SPUDS MEMBERSHIP MEETING, Friday, Sept. 25

Below is a PROPOSED agenda, (submitted by Veronica Timmons) for the next SPUDS Meeting. Please note the change in date. It is now Friday, 25th September (not 24th) at the Denman Activity Centre (Senior's hall). Please let Veronica know if you have other agenda items.

DeNeen Baldwin will be calling everyone to see if they will be attending and to answer questions.

-Veronica Timmons

PS The original memo from Veronica (above) suggests people visit this blogspot, as well as www.veganiculture.blogspot.com for information gathering before the meeting in regards to how we might choose to fertilize the SPUDS patch. (not all members consider animal manure a desirable option, and various views can hopefully be discussed at the meeting )

(Proposed) Agenda for the

ANNUAL SPUDS MEMBERSHIP MEETING

To be held on

Friday, September 25^th, 2009

Seniors Lounge, Denman Activity Centre

1. Welcome and thanks

2. Introduction of the Facilitator

3. Introductions - Why I’m a SPUDS member

4. Report from the Core Group

a. 2008

b. 2009 – what worked, what didn’t

c. Expansion of the crop?

d. Harvest date

5. Discussion/decisions
1. Decision-making and communications process
2. Policy re use of animal products/green composting

6. Next year’s Core Group

Elections

..

7. Other

Memo from member Ron Sakolsky:

Sorry I can't make this important meeting. I could have made the one originally scheduled for September 17, but I have other plans for September 25.

I do have 2 proposals on inclusivity that I would like to have placed on the SPUDS and Veganculture blogspots before the meeting and have read at the meeting itself.

PROPOSAL #1
In the future, since we are a small group, can we propose a few alternate meeting dates on the list before choosing a final date so that we can choose the one that is most convenient for all of us.

PROPOSAL #2
Consensus decision-making be used as the group process at all membership meetings, preferably with a facilitator skilled at building consensus.

Explanation of the above:
I believe that consensus decision-making is the only feasible way to handle potentially contentious issues among equals in a cooperative setting. Consensus allows us to fully hear what each of us has to say on an issue and to incorporate the best thinking of everyone, rather than just a majority, in the final decision. Only if each of us has the opportunity to have our concerns heard and addressed in the decision can we walk away from the meeting with an end result that we can all live with and can implement without resentment in the future. This is not a DIRA meeting, and we must relate to each other and our issues in a comradely spirit of mutual respect rather than relying on the competitive approach of Roberts Rules or just drifting along as if process doesn't matter. If we can't agree to do the hard but rewarding work of consensus, while we may be able to grow a potato crop, we have failed ourselves and allowed expediency to triumph over cooperation.