[Peace-discuss] latest draft of AWARE half-sheet introduction

[Randall Cotton]

Excellent feedback, Ricky. Thanks!. Indeed, you touch on very important
aspects of AWARE that bear spotlighting.

I had left a little spare room to play with in the document, in
anticipation of improvements from feedback, so I took advantage of that.

Attached is a new revision. More comments/suggestions/feedback/criticism
encouraged 8-)

And following is the text of the two sections I modified (the first
modified quite a bit, the second not so much):

Working Groups: The work of AWARE is generally accomplished through
Working Groups, which anyone can form spontaneously whenever a project
idea comes up that multiple folks want to work on. Working Groups operate
independently, making their own decisions and progressing at their own
pace, often updating the rest of AWARE at Sunday meetings. Formal approval
for Working Group activities are generally only needed for matters that
substantially impact all of AWARE (see the next section, Decision Making,
for examples).

Decision making: Proposals requiring approval of the whole group (for
example, formal AWARE endorsement/sponsorship of an event, or expenditure
of AWARE funds) are typically formulated so that they pass by consensus
(no one present at the meeting objects). If there is objection, proposals
may still be passed by an open vote, though a minimum 90% in favor (among
those voting) is required. Proposals to spend AWARE funds must go through
a special process - the proposal must be made at one meeting, posted to an
AWARE mailing list (in the meeting minutes, for example), then ratified at
a subsequent meeting (using either consensus or 90% vote, as above).

R

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
To: "Randall Cotton" <recotton at earthlink.net>;
<peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] latest draft of AWARE half-sheet introduction


This looks great, Randall! Really great!

A coupl eof thoughts, if I could. I really like the way it fits on on
epage front and back without being too crammed with text. Nice use of the
headings and spacing, too. Easy to read or just glance over for the info
you want. And I love the way it accomplished two very important goals: it
gives basic info on the big ongoing projects we are working on, and it
gives newcomers a sense of how AWARE works, a strange and wonderful thing
that is often hard to grasp at first, I think, or so many people have
said.

On this second aspect, is there a way do you think without significantly
lengthening the section on Working Groups that we could emphasize the
facts that (1) no group approval is really needed to form a working group;
that (2) they basically work independently (on their own recognizance so
to speak) unless they need something from the group (as in the next
section on group approval for use of the shared AWARE funds or name); and
that (3) anyone is welcome to do start one any time they can get together
the numbers? Obviously my explanation is a little long-winded, as am I.

But to me this method has always been the essence of AWARE's greatness,
its efficency and success. I have to admit I was skeptical of it at first.
Sounded so much like a committee, and we all know how useless they can be.
But a working group is something very different, I think largely because a
committee always has to come back to the group to get approval before
making a move and this fosters a lack of - or dampens the development of -
initiative.

Well, I don't need to preach on. The point is, can we clarify this aspect
without screwing up the great work that has already gone into this?
Ricky Baldwin


"Only those who do nothing make no mistakes." - Peter Kropotkin



----- Original Message ----
From: Randall Cotton <recotton at earthlink.net>
To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 1:19:49 PM
Subject: [Peace-discuss] latest draft of AWARE half-sheet introduction

Sorry about the truncated message I just sent inadvertently.

Attached is the latest draft that I passed out at last Sunday's meeting
(where it was well-received).Comments/suggestions/criticisms welcome
(there have been none so far). I plan on stocking our meeting room with a
bunch of these starting next Sunday (assuming no objection or major
changes).

R
:




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