Workgroup Notes: Community Building

Written by James Dickson

DISCUSSION
How do we inspire, create, and build ongoing sustainable communities with the participants after the Symposium?

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS
Creating ongoing communities after the Symposium requires that before, during, and after the Symposium we hold the INTENTION that our purpose IS TO CREATE COMMUNITY.

FINAL DECISIONS
A team has taken the responsibility to be the focal point on this specific topic. We intend to "enhance the structure and enrich the options available in the POST SYMPOSIUM FOLLOW-UP. Specifically, community building." This team is Dave Buck, Jim Cole, Steve Katz, and James Dickson.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

1. Prepare an upstream / downstream beforehand present during Symposium
2. Call to Action and Advocacy, and participation
3. What does it look like (the world of the future)? Then work backwards.
4. In the introduction, when appropriate, ask the participants "what are your expectations for our time together?" Find ways of getting to know the level of involvement that the participants might be willing to commit to.
5. We need a structure to keep people awake, and engaged in community.
6. A dinner get together, within 10 days, for follow-up
7. Getting into, and staying inaction.
8. Give more time in the symposium for participants to express their involvement in existing communities, and what they are doing as individuals.
9. Facilitators of Symposiums provide the leadership to create salons, local groups in communities
10. Facilitators can inspire by coming to the Symposium prepared with success stories of local communities that participants may want to hear about and perhaps pursue.
11. Expand the role of the facilitator (team) to make a continuing conversation with local organization, and encourage participants to integrate symposium ideals in their own communities.
12. Facilitators can offer the creation of local groups
13. Invite local organizations (those in alignment with the values of the Symposium) to meet participants. Have these not-for-profits come prepared to recruit participants. Let these not-for-profits know that we are not "competing" with them.
14. Wine and Cheese Reception, especially nice to add live music before, during, after.
15. Forming Book Groups (participants have pre-read the book, and come to discuss it), Book Study (participants come and read the book together)
16. Set the objective of the Symposium is to create lasting communities of action and advocacy and participation.
17. When the Symposium is successful, people are able to immediately move into action (provide them "next steps", Better Shopping Guide", etc.)
18. Set the intention of the Symposium to get more action and advocacy (not just more Facilitators)
19. Focus Symposium more on whats working and the available local opportunities
20. Encourage a "challengeday.org" type approach : Let's reduce our carbon foot-print to 10-acres, and let them know that we can follow-up and support you
21. At the "end of the day" our intention is to get our participants into action. Our goal becomes how do we replicate and "seed" groups.
22. First step: Awakening, Second step: continuing synergy of learning, education
23. Symposium is planting a "seed" in each community every time it is held. We need to "water" the seed. As these seeds grow, these local communities will encourage additional Symposiums.
24. Make definite follow-up dates available at the Symposium, so that participants can sign-up, and for follow-up.
25. Encourage "weekend retreats" with Facilitators + participants + non-profits to be in liason together to ensure
26. We come to the Symposium with the intention of planting the seed.
27. We come to the Symposium with the intention of "referring" participants to local groups
28. Make sure all local groups, communities are in wiserearth.org
29. Give participants a way to influence their existing spheres of influence.