Dear Nomenus,
I’ve been working on a report back and yesterday i discovered it missing, but I wanted to offer something about the Community Temple training, and also suggest further training, as I think the toolset it offered is a key for successful communication.
The class was a three day affair, starting on friday evening and through Sunday. There were 10 of us, several residents from the land, some from the local area, as well as represenation from the bay and portland. It was mapped to the elements, and there was magic and ritual interspersed throughout the experience, which reallyl worked for me.
One of the teaching techniques is to use tools to model other tools. One of the first activities was a charette (french for “the cart”) where we broke into small groups and named our values, which can then be used to affirm the ethic (group values) and then used to create a series of interaction agreements to can be used to support and strenthen the container. The significant values shared in the class were around communication, a common vision, and equitable exchange.
Another valuable exercise was mapping, in which we mapped 10 items and then we paired up and discussed it. The map was very simple, yet provided the launching point for and indepth discussion from relationshiop. It amazed me that some of the items on my map were so mundane, and then expanded into an in depth conversation with my partner.
There was consensus and facilitation training. We extended our time to do more role plays, and there seemed to be a fascination for some of those present was the concept of the pitfall personalities, or the ways that the shadow may manifest in a meeting.
There was a piece around Living Systems Theory, which explored interplay of the different yet interrelated concecpts of Emergence, HomeoStatis, Evolution, Essential Patterning. Also discussed ways of holding power in a group. Power over, power under, and power with, as well as accountability and integrity.
There was a Personal niche assessment to help clarify a persons role in the group. There were also elemental archtypes, and how a broad representation can bring a balance of the needed qualities in community.
Interspersed with multiple group activities, kinetic, movement; fun and artistic activities that were used to illustrate points or model information.
conflict Exploration
Non Violent Communication.
Can we offer these classes?
Expand our culture of Facilitation, so we can all help hold the container of our meeting containers.
Talked about the scalability of the class. We could pay for a group of faeries to learn these facilitation skills so that we can offer it internally and expand the culture of facilitation.
I think there are many gifts here, and hope that we continue to explore them.
Many of the classes were just the intro topics, and the class is scalable to the needs of the group. For instance, we could’ve spend two days just on consensus and facilitation.
Can we?
*offer this training in Portland and the Bay before Great Circle.
*create a set of interaction agreements rooted in our ethic (nomenus radical faerie)
*develop our own set of facilitation/consensus training for nomenus and land community
Rain Crowe is a migratory priestess who serves and teaches in communities with a multiplicity of offerings. She is a storyteller, temple keeper, street medic, performance and visual artist, social permaculturist and culture creator. She has been involved in community based activism for twenty years and has woven together the threads of local community organizing, volunteer work in post-Katrina New Orleans, multiple mass mobilization experiences, a variety of DIY skill shares and gatherings, teaching at Free Cascadia Witch Camp and the Earth Activist Training, to create a tapestry of analysis and practice ,to share with others, for living well in these times.
Edited by jphartsong on Jun 19, 2011 6:05 pm