Your New Organization Can Be About Citizenship

 Citizenship and Governance: A Brand New Political Organization.

        Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations for many reasons: a new national party, a coalition, an ad hoc effort to promote a special bill or effort, for social betterment, and on and on. They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens. They are expecting wider participation in self-governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

            There is much which needs to be done and many of us to do it. However, just now I will offer a list of hints which may prove helpful to an organizer. 

The hints for civic organization:

~ Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member, be a member.

~ Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help can be useful, but that which we do for ourselves is more important. Each a learner, each a teacher.

~ Clarify aims and goals. Restate them often. Better them when you can.

~ Arrange to have each member have opportunities to help in achieving those goals. How will that be done?

~ Arrange to take care of all business promptly. How will it be done.Arrange for the ongoing education of all members. That's education in the skills and understandings necessary to the organization and organizational aims.

~ Make each member an educator. You do not have to use any of these hints; but anyone of them can be very useful.

~ Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust in each member.

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

~ Let each member know that he or she is participating in the creation and nourishing of the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

~ Lay out clear steps for accomplishing the important doable goals of your organization. 

~ Remember you are not alone. You are part of an organization. laying out, demonstrating, making, and doing are group affairs and  doings. Members want to be active. Let them be active. 

~ It is best that a goal members undertake not only be important and doable, but also ought to be attractive, challenging, and a big deal.

~ Set out a goal or two to be completed today. That is you as in you all set out a goal. You all want your orgainzation to be where the "doings" are.

~ Each member deserves a worthy job he or she can work right now. What a power house an organization can be! Your organization is a big powerful group.

~ Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. A grand vision for me might be the ongoing practice of active self-governance. or the ongoing practice of participatory democracy.

~ Ends, goals, objectives, aims can all be good. However, to be well done is important and the way it is done can be the most important.  

~ Aim to govern yourselves by practicing active self-governance of the whole. Begin with "how to do" teach-ins.

            May these hints/suggestions help you in your action plans.

We have a lot to learn and a lot to do. It's great that there are a lot of us to help with that learning and doing. 

As That Active Citizen and As a participant in a meeting it is fair and useful to:

~ Show up.

~ Speak up.

~ Name the problem.

~ Team up.

~ Find a partner.

~ Frame the discussion.

            That is: be there; address the group; Clarify the topic; Identify those of like mind; make a friend; listen and learn; sum up what the meeting has been about.

            It all starts with showing up and being there.

            Thank you for reading.

 

 

                                                                  RCS

 

 

Organizing power: for self-governance

 Governance, Organization, Effective Citizenship, and the Power to Do

                Your organization can make you a more effective citizen. There seems to be a new or renewed urge toward new political organization and active citizenship these days. Many of us have a growing understanding of democracy. We see that more active citizenship brings more democracy.

                A new organization is much like an old organization. It takes people to organize, but many of those organizing are new not old. Persons new to organizing, especially political organizing, have a lot to learn. Their energy and enthusiasm will be an important aid to their progress. 

                An organization may have a beginning in individual minds, but its realization will be in a group. A group of people is most often a mess and a mess of people is not an organization. To become an organization there are doings such a mess of people must do. They can begin with a bit of togetherness and continue with a growing ability to cooperate. 

                Agreement that a new organization is necessary or a darn good idea can be a useful beginning. Agreement, perhaps tacit, to work together can be another important step. Finding ways to cooperate is important. Old organizers found many ways to facilitate cooperation.

                Soon the purpose of the organization must begin to be identified and clarified. Clarification of purpose is an ongoing process and activity. This may often be begun by a small group of leaders, but must be carried on by many others.

                Say that the original growing group is made up of citizens who have discovered that they want a brand new political organization. They have some willingness to work together. The also have understandings and misunderstandings to work out. A lot of work.

                Members of this very new organization need to maintain an ongoing understanding of the aims, values, and wants of others in the organization in so far as they affect the organization. Not easy, but important to their ability to increase their effectiveness.

                An important benefit of an organization is that which needs to be done, need not be done by one or a very few, but rather can be shared among and by all members. In fact the more involved with the important work of the organization that are all members, the better the moral and effectiveness of the organization is likely to be. 

                The members of a well functioning group can feel themselves to be effective doers, and can be those effective doers in fact.

                There are some doings and practices which have helped others to start and maintain their organization.

Doings and practices to begin promptly:

~ Consider how you intend to keep in contact.

~ Begin identifying your goals and aims.

~ Clarify goals and aims.

~ Restate goals and aims.

~ Arrange to have each member help to achieve these goals and aims.

~ Take care of all business promptly.

~ Arrange for the ongoing education for all members.

~ Practice dialogue skills.

~ Arrange for members to have opportunity to be educators.

~ Enjoy your participation.

~ Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help can be very good, but seldom as good as that which we do for ourselves. As we teach, we learn.

~ Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust of one another.

~ Keep in mind that the fewer the secrets the better. "No secrets" is a good policy.

~ Be inclusive.  as a policy, help anyone who wants to be a member to be one.

~ Encourage equality.

~ Remind one another that each of you is important to and responsible for the maintenance of your organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

~ Lay out clear steps for achieving important and doable goals and plans for your organization.

~ Aims and goals ought to be not only doable and important but also be an attractive and challenging big deal.

