Meraki Sunday June 9 In Person (after dance)

Meeting: Sunday Jun 9, 2024 12:45 - 2:00 in person after dance at Maine Coast Waldorf School

Present: Erin (Facilitator), Parks (Ingathering), Kari (Vibe Checker), Blair (Timer), John (Notes), Mellen, Lindy, Cueva, Quinn, Shelagh, Jason, Lori H, Parks, Bryan, Emily, Andrew, Jeanne, Tim, Laurie, and possible others that I (John) may have missed.

John (Editor) apologizes to all for those participants whose input wasn't captured adequately, or at all, in these notes.

How We Roll

• Call for volunteers for roles
• Ingathering
• Summarize how we roll
• Summarize previous meeting  (not done this time)
• Read draft agenda
• Assign times
• Discuss agenda items
• Schedule next meeting
• Evaluation

Agenda

• Proposal: Streamline How We Roll at Meraki - Nate
• Where Can We Dance update - Kari
• Proposal: Circle up after warmup - John
• Retreat Planning - Sunshine
• Sharing after dance - Dev Dev not present; item tabled
• Pride Parade update - Lily Nate
• How to involve more people in leadership - Mellen
• Long-term planning retreat - Shelagh

Proposal: Streamline How We Roll at Meraki - Nate

 A number of things at Meraki take up a good amount of time

1. Reading notes from last time (which we didn't do this time (that's good)) People can read the notes online
2. Making some of the roles annual (so that the same people end up taking the same roles. Burden, but good that they do it.) Have an alternate for each role
3. Save time at beginning, give someone else an opportunity to step up for a 1 year term.
4. Add a technical role - someone whose job it is to make sure that digital files are availab le, etc.
5. Nate spent time thinking about how to do it. Needs further discussion for implementation.

    Proposal is: is this worth pursuing?

 Discussion:

• John: Concern about losing facilitation experience with annual rotation
• Shelagh: Actually choosing roles takes very little time; would take longer if handing offline; Intention and integrity is to be participatory. 
• Blair: concern about attendance. Rounding up volunteers
• Lindy: Issue was getting settled before roles decided. Assign an opener (another role, would hkeep the meeting starting on time)
• Cueva: Assigning roles at beginning taps existing talent at the meeting
• Jason: quick review of the parts that aren't working. (e.g., unable to open a proposal) Brief review of tech pieces
• Quinn: experience with other organization: have a single page of approved motions. The also wrote out all the descriptions for the positions (Ed: the How We Roll document describes the roles on its second page.)
• Updated proposal based on discussion:
• Continue to update notes from current meeting
• Continue to choose roles at beginning of meeting
• Secretary to cover only topics of continuing concern. 
•     Shelagh disagrees about notes. Lack of continuity. Well worth 3 minutes.
•     Nate proposed to keep status quo, and table further discussion for a future meeting.

    Consensus: Keep status quo, take up further discussion at a future meeting

Where Can We Dance Update - Kari

• The Baxter School for the Deaf is looking like a no-go for a number of reasons.
• There so far have been no suitable alternatives to Maine Coast Waldorf School, so we'll be dancing at MCWS for the foreseeable future.
• If people know about other possibilities, let Kari or Lori know. (Ed: see their spreadsheet of researched venues.)
• Appreciation expressed for the work that the "Where Can We Dance" committee has done to find a new space to address crowding at MCWS.

Proposal: Circle Up After Warmup - John

John summarized the proposal to circle up after a warmup so that vital communication about safety, consent, and whatever needs to be imparted verbally to the community can be communicated everyone present. He then proposed to withdraw the proposal because of significant pushback from DJs, and potential negative impact on PCD's culture.

Discussion:

• The issues addressed by the proposal are important to consider, let's keep it as a discussion for the next (or future) meeting.
• Blair: This falls under the purview of the Wiz; we can fold into what we do as the Wiz.
• Jason: Give time for current initiatives to gel for longer. Let the small things percolate, realize that modeling is more significant than we think.
• Kari: the Wiz is working on a document now; want to take a step further with a new card document that encapsulates how to be at our dance. (Lori demonstrates card)
• Lori: Everyone takes responsibility for their own self.
• Jason: Languaging of card/booklet, make sure it's emphasized. Card is a great idea
• Can we put the card on the agenda for next time?
• Quinn: We should also share  that card with existing (long-time) dancers

Consensus: Kari and Lori to present the card in development at a future (possibly next) Meraki meeting, where we can review and discuss its contents (Ed: with a view to the issues raised by the proposal)

Retreat planning - Sunshine Nate

• Had a meeting last week. Lots of interesting thoughts, some feasible.
• Locations we're considering for Meraki approval:
• Oceanwood - dance space unheated, we could have a retreat there this September.
• Medomak looks fantastic, hits all the points except price: $340/person (their price to us for each attendee) includes food. Also further away (Ed: 1 1/2 hours from Portland)
• Jason question: Vavus/Kiev no longer available because charter doesn't allow? (Nate: we're investigating, it's on the radar)
• Jeannie: Have you looked at Meadowlark?
• Nate: If you have location ideas: send email to announcements address (Ed: see Possible Retreat Venues document.)

Pride Parade - Nate

• There's not sufficient time to plan a PCD presence at the June 15 Pride Parade.
• PCD folks can join individually or gather together on their own.
• We can plan something for next year.

How to involve more people in leadership - Mellen

• Appreciate that a number of people in this room have stepped up.
• Focus should be: get involved, not necessarily attend meetings
• The main thing is to keep the organization going through involvement

Long-term planning retreat - Shelagh

• Committee formed to address possible solutions to overcrowding
• Brainstormed possibilities
• Upshot: have special planning meeting or retreat
• Not sure what form it takes, nothing to vote on today, but: keep the idea alive
• Beck: good idea, keep on the agenda - perhaps a half day retreat/gathering is sufficient?
• Cueva: likes the way the idea is formulated
• Nate: propose that at future Meraki establish a committee to explore what do do about long-term planning
• Shelagh: wants to clarify point: Don't need a proposal to bring to Meraki. For today, it's a bookmark
• John: Don't want this to be perpetually tabled.
• Cueva: Wants to boost the topic
• Jeanie: Develop a mission statement.
• John: We have one; he read it. (Ed: PCD's Mission, Values, and Intentions document.) Perhaps it's time to update it.
• Consensus: Take up planning for for planning meeting or retreat at a future Meraki meeting when we have adequate time. (Ed: When is that? :-)

Tabled from last time (to continue forward to future meeting):

• How We Roll Evaluation description - John 
• Send Email Announcements for Dances? John / Mellen 
• Process for addressing high volume - Mellen
• Age-related policies - Kari 

Next meeting

• Tuesday July 9 on Zoom; link to be sent by email
• Monday August 19 in person, location TBD

Evaluation

We spent about 10 minutes sharing about how the meeting went; some expressed gladness for having the in-person meeting after dance, and would like to see more done this way.