A Little List (for the political)

Governance With RCS: Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

                They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.
    
                We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:


* Restate clarified (party) goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  


* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves.

May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.



Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

                They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.
                We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:


* Restate clarified (party) goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  

* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves."

                May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.



                                                                                                            by Richard Sheehan