Sonoma County ACES Connection Meeting 11/30/16

So, I'm a bit surprised that the thoughts I sent to our leadership and later posted here on 11/9/16 for everyone to read are not mentioned at all. While the concept of looking at the original document for principles is good in theory, it should be remembered that at the last meeting people had issues with the original being "unwelcoming." I think the discussion on this matter will be a bit more lively than you imagined.

Below is a copy of my posting.

• Apply rules sparingly but fairly
• • Use the minimal regulation needed to manage participation, not to limit it
  • Ask not only what a rule does, but how it makes you feel. Proud? Respected?
  • Decisions about official business may necessarily be limited to official group members
• Be a source of resilience
• • The group should promote both learning and a sense of community
  • Our meetings are a safe and welcoming place
  • We model the community we hope to become
• Inspire personal growth
• • We help all to grow, personally and professionally
  • We seek to distribute power and responsibility, not concentrate it
  • We do not defer to “experts” who tell others what and how to think
• Develop relationships, not regulations
• • Respect and trust is earned, not enforced
  • How a decision was made can be more important than what a decision was
  • We will strive for consensus, but may need to vote in some cases
• Everyone is welcome
• • All are invited to attend, learn and participate in our community
  • Membership is predicated on the individual’s personal commitment to the goals of the organization, not their ability to pay or the approval of others.
  • Artificial differences between participants (i.e., levels of membership) are created and applied only when needed for specific reasons and situations
• Support the dignity and privacy of others
• • We will always engage in respectful discussion
  • Should individuals disclose personal information at a meeting, do not share outside the group without permission
  • Individual annual membership dues (if collected at all) should be voluntary: no one should be made to feel bad by having to request and be granted a fee waiver.