Dear W4AW Members:
We finally had our first meeting on 11/4 and I think it was fantastic. I knew how amazing all of you are already; however, I was really impressed with how we interacted as a group – what a great dynamic! There is a wealth of enthusiasm, talent and stengths among us. I think all of us left feeling that together we can make an impact on the issues we are learning about. I know I did.
For those of you that weren’t able to make it, here is a summary of our meeting:
· Social time – we had a good amount of time for chatting and getting acquainted (I will be creating and distributing a directory of group members)
· Discussion of how we want the group to work
o People liked and agreed with the idea of a book club type format
§ Some expressed a desire to not be overwhelmed with reading but rather to engage in research on action and solutions
§ Meeting regularly – starting with two week intervals as we ramp up and then going to once a month
o Everyone expressed a strong interest in the social action component and a lively discussion of what this could entail ensued
§ Collective donations – setting up an account where we can all donate when/if/what we wish to an organization that we may all agree on
§ Fundraising
§ Awareness-raising of issues
§ A group travel experience
§ We understood and agreed that participation is very open – we could engage in a big project together as a group AND several smaller groups focusing on an issue/project may emerge – the key is keeping each other informed
§ We will are open to identifying global issues that we can work on locally in the Twin Cities (i.e. sex trafficking at MOA)
o Discussion of the use of Facebook or Google Groups to keep each other informed in between meetings and to keep an archive of what we’re doing so we can keep track of what we’re doing and what is and isn’t working
· Recognition that this group will also help us to grow as individuals, to be part of something larger, and to give us an opportunity to develop new skills or polish up old ones
· Discussion of the book – most people had read some of the book and several had finished it – I think we could safely say that everyone was moved and impressed by the content and felt the call to action
Here’s what comes next as we’ve determined so far:
· Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 @ 6pm @ the Riverview Wine Bar
· Everyone will bring 3 issues that they feel are a priority for our group to focus on
· Eveyone will bring 3 criteria that we will utilize in evaluating what organizations we wish to support
· Jen Pavich and Lisa Kleingarn will meet to set up a Facebook site for our group and a Google group so we can share documents
If anyone has anything to add to this, please chime in.
Thanks again, everyone! I am really excited to delve in to what our group will be!
