Hello @reeflings,
We discussed the retreat in the Coordination Group, and one of the conclusions was that most of us are enthusiastic about the concept. There was some doubt about whether I managed to clearly convey what the purpose is of the event, which is why there was a short item on this at the plenary yesterday.
For those who missed it: the idea is that we would make time in our agenda to spend some quality time together. Throughout a mix of activities - games, discussions, workshops, training courses etc - we create a space to connect with what The Reef means to us, and more importantly we foster our group’s cohesion and everybody’s sense of ownership of the project.
The underlying idea is that we are gonna go back into a very intense phase of the project once the appel d’offre gets to full speed (November-December or so). Spending time to build our group’s foundation and resilience will pay back double. (@reef-coordination: can you please complement my text if I’m still not explaining it well?)
The agenda is still a work-in-progress, but a first look at the possible items include Alberto offering a workshop on the freedoms we acquire when living in a cohousing, Team Conflict Management offering a workshop on the conflict management mechanism they are working on, maybe we can do a brainstorming session about some sort of “interpersonal agreement” (see Conflict management resources from Heartwood Cohousing), we could play the anthropologists game (which is about what it means to enter in a new group / welcome new people in group), do an open space session (i.e. everybody is free to propose a discussion topic) etc etc.
The document where you can propose things you’d like to do or offer is still open to your suggestions. Please don’t hold back! => Login – Nextcloud
Participation is fully optional, so please only join if you feel like joining. With those present we’ll approach the event with lightness (nothing has to happen), adjusting the agenda if we feel like it.
The timing would be Saturday from 15:00 until 19:00 (followed by a dinner), and Sunday a full day (10:30 until 17:00). Coming later or leaving early will always be possible. We will also make sure that there is child care, so that everybody can participate.
Finding a time slot seems more difficult than I thought, so we figured we launch another poll to see which would be the best time. Would it please be possible to fill it in by Saturday 29/08 COB?
(note: it is possible to tick "I can’t commit yet AND indicate the dates that are nevertheless likely to work for you)
- 26-27/09
- 3-4/10
- 10-11/10
- 17-18/10
- 24-25/10
- 31/10-01/11
- I can’t commit yet but I’d happily join if my calendar allows for it
- None of these options work for me
- I will probably take a pass this time