Event:2015/07/19 Challenging Dominant Culture

Challenging Dominant Culture Working Group (CDC WG) 19 July 2015

Attendees

 * Sarah P, Niki, Dusty, Gwen, Cere, Yar, Matt, Libbie, Julio (notes)

Agenda

 * Recurring Potluck +
 * More Community Circles +
 * Lynice Pinkard talk on burnout (summary?)
 * Bottomliner transition (Sarah > Dusty + Julio?) +
 * SEEDS mediaion - Julio will pay for it with some people $20 each ++
 * Diana (and others that are not too involved) could mediation
 * Visioning + Planning Process +
 * Mental health de-escalation training
 * Welcome Orientation Project

Regular Potlucks

 * Sarah: talked with Ziji Collective about hosting a weekly meal (open to Omni members and neighbors), partner with Phat Beets or FNB?
 * Niki: maybe having each week with a different activity: RJ circles, theater one monthly large gathering?
 * Sarah will talk with Phat Beets and FNB about their involvement
 * Sarah will schedule meeting with Ziji (late August)
 * Julio: what does Ziji get out of it?
 * Libbie/Sarah: They are a sect of Buddhism that is interested in social change, and ressonate with the mission of the Omni
 * Matt: schedule a trial "planning" meal? +++ (late August)

Lynice (Burnout) Report Back

 * Niki: Lynice is willing to participate in regular community circles
 * Libbie: in conjunction with
 * Other ideas she had for the CDC could tackle
 * Structurelessness creating a lot of confusion; accumulations of power, amorphous
 * Suggestion for addressing the lack of structure...
 * connection to visioning and planning / welcoming and orientation
 * Dusty: disconnect between vision/values and structure; does Lynice actually know or support our values?
 * Niki: she isn't proposing a "program", but just sees that our values are not implementable in our current structure
 * Matt: RJ practice: paradigm of establishing a circle with a strong intention: show strength (community building) and deal with conflict (harm)?
 * Julio: circle for to deal with the core values of RJ?
 * Sarah: bringing real solidarity and trust
 * Matt: who would you expect to attend?
 * Niki: depend on the circle. E.g. orientation discussion on values and expectations
 * Matt: so it's a placeholder for addressing a specific issues, that will be predetermined later. Propose a trial run
 * Libbie: It is also about creating a culture that manifests our values... Could be part of visioning process, use the form of circle to demonstrate
 * Sarah: would attract more people who do not want to do meetings, but can offer up their open heart instead.
 * Niki: potential to require people to attend a meeting of this
 * Duisty:Shame that so many people who come to the Omni all the time who don't know what the Omni is
 * Matt: Support regular space to deal with issues. Concerned with the idea that this idea could lose steam; prep so that doesn't happen.  Monthly would be good.  I see now that the motivation for an orientation circle.
 * Dusty: monthly?

RJC training

 * Libbie will follow-up with Amgo about payment for Julie
 * Libbie will follow-up with Julie about future involvement

Bottomliner

 * Julio willing to do some meetings, not all.
 * Libbie can tag team with Julio or whoever
 * Dusty will be gone for the first two weeks of August ... then will move Aug 30 (for a year)


 * What are the duties?
 * Sending out email notification about meetings
 * Make sure there the meeting is on the calendar
 * Make sure notes are taken and disseminated


 * Dusty will own the PP role for next week (July 26)
 * Julio/Libbie will update the calendar

Visioning and Planning

 * Libbie hoping to tackle visioning and planning
 * working with Laura T, who has experience in facilitation and specifically this topic
 * Niki: Is it an open meeting?
 * Libbie: was inviting people specifically one on one
 * Dusty: might be better to be safe than sorry
 * Yar: should be able to meet individually or with groups. Important discussions happen all the time informally
 * Julio: no real decisions... so only planning the actual class and effort... no need to make it open to everyone
 * Niki: We are always going to meet in individual
 * Dusty: Agree with everyone; just has a fear of non-transparency

Orientation and Welcoming Project

 * Dusty
 * Having many informal decisions
 * Leaving soon, so don't want to overcommitt and underdeliver
 * Maybe Visioning process will drive orientation
 * Orientations are very cool.
 * Julio to add the orientation to the calendar (2 weeks left)
 * Libbie can print Niki's copy
 * Niki to share it with the group

Mental health de-escalation training
Libbie did some research

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-08-17/article/38254?headline=Berkeley-s-Drop-In-Center-A-Client-Run-Help-Center--By-Lydia-Gans http://www.ebcrp.org/about/agency-history
 * the Coalition for Alternatives to Mental Health
 * east bay community recovery project:

http://mhaac.org/support/mental-health-resources/community-mental-health-resources.html
 * Alameda county mental health alliance community orgs:


 * Libbie: What is the ask?
 * Niki: need to identify techniques and strategies for handling situations with
 * Dusty: Hard to grasp the
 * Yar: There's a problem with the framing, and it might affect the execution
 * Libbie: Encountering a conflict with people who may not be able to cope with the situation... how to be helpful rather than harmful
 * Libbie: also could get


 * Niki has a friend whose sister was murdered

Mediation
Matt, Libbie, Julio
 * SEEDS training
 * Ask for a general fund?
 * Julio: Talk to SEEDS
 * Julio: reimbursement request later