start to have more than one person per task, you run the risk of promoting slacking among your members by diffusing responsibility. Don't let it happen.

[LaurenG]

15. Is there a way to network with working parents

so that the older kids can help to look after the smaller ones after school. I wonder if the parents could barter. Bring in food or some other trade off for the time the older kids are babysitting. I know teenaged kids don't want to be looking after younger kids but I always thought that there should be a place that kids could go to help out others after school and still be in a safe place.


Just a thought.


:kick:

[elleng]

16. This is not exactly responsive to your request,

but list to discuss first, at each meeting: URGENT MATTERS

TO PROVIDE FOR STUDENTS/FAMILIES

FOOD

CLOTHING

SHELTER

emergency cash

volunteers for 'odd jobs'

barter - services for goods, food

We're with you.

[Ellipsis]

17. Create A Family resource guide for your county

It may all ready exist.

Cut and pasted Topics from a local county guide below


CHILD CARE
CLOTHING/HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
FAMILY SERVICES
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FOOD ASSISTANCE/NUTRITION INFORMATION
HEALTH AND MEDICAL
HOUSING ASSISTANCE
LEGAL SERVICES
MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE/COUNSELING
TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE
UTILITY ASSISTANCE

Good Luck.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

18. So now what do you want to do?

I'm glad that you've already decided against running bull sessions. After all, that's what DU is for (in part). :)

You and your group need to identify your community's particular needs and how best to address them. Easier said than done, I know, but that's what will keep your meetings going. Invite input from every member and keep your eyes and ears open for how other communities are dealing with similar problems. Maybe you can't outright co-opt their ideas, but with a little tweaking you'd be amazed how well they'll serve your needs (kind of like stealing project ideas from other teachers).

My town has been hit hard by the real estate collapse. McMansions that were formerly selling for $1mil have been drastically devalued. Not to mention that the layoffs have been hitting just as hard. That means less revenue for the town and (in a lot of unfortunate cases) less food on the tables in a lot of homes.

One school I subbed at tackled the problem by having weekly potluck meals. Children whose families could spare it would send in cans of food or a prepared dish and it would be collected in the cafeteria. Faculty and the administration got in on it, too. At some point in the day the food would be prepared and a little feast would be held for the students. The kids got more food than they normally would from a school lunch and the school also saved some money on food expenses. Not a bad plan. I think they're running it once a month right now.

You also should seriously consider inviting members of the community into your group. I'm sure there are some small business owners who could help out with food or capital and would appreciate some good press.

[Cabcere]

20. K&R

I think what you're doing is really admirable, and wish I had some concrete advice to offer...unfortunately, I have no experience in matters like this. Best of luck! :hi:

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

21. The press is your friend.

When you are on the ground doing what you do, you should draw some attention to yourself. If you're doing a major event, call up the local newspaper. If their editor is anything like the one I work for, she'll be interested in a feel-good story in these rather crapulent times. Failing that, there's the power of the letter-to-the-editor.

[renate]

22. K&R

What you're doing is wonderful. Good luck!

[DemReadingDU]

24. First they need to understand the problems, before you can find solutions

I would start off by having them watch Chris Martenson Crash Course videos. He recently had a mini-crash course on PBS WGBY. It's appx 38 minutes. It's an intro about himself, why he quit his high-paying job, what he saw going on around him, and the reasons for devoting his life to creating the Crash Course. Here's the link for the replay, about halfway down the page. Look for the Crash Course and Martenson's picture.
http://www.wgby.org/podcasts/index.html

Then the group should watch the complete excellent Chris Martenson Crash Course videos. They provide a baseline understanding of the economy, creation of money, debt, bubbles, energy, environment. This is a series of 20 video chapters, each video is between 3 and 18 minutes in length, meaning that all 20 chapters should take about 3 hours, but they need not be watched all at the same time. Try an hour a day for 3 days or 3 meetings. He sells DVDs now too.
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

About Chris Martenson, PhD.
Executive summary: Father of three young children; author; obsessive financial observer; trained as a scientist; experienced in business; has made profound changes in his lifestyle because of what he sees coming.
In his bio, Martenson goes into detail how he arrived at his conclusions and opinions, and why he's dedicated to communicating them via this excellent series of videos and additional articles.
Please click the link to read the rest of his bio...
http://www.chrismartenson.com/about

Until everyone grasps the financial crisis, the implications, and the impending depression, you are going to be spinning around and around. Many people still are clueless, and won't be able to contribute solutions until they know the problems.

Spouse has taken the crash course, sees the economy tanking, but it has not personally affected him yet. So to him, there are no solutions, because he doesn't really understand the problem how he is to be affected personally.

He helps me do a few things, like setting up shelves for extra food, but he doesn't think we will ever need the food for the future. So he is eating it all up, now. He bought me a generator, but he truly believes we will never use it. The government will always somehow provide our electric, and water and gas to heat our home.

We sold our stocks and put money into bank CDs. If our bank fails, he still believes he will get out his money because the money is FDIC insured. What if there is a bank holiday because too many banks fail at once?

