Minutes – Thurs July 24, 2008
Members Present: Glenda Mattinson, Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, Kirsten Kristensen
Not Present: Anne Bourrit, Eva Rambala, Irmtraud Kauschat
Observers: Jeff Brown (US), Faye Landey (US), Joakim Svahn (Sweden)
Written Input: Amazu Damian (Nigeria), Miki Kashtan (US)
Facilitator: Glenda Mattinson
Notetaker: Hawkeye Lannis
Summary of Action Items:
-
Next Meeting: Face-to-face meeting in Budapest at the end of August
-
Approaching Geographic Area regarding GCC Representation (item 3 on page 4)
Summary of Decisions:
- Glenda will double-check with Eva if she believes she is already performing this function before proceeding with item b) When: before face-to-face meeting
- If Eva
does not view herself as already serving as a representative for this
area, Glenda will contact the certified trainers in the region between
the edge of Eastern Europe and Hawaii. She will share with them that,
to meet needs for inclusion and connection, she would like the GCC to
be aware of what is happening in this part of the world, and to have
the voices of this area’s NVC practitioners (certified and not
certified) represented on the GCC. She will ask if they would be
willing to work together with (all) other NVC practitioners in their
area to decide how they would like to respond to my request. When: not specified
-
Glenda as meeting facilitator for 6 months
To
enable the maximum amount of meeting time to be focused on topics of
interest, we agreed that Glenda will be the meeting facilitator for 6
months, recognizing that if this is not working, we can bring it to the
attention of the group at any time.
Term: 6 months (to be reviewed in Jan 2009)
Summary of Rest of Document:
1. NVC Community News - What is happening in your part of the NVC Community that you believe others would like to know about?2. What would you like to DO over the next 6-12 months, individually and with others in this circle, to help fulfill our common desire to work together to spread NVC consciousness?
4. Face-to-Face Meeting – Proposed Agenda Items
Closing Round Comments
Additional Questions RaisedCONTENT
1. What is happening in your part of the NVC Community that you believe others would like to know about?
Celebrations / Needs Met:
Europe-Africa Circle: Irmtraud
is taking over more and more of the leadership. Not much is happening
on circle work right now as it is summer. (Kirsten)
Americas Circle: Membership
includes about 40 groups from US and Canada. About 8 members are on a
call every four to six weeks. Moving forward with practical issues like
creating directory of members in Americas. There is one formed regional
group in the Midwest, another group in Southeast under development and
a Northeast group in very early stages of development. (Jerry)
Central US: Regional
network has formed quite quickly in this region, with a 7-person
leadership team. Have been holding 4 retreats a year for the past 2
years. Minutes are available on a Google group that people outside the
group can subscribe to. (Jeff)
GCC & French Circle: Anne
and Glenda have drafted a joint letter to the French-speaking circle,
asking for shared understanding about whether Anne is their
representative to the GCC, and asking for selection of a second person
to serve as backup to Anne (and potential eventual formal double-link
between the two circles) (Glenda)
CNVC Board and LT: Glenda
reported on her experiences, and would like the official minutes and
announcements of these groups to serve as the written record of these
events.
A summary of questions asked and answered are given at the back of these minutes.
Next Steps:
SouthEast US: Has a 7-day retreat coming up in October. (Faye, Jeff)
Needs Not Met:
Denmark: Process for including potential assessors from non-German countries in the Assessor Training in Germany (Kirsten)
Questions being asked on the trainers egroup: Would really like to see some answers being provided (Kirsten)
2. What would you like to DO over the next 6-12 months, individually and with others in this circle, to help fulfill our common desire to work together to spread NVC consciousness?
