Group Norms
- We live on occupied land
- Oppressions exist
- Speak from “I” (or own experience)
- Step up, step back – We’d like to create a group dynamic where those who may not speak as much are encouraged to take a ‘step up’ and speak more. We’d like this group dynamic to also encourage listening, so if you are someone who tends to talk more, we’d like this group to encourage you to listen to others. (This is also often referred to as ‘Step up, Step back’).
- Unity-struggle-unity- The recognition that as a movement around the climate, we come from the same place of hope with similar vision (Unity). We may struggle with the details (differences in opinion, opposition to ideas, different goals) (Struggle), but we recognize that we need to work through the conflict that might arise in order to get to the goals we all hope to achieve (Unity).
- Ouch-whoa-oops – Let the group know when: You have been offended or hurt by what someone said or did or by another non-verbal action (ouch); When you didn’t understand something (whoa); When you made a mistake (oops)
- We will raise our hands when we have something to say.
- We will vote on whether or not to take part in actions and decisions will be made by majority.
- If you felt like you weren’t heard or if you have something to add to a conversation, come up to a member of the planning committee after a meeting to discuss further. The meetings are pretty fast paced, so if anyone thinks that we’re making decisions too quickly and/or they want to have more time to contemplate issues, they should approach the planning committee at the end of the meeting, and they will make sure that there is time for more discussion.
- The moderator can kindly encourage a speaker to try to wrap-up comments in the interests of time.
- We can share each others’ email addresses but we will not send each others’ emails to others without permission.
- 350Rutland Facebook page posts should stay focused on 350Vermont news and our nodes’ campaigns. Anyone can post, but the post has to be approved by an Administrator before it can be viewed.
- If there isn’t time for a vote whether or not to participate in an event, we can attend the event, and we can say that we are members of 350Vermont Rutland but we cannot say that we speak for the group. We should always try to put our best self forward to preserve the reputation of the group.
Fundraising
The Treasurer will put cash donations to 350 Rutland County in her personal account identified as 350Rutland. If someone wants us to write us a check, they should write it to 350Vermont with Rutland in the Memo line so that 350Vermont so that they can keep track of it for us. For every $100 that accumulates over $100 cash, The Treasurer will send a check to 350Vermont. 350Vermont will take care of paying the taxes on our fundraising.
The monthly $50 funding that 350VT provides for meetings can be used for markers, paper, venue fees, props, et cetera. They don’t usually let us accumulate money to use in one big lump sum.
The 2018 Routes to Resilience insurance cost 350Vermont $200. We shouldn’t expect them to purchase insurance for us.
Duties
The following positions will come up for reelection every February or as needed (for instance, if a person steps down):
- Treasurer – collects donations, provides funds upon requests and tracks receipts/payments
- Meeting Facilitator – facilitates meetings to ensure that all voices are heard and that action items are addressed
- Secretary – takes notes and manages emails/social media
The Steering Committee is filled by anyone who wants to join at any time. It reviews meeting minutes, meets as needed to discuss the progress of work, and sets the agenda for upcoming meetings.
Ad-hoc committees are formed as needed by anyone who’s interested.
Last updated January 6, 2019.
350 Rutland County 