He thinks his pension will always arrive via direct deposit into the bank account. He thinks social security will always be there too. If the government runs out of money, they can print more. Otherwise, it is unthinkable what could happen (like civil unrest). No, the government would not allow people to be jobless and hungry, and riot.

Uh, I ask him...what about Katrina? He says that was under Bush, Obama's administration will provide.

So be prepared for even half-clueless people.


Note: re-posted from the SMW thread in Breaking News forum.

[Pale Blue Dot]

25. Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions.

Please keep them coming. I'm taking this all in and I'll let you know how it goes.

[DevonRex]

27. Food seems to be pretty high on the list of priorities. So, information

on food banks and community organizations who can provide it would be helpful for people who are going hungry NOW.

For a slightly longer term solution, how about organizing folks who can grow vegetables both indoors and out? Find out who has experience in vegetable gardening. One family can grow tomatoes, another can grow peas or green beans, etc., and then the families can share with each other and learn from each other.

Find out what other talents people have. Who can mend clothing? Which families can rotate child care duties so others can look for jobs or go to night classes or to work shifts? Which families have clothing that has been outgrown that they could share with other families with smaller kids? Who has a car? Who needs transportation to job interviews or to the food banks?

Who has experience in filing unemployment claims or applying for Food Stamps or Welfare? Who has experience with the VA? Who knows about clinics that offer reduced or free medical treatment? Who can be tasked to find out correct and up to date information on all those programs so that people are educated about them so that going through the process is less daunting?

If you can help make this a community solution, they will all feel better about themselves because they will be helping each other.

[Tsiyu]

28. Lots of good advice here (cuz it's DU!)

and I'll keep kicked.

Perhaps having each class hold a discussion on these matters would help, as long as discussions didn't embarrass any students (as to revealing their economic hardship.) Get the students involved in coming up with solutions.

Kudos to you for this effort :yourock:


:kick:

[barbtries]

29. kicking because i believe it's very important

and i applaud you

[Cerridwen]

30. Great ideas here. I don't know if I have much to add to the "to do to prepare"

list you've got right here.

Since I'm in cynical mode today, I'll share a couple of things to watch out for.

1. People who like to hear themselves talk. They'll burn through meeting minutes contributing nothing more than the sound of their voice. Best tool I've used for these types is a timer; I kid you not.

2. Watch the nit-pickers. They'll pick everything down to its microscopic components before you can ever start the project. Put them on highly detailed projects combined with someone who wants to plow through everything right now. Make sure it's not a vital project.

3. The constant criticizers. They will criticize everything and offer nothing. Best response to them is to acknowledge their concern and ask them for their solutions. This also lets you know who has valid concerns and who's just trying drag things down.

4. The "oh woe, is me" type. "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me" seems to be their constant refrain. Patience and occasional reminders of what a good job they do and they'll sometimes turn into some of your best people. Others just insist on being miserable. Keep them away from any situation that involves public contact.

5. The boomerang bunch. Took a vote last week? It failed. Boomerang wanted it to pass. Will try to get the group to vote again based on a "technicality." This person will have you re-visit every issue ad nauseum. In some cases, even if the vote went the way they wanted. Have them take the meeting minutes. They'll have to listen and pay attention and have a hard time arguing something wasn't done the week before since they're the one who recorded it.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are the first that sprang to mind. Look around DU for examples of each and more. LOL

Keep control of the meeting. Interrupting someone when you're the "chair" is not rude it is required. You can do it nicely and with humor. Keep the meeting on topic.

Provide "thank yous" and pats on the back - lots. Not done to the point of sugar overload but enough that people know you see and appreciate what they do.

Plan meetings with a bit of socialising time just prior to the start time and definitely after meeting adjourned. Letting people know you're doing this helps them to stay on topic during the working portion of the meeting.

Remember to have fun. Serious issues are tough enough. Try to keep it fun and interesting.

Good Luck!

[cynthia]

31. some organizational tips

Use a white board or chart paper to post the agenda, and check off things as you cover them.

Set a time limit for the meeting and stick to it. Don't go over the time set aside. When you are nearing the end of the meeting time (5 mins from end) review what was covered and when to meet next, perhaps what to do in the meantime, what to cover at the next meeting. Write it down and refer to it when you start the next meeting.

If there are lots of people wanting to share ideas, break out into smaller groups to brainstorm and give each person in each group some post-it notes to write down their top three ideas, or top three priorities. Then ask everyone to get up and add their post-it notes to chart paper with labeled headings.

Identify people who are willing to help become contacts for people in need. So if someone shares a story of hardship, ask for one person to be a volunteer to share phone numbers and keep in touch between meetings, to follow up to make sure that person has support to get the needs met.

If you don't already have a starting point, start with the fundamental needs of all people: shelter, food and water, clothing (here in the north: heat), and transportation, health care, etc.

Collect ideas of how to tap into existing resources in the community.

Before starting any kind of project, be sure to hear from those in need. I recall that after the Tsunami in Indonesia earlier this decade, tons of clothing arrived that was neither needed nor wanted and pure water and food was a greater need.

Finally remember to treat all that you serve with dignity. Bless you for doing this.

[veness]

32. k & r ! n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

33. Our school has a food pantry, filled by donations, to allow for food bags to hungry students