Meetings Orientation |
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08/30/18
Only meetings that are held on a regular basis are discussed on this page. See our Decision Making & Meetings Agreement for full details about all of our various meetings. Children are welcome to attend all meetings, but generally don’t.
Community Meetings
The purpose of Community Meetings is to conduct the normal business of the community where full community participation is appropriate. They are held on Monday evenings from 7:00 until 9:00, as needed. Please arrive early to help set up and socialize. New members are asked to observe, not participate in their first 3 Community Meetings so you can learn how we run our meetings. Agendas for Community Meetings are posted on the chat at least 4 days in advance.
Meetings of the Heart
The purpose of Meetings of the Heart is to provide an opportunity for open sharing of values and feelings and for the community to work on interpersonal relations and group process thereby creating a greater level of tolerance, respect, empathy, and understanding amongst members, all of which will help reduce potential conflicts. They are held one Monday evening a month from 7:00 until 9:00. Sometimes Meetings of the Heart have specific topics, but more often they are open to whatever anyone wants to share. The key element of these meetings is that they are intended for sharing of emotions and feelings, not ideas.
Team Meetings
The purpose of Team Meetings is to conduct the normal business of the community which has been delegated to the teams (see Teams Agreement). They are held at all different times depending on the needs of the team. As with Community Meetings, new members are asked to observe, not participate in team meetings until they have become voting members.
Annual Retreat
The purpose of our Annual Retreat is to reconsider the “Big Picture” topics (where we’re at as a community, the nature of the community, and our Core agreements) and to work on core community skills (communication, conflict resolution, etc.). They are held on the first weekend or March. Everyone comes to the retreat each year unless they have an insurmountable scheduling conflict. The retreat usually begins on Friday evening with an introductory gathering and a viewing of the Heartwood Movie featuring highlights of community life from the previous year. On Saturday we meet all day followed by a community dinner and Gong Show in the evening. The Gong Show is a fun “talent” show featuring some real talent, lots of spoofs, and plenty of laughs. The retreat wraps up on Sunday. Children are always welcome to the Heartwood Movie, the Saturday dinner, and the Gong Show and sometimes welcome to some of the other retreat sessions depending on the content.
Wisdom Circle
The purpose of our Wisdom Circle is to informally discuss any sort of topic of interest to the participants, seeking understanding and empathy rather than judgement or problem solving. They are held every Saturday morning from 7:30 to 8:30. While they are not an official community gathering, they have been happening for so long that they have become somewhat of an institution here.
Only meetings that are held on a regular basis are discussed on this page. See our Decision Making & Meetings Agreement for full details about all of our various meetings. Children are welcome to attend all meetings, but generally don’t.
Community Meetings
The purpose of Community Meetings is to conduct the normal business of the community where full community participation is appropriate. They are held on Monday evenings from 7:00 until 9:00, as needed. Please arrive early to help set up and socialize. New members are asked to observe, not participate in their first 3 Community Meetings so you can learn how we run our meetings. Agendas for Community Meetings are posted on the chat at least 4 days in advance.
Meetings of the Heart
The purpose of Meetings of the Heart is to provide an opportunity for open sharing of values and feelings and for the community to work on interpersonal relations and group process thereby creating a greater level of tolerance, respect, empathy, and understanding amongst members, all of which will help reduce potential conflicts. They are held one Monday evening a month from 7:00 until 9:00. Sometimes Meetings of the Heart have specific topics, but more often they are open to whatever anyone wants to share. The key element of these meetings is that they are intended for sharing of emotions and feelings, not ideas.
Team Meetings
The purpose of Team Meetings is to conduct the normal business of the community which has been delegated to the teams (see Teams Agreement). They are held at all different times depending on the needs of the team. As with Community Meetings, new members are asked to observe, not participate in team meetings until they have become voting members.
Annual Retreat
The purpose of our Annual Retreat is to reconsider the “Big Picture” topics (where we’re at as a community, the nature of the community, and our Core agreements) and to work on core community skills (communication, conflict resolution, etc.). They are held on the first weekend or March. Everyone comes to the retreat each year unless they have an insurmountable scheduling conflict. The retreat usually begins on Friday evening with an introductory gathering and a viewing of the Heartwood Movie featuring highlights of community life from the previous year. On Saturday we meet all day followed by a community dinner and Gong Show in the evening. The Gong Show is a fun “talent” show featuring some real talent, lots of spoofs, and plenty of laughs. The retreat wraps up on Sunday. Children are always welcome to the Heartwood Movie, the Saturday dinner, and the Gong Show and sometimes welcome to some of the other retreat sessions depending on the content.
Wisdom Circle
The purpose of our Wisdom Circle is to informally discuss any sort of topic of interest to the participants, seeking understanding and empathy rather than judgement or problem solving. They are held every Saturday morning from 7:30 to 8:30. While they are not an official community gathering, they have been happening for so long that they have become somewhat of an institution here.