~ Set out one or two doings or goals to be worked on today. Your organization will benefit by having important things to be done right now.

~ Keep in mind that there is much to be done and that each member ought to help with those doings.

~ Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. "Learning, teaching, and practicing democratic self governance for all" might be an example of such a vision.

~ Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self-governance.

            Click on the light blue text above for more information.

            Thank you very much for reading.

                                                                                                                        RCS

 

What's to Like in an Organization

  We know that organization increases our power enormously. We know that our organization informs and educates us well.

                    We are capable of forgetting the pleasures and satisfactions  of organization. I expect that the pleasures and satisfactions I am recalling just now will not be the same as yours. Still among mine you may find one or two of yours.

                    I have an interest in ad hoc organizations and and those of longer term.

                Below are many of my personal likes in organizations. You may find some of your likes listed.

An organization which attracts me often has:

~ members who feel connected, involve, and respected.

~ the motive of helping me and others to thrive.

~ a clear understanding of costs and benefits.

~ members who promote widespread participation and responsibility.

~ members who embrace reality and who are willing to approach the truth.

~ members who value honesty and justice.

~ a mission I find valuable and pleasing.

~ plenty of talk in which all participate.

An organization which pleases me is one which:

~ Keeps me in the information loop.

~ most members feel well connected with leadership.

~ Makes very clear who pays how much and who gets what.

~ moves in the direction of democracy.

~ tends to be inclusive.

~ tends to safeguard that which I value.

~ includes those who study and promote actions good for me and others.

~ advocates and protects people and process important to me.

~ promotes dialogue which leads to appropriate action.

I find an organization congenial when it includes:

~ teaching the process of organizing.

~ the purpose of advocating and protecting me.

~ objectives very like my own.

~ intelligent, respectful, loving ladies. (Excuse my honesty, please.)

                I am very interested in hearing of your likes in organizations. I expect to post more about organization and organizing. Dialogue skills are organizational skills for all participants in society.

                Organizing can be a wonderful move toward governance.

                More as soon as I can.

                Thank you for reading. Make some time to do some exploration among the many posts here.

                                                                                                            RCS

A Democratic Meeting

 Governance With RCS: Hints about the nature of a democratic meeting

         

Some hints for recognizing a democratic meeting:

            As you look over the hints below you may find it useful to keep in mind that all democracy is participatory and that each such meeting can be a powerful learning experience for those who attend. For example, some participants may be learning intrinsic rules for effective and just communication. 

On to the hints. A meeting is more democratic the more it is:

~ of, by, and for the participants.

~ free from outside powers.

~ autonomous.

~ designed and redesigned  to meet the needs of participants.

~ as inclusive as reasonable.

~ an important listening experience for the participants.

~ a place where leadership roles are of wide participation and kept to a minimum. 

~ a "teach in" and an informing experience.

~ often more for understanding and less for decisions.

~ less authoritarian and hierarchical and more horizontal and egalitarian.

~ a time for thinking together.

~ a time when your comments are best addressed to the group as a whole.

~ a time to practice good manners and honesty.

~ held in a neutral space.

Other things that can happen at a meeting, democratic or not:

~ Politics may be being practiced.

~ Some may be consciously practicing dialogue skills, methods, and techniques. 

~ Some are finding that their respect and courtesy  are good for them and others.

~ It is held in a safe place.

~ Some participants may be increasing their understanding if the vocabulary of the business and hand.

            Hope these words have proven more more orienting than dis orienting.

            There is a great happening at any meeting. People showed up!

            Thank you for reading. Show up again and explore ways of searching this blog.

                                                                bye for now,

                                                              rcs

 

What's to Like in an Organization

Governance With RCS organization: Organization creates the power to do. Our co-operating begins that power

 

 

                Organization increases our power enormously. We know that our organization can informs us and educates us well.

                We are capable of forgetting the pleasures and satisfactions of organization. I expect the pleasures and satisfactions I am recalling just now will not be the same as yours. Even so, among mine you may find one or two of yours.

                I have an interest in ad hoc organizations and those of longer term. Below are are many of my personal likes, of the moment, in organizations. Among mine you may find one or two of your own.

An organization which attracts me often has:

~ members who feel connected, involved, and respected.

~ the motive of helping me an others to thrive.

~ a clear understanding of costs an benefits.

~ members who promote widespread participation and responsibility.

~ members who embrace reality and who are willing to approach the truth.

~ members who value honesty and justice.

~ a mission I find valuable and pleasing.

~ plenty of talk in which all participate.

An organization which pleases me is one which:

~ which keeps me in the information loop.

~ most members feel well connected with leadership.

~ makes very clear who pays how much and who gets what.

~ moves in the direction of democracy.

~ tends to be inclusive.

~ tends to safeguard that which I value.

~ includes those who study and promote actions good for me and others.

~ advocates and protects people and processes important to me.

~ promotes dialogue which leads to appropriate action.

I find an organization congenial when it includes:

~ teaching the process of organizing.

~ the process of advocating and protecting me.

~ objectives very like my own.

                I am interested in hearing of your likes and values in organizations. I hope to live long enough to post in related topics, such as dialogue skills. Also I expect to post more on organizing and organizations here.

                Right now and just below were it says "comments," note a like of your own or question me on one of mine. It is easy to do so anonymously if you so wish.

                                                                            RCS