Identify Existing Groups and Connections:
Create a directory of all the NVC-related groups that currently exist (Glenda)
Create a picture that shows how groups are connected / linked – or not (Glenda)
Work on getting the directory & picture published on the CNVC website (Glenda)
Create
a cross-reference of certified trainers, people in different egroups
(especially cnvc-trainers, nvccertificationcandidates, and
friendsofnvc) with the directory of groups (Glenda)
Create a “map” that shows where geographic groups are physically located (Glenda)
Provide opportunities to connect and learn on group-related topics:
Convene
teleconferences on different topics of interest to groups and which
support group development and connection: topics like starting a group,
fundraising, forming a regional group, group dynamics and challenges –
where people and groups in the network can share and learn from each
other (Glenda)
Create a mechanism for the network to suggest what topics they are interested in for such teleconferences (Glenda)
Provide
one or more monthly connecting opportunities where group members can
bring challenges they are experiencing in their groups and receive
support and input (Glenda)
Support building of circles around the world:
Defining
best practices - Collect resources from groups that have formed and are
operating and make them available to help newly forming regions and
groups – e.g., sample policies, and information about what policies
help groups function (Jerry)
Support development of a Spanish-speaking Americas connection with the GCC, also Portuguese (Jerry)
Policy development:
How is the GCC composed? (e.g., geographic vs language representation) (Jerry)
Is the GCC only for certified trainers? (Joakim)
Requests re integrity with NVC (e.g., naming of groups) (Jerry, Kirsten)
Encourage creation of infrastructure by providing a reason to be part:
Put requests (e.g., proposed policies) out to the network and ask for feedback to come back through the circles (Kirsten)
Funding:
Every level of an organization needs resources. Determine where funding will come from and how it will be allocated (Jerry)
Review and prioritize issues to be brought to the Admin Team & Leadership Team:
(e.g., from the cnvc-trainers egroup) (Kirsten)
Summary of written input provided by people not present at the meeting:
Note:
GCC members acknowledge the support offered by those who provided the
following input. However, GCC members do not necessarily agree
individually or collectively with the comments provided below – they
appear here to meet a need for inclusion.
Support people who find it difficult to connect through existing strategies: Support people in connecting who find it difficult to participate in calls because of the cost of telephone connection. Provide help in funding or other ways to be able to participate in face-to-face meetings (Adam)
Translation: Come
up with a plan and proposal and budget for how to have the translation
into several languages happen and be funded and sustainable. we talked
about it in the predecessor to this group YEARS ago, and were on the
verge of having a plan and a budget when CNVC took a turn in April
2005. (Miki) – Note from Glenda – I have been asked by
the Admin Team to take this on, more as part of my Communication
Coordinator role, than re GCC. A proposal for a next step is before
the Admin Team right now, along with a draft announcement to the
network. I will follow up re the material Miki references.
Projects:
Come up with concrete projects that the GCC wants to take on. I am not
attached to any one in particular, but to DOING something. for example,
creating a website that has on it all materials from all trainers
(certified or not) who are willing to share their materials in that
way; or come up with plans for supporting emerging areas with mentoring
and seed money; or write grant proposals together; anything. (Miki)
Project Funding: Make a proposal to CNVC about budget for above projects (Miki)
Decision power within CNVC: Discuss and make plans for how the GCC can dialogue with the LT to have decision power within CNVC (Miki)
Support structures for non-certified trainers: Come up with plans for how to create support structures for non-certified trainers (Miki)
Non-North-American GCC Coordinator: Come up with a plan for how to have a GCC coordinator that is outside North America as fast as possible. (Miki)
3. Representation from edge-of-Eastern-Europe to just before Hawaii
Glenda’s Observations and Needs:
When
I look at our current GCC membership, I notice that there is a chunk of
the globe not represented – from the edge of Eastern Europe to just
before Hawaii.
I feel concerned because I value inclusion.
Request:
Would anyone object to my doing the following:
-
Seeking to
arrange a meeting with the certified trainers in that area. (This seems
like a small enough group that scheduling a meeting seems feasible.) -
Sharing
with them that, to meet my needs for inclusion and connection, I would
like the GCC to be aware of what is happening in this part of the
world, and to have the voices of this area’s NVC practitioners
represented on the GCC. -
Asking if
they would be willing to work together with (all) other NVC
practitioners in their area to decide how they would like to respond to
my request.
Decision:
No objection as long as Eva does not view herself as already doing this.
Policy Development:
Composition and nature of the GCC – language and geography (Jerry)
Who will fulfill the roles / areas of the GCC? (Jerry)
Decision-making of the GCC and its domain of authority – experiment with making a decision and see what happens (Jerry)
Infrastructure
domain – what groups represent who? Does the GCC recognize the America
group and other groups? For example, can there be two different self-appointed NVC organizations serving the same geographic area who can't get along. (Jerry)
Criteria for naming groups (Jerry)
What are we going to DO?
What
is the plan for what we concretely intend to do, individually and
collectively over the next 6-12 months? Action steps with people and
target dates identified. Start with the material under today’s agenda
item #2. (Glenda)
Needs Not Met:
How can we get out of the prison of power over / power under? (Kirsten)
Topics that are the responsibility of other areas of CNVC:
Assessment (Kirsten)
Trainer fees (Kirsten)
Overwhelm in CNVC (Kirsten)
Summary of written input provided by people not present at the meeting:
Note:
GCC members acknowledge the support offered by those who provided the
following input. However, GCC members do not necessarily agree
individually or collectively with the comments provided below – they
appear here to meet a need for inclusion.
