help me think this through?

[Ted Ernst]

I need some help thinking through an idea I have for using OST as a
recruitment tool.  I'll tell you a bit about my thoughts and I hope then
you'll help me see where I'm thinking too small or too big or too
controlling or whatever.  Thanks much in advance!

I've posted here a couple of times before about using OST for a "How Can I
Practice Peace?" one-day, but for that event, I worked hard to separate the
event from my affiliations.  I didn't promote the event as a Humanist
Movement event, for example, nor did I suggest to people at the event that
they join the HM or even find out more about it.  I answered their
questions, of course, but only within the context of a normal conversation,
and it wasn't driven by me.  What I have in mind this time is different.

A bit of background about the HM is in order.  Started in 1969 in Argentina,
now in about 100 countries, about 300,000 members paying membership fee
twice yearly (sliding scale, $100 in the USA, $6 in South Africa, $2 in
Ghana, for example) and participating in weekly meetings with personal work
and social organizing.  We have no outside funding, no paid staff, no board
of directors, no elections and no bosses.  Each person chooses what to do at
a given time.  See why I was thinking about OST?  We do have a clear
direction, to humanize the earth, but that's pretty vague, I'd say, and
allows plenty of freedom for all.

I've been to Zambia several times and helped other people build up groups
and teams in the HM.  They do this by inviting people to a central point in
a village or compound and then giving a short informational talk (about 30
to 60 minutes) about what we're doing.  The meeting concludes with an
invitation for anyone who wants to join and form a team to come to a seminar
in a couple of days where they can learn about how to start the team and
such.  The others can still join, but in the teams of those people forming
the teams.  In other words, it's highly organized and structured and has
certain rules because over time those have been shown to work very well for
personal development and the execution of various communnity projects.

I want to try something different, using OST if I can manage to make it make
sense in my head and heart.

My idea is to gather the people for a several hour meeting titled "What is
the future of _____ neighborhood?" or something like that.  I have thoughts
about introducing myself during the opening and maybe a sentence or two
about the HM, but not much more and then let the people loose.  I'm hoping
this will be the passion quadrant, the heart.  That way even if people don't
want to join the HM, they have created connections and shared their common
passions about their community and perhaps even made plans to do some good
things.  My mental difficulties in planning this come from the "What next?"
How do I the invite them to know about the HM and perhaps join if they're so
inclined?  You might ask why I want them to join.  I find the personal work
we do to be as important as the social organizing and I've never found
another place to do both at the same time (of course we're always doing
both, but not necessarily conciously and intentionally).  The idea is that
the social projects will go much better if the people are also working on
themselves.

What do you think?  Does it go in the closing?  Does it happen as a handout
that invites them to a standard informational meeting?

I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts on this.

Thanks and peace,
ted

___
Humanize the Earth!  http://www.chicagohumanist.org  http://www.tedernst.com

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:

http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html