Exhausted update:
Thoughts about the meeting tonight
- Meeting tonight was awesome. By one count, over 117 people came.
- Things started slow and confusingly. When we broke out into breakout groups, people really got excited
- We have coordinating committees for events, the keynote event, safety, “frontline” (at south street), media and publicity, fundraising, and possibly other stuff I can’t remember right now
- I am so impressed by how people are taking ownership and stepping up to do things
- Tonight we had an exercise in a grassrootsy meeting. It had downsides – it took time and effort and patience to brief everyone on what had gone on before the meeting tonight, and it was frustrating to try and set goals and so on with such a large group – but by the end it was definitely worth it. So many people were able to take their ideas and run with them.
- Breakout groups were such a good idea that we should’ve gone into them much earlier.
- We agreed that from now on large group meetings will have only 2 functions: check-ins from breakout groups/planning committees (they are the same thing) and votes. This will streamline things a lot I think
Report from tonight:
- Victor Frenkel and I spent tonight working on this: http://bit.ly/CelebrateBrandeis. I really hope you like it and sign it.
- Corresponding facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119981038065064
- 2 folks have signed up to document the process of this whole experiment in grassroots-driven community response. I’m fascinated to see the results. We’ve tentatively agreed to have some of their stuff show up on Innermost Parts. Yay!
- I really hope you like the statement and sign it.
Last thoughts before I collapse:
- I am excited for the new leadership that will be created/displayed throughout this whole deal.
- I am excited for the bonds of trust that will be formed between people because of this
- I am excited to take less and less of a role in this whole thing. I’m glad to set up a structure, framework, gather people in a room, etc. Now it’s time for new leadership to shine and me to catch up on my homework.
- Maybe next time I’ll post a report that’s actually useful – what has been decided at the meeting, how you can get involved, what is being worked on, etc. Instead of my ramblings now. 🙂
- Brandeis is a family and Brandeis is beautiful.
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