How
to make the GCC a truly global circle that can support NVC trainers and
supporters in all areas of the world. What do areas like the one
proposed in #3 above see that's implicit power dynamics that they might
want to see changes in. (Miki)Support structures for non-certified trainers - come up
with plans for how to create support structures for non-certified
trainers (Miki)
Closing Round Comments
Faye (had to leave early) - I am so thrilled. I hope GCC will have a real influence and voice in CNVC.
Kirsten
- I appreciate Glenda’s sharing and efforts which create forward
movement. It comes just as I was feeling ready to quit the GCC. I hope
it leads to lasting forward movement which will go on for years and
years. She has provided a lot of understanding for me. Thank you Jerry
for your contribution. I have enjoyed hearing more voices on the call
from around the world.
Jerry
- Glenda what a difference you have made already. There is something
about you that is very methodical so things cannot slip away. I
appreciate Jeff’s clarity, honesty and openness. It is a breath of
fresh air.
Glenda
- loved the call, the small number of people present. At the same time
sad that Eva and Anne were not heard on this call. Noticing more
in-depth discussion today. I noticing myself feeling freer to say
certain things today - feeling sad and surprised about that and want to
think about it and learn from it. I am excited about the agenda items
for our Face-to-Face meeting.
Jeff
- I am touched by Jerry’s comments about my contributions. I feel
relaxed and energized by being given the opportunity as nonmember to
contribute.
Hawkeye - I felt
moved by the issues the GCC are wrestling with. They are close to my
heart because I am part of a circle in Hawaii wrestling with same
topics. I wish there was more audio clarity on these calls so
notetaking was easier and more accurate. Sometimes speakers words are
garbled in my hearing. I appreciated hearing all the voices and honesty
in the call. I hear a lot of pain that wants to be addressed.
Joakim
- I have enjoyed Hawkeye’s interruptions during the meeting to make
requests in the role as notetaker. I like the way things are moving. I
am very happy you are on board Glenda. I understand that there is a lot
of pain being voiced, I am hopeful that it will be addressed.
Additional Questions Raised (any answers provided are indented under the question)
Jerry
- How does the board relate to the LT? I am continuously confused to
what is the structures of CNVC and where and by whom is the decision
making being done. How do CNVC staff people get placed and where do
they go to gather information for the organization?
Jerry - Are you being paid in your coordinators roles? How much time are you committing to your roles?
Glenda
- I am being paid 2/3 of what I need to live on for the two roles of
Communication Coordinator and GCC Coordinator – whether than means that
I am being paid for my Communication Coordinator role and volunteering
as GCC Coordinator is not clear. There is some natural overlap between
roles – for example in the area of translation. I have been spending
(much) more than 2/3 of my time in service of CNVC.
JOAKIM
- When I hear this talk about building an organization I wonder about a
community of certified trainers working together. Then I think about
all the other people in the NVC community who are not trainers working
together. Do you see them as two separate communities or one?
Kristen
- Are you wondering if this is an invitation for all groups to connect
and what is the relationship between certified trainers and
non-trainers? My idea is that an organization starts with people
already certified as trainers then include all other interested parties.
Jerry
- When I say organization I mean certified trainers and others. I think
of groups who are committed to NVC, not individuals but groups. A group
could be composed of certified trainers or not. I think of groups
because with in them there is individual accountability, support and
development.
Glenda
- When I think of groups, I also think of some groups consisting of
certified trainers, some of non-trainers and others which are mixed. I
think functioning with NVC consciousness within a task-oriented group
is a very advanced NVC skill. I strongly suggest that, especially when
selecting representatives to regional groups, that groups choose
members with the most developed NVC skills.
Items of Inspiration & Clarification
Jerry - a)
Example of the Quaker Society of Friends. It has a structure of
autonomous groups. At the regional level they have Traveling Friends
that visit and support the local groups to think about the issues they
are facing. b) Each level of the organization is also a support group for the leaders in that level to help them support the growth and development of the next layer down.
Kirsten
- Both ways, the top or bottom power, we are in prison. Both stop the
kind of connection that make action possible. Let’s get out of prison.
Glenda
- My understanding is that the intention of the GCC is to create
awareness, connections, and learning among groups who have gotten
together to promote and share NVC. That is our domain. The domain of
decision making around certification lies else where – with the
Educational Services team.
Glenda
– (regarding people asking for more influence) - I don’t see what
authority/influence we need that we don’t already have to work together
to spread NVC.
(end of July 24, 2008 minutes - Aug 3, 2008 version)