The meeting is a strict 2-hour length... there is a big banquet coming in behind us, so we've got to be wrapped up by 3:00 pm. Since this is a charter kick-off (the WS Group isn't yet formed!), we also request a small $2 coffee donation to help cover the cost of the room rental. Our thanks to you in advance for your kind assistance on this!
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:15 Welcome
- Name tags, handouts and network opportunity and chance to settle in
1:15 - 1:30 Overview Presentation of WomanShare
- How this meeting came to be, the philosophy behind WomanShare, the goals for the day
1:30 - 2:00 Q&A Session/General Group Discussion
- Question & Answer/Discussion session on the "nuts and bolts" of WomanShare
- Defining the Governance structure - the Executive Committee and volunteer opportunities
- General Discussion on the logistics for the organization moving forward
2:00 - 2:50 Building Your WomanShare Profile
- Presentation on 'how to' build the profile, and what's included
- Small groups session, where we build our personal profiles - and become charter members!
- Volunteer canvas for Executive Committee Leaders, Committee Members, Volunteers*
2:50 - 3:00 Meeting Wrap-Up and Next Steps
Defining next steps:
1. Formation of the Executive Committee
2. Formation of the Functional Committees
- Marketing, Communications, Recruitment, IT, Special Events, any other identified
3. First Executive Leadership Meeting: March 31, 2012 (TBC)
*If you know that you would like to volunteer and participate as an Executive or Committee member, or would like to volunteer to be on a committee, do let us know! The more who are involved, the more successful we will be in building a strong foundation upon which to grow!
Below is some basic information about the concept of the organization.
NOTE: this information was taken from the original WomanShare site based in NYC! This will be the information we will use as a starting point for our local formation, which may or may not be kept. The charter group will decide! Look forward to seeing you March 3rd!
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About WomanShareWe are a community of urban women who share our skills, our interests, our time and ourselves just as our rural grand-mothers used to do. But WomanShare has one important difference: we have taken women’s cultural heritage of sharing and transformed it into a system in which we can earn credit for the time we give.
Our vision is that all people can be creators and producers. By valuing caring skills and life skills, we honour work that women have always done with getting credit for it. We also value work in process, in which the learning and the being together are as important as the final product.
WomanShare has been recognized nationally and internationally as a unique model of community building based on a service exchange system.
We are a caring community.
Sharing skills in a spirit of trust and goodwill has built a diverse group of women into a community. In addition to the hour-for-hour trade between individual women and as members interact, exchanges around tasks blossom into friendship and support, and group activities become an increasing part of our life:
Barn Raisings – Group Trading
Members often work together in ‘group trading’, joining in ‘barn raisings’ to help individuals with projects such as moving, putting up shelves, even making a wedding.
Potluck Gatherings
Every month we come together at a member’s home for a potluck supper and meeting. These treasured Sunday evenings are a time for networking, personal views, needs and exchanges, as well as discussions of WomanShare business.
Workshops
There are workshops, by and for members, such as writing a living will, how to use power tools, and self-marketing.
“It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without first understanding what is the interest of the individual.”
~ Jeremy Bentham, philosopher, 1748-1832
The Principles of WomanShare
WomanShare is a practice of a new socio/economic alternative in which the resources of each individual are valued independently of the prevailing economy. We value all work that women do, and specifically honour what is traditionally called “women’s work” – work that has been denigrated in our culture.
WomanShare recognizes time as a limited resource and our real wealth. In our practice of economic democracy, WomanShare credits all hours of work equally.
Caring Community: WomanShare is a dynamic, caring community. Our intention is to find a balance between the needs of each individual member and the needs of the larger community. Every activity, whether an exchange of services, a workshop, or a membership meeting, reflects this commitment. In the sharing of our individual resources, self interest and the desire to help others converge.
Simple Living & Ecological Mindfulness: WomanShare honours simple living, recognizing that the misuse of our material world is destructive to our relationships with each other, the environment, and other sentient beings. We recognize our role as caretakers of this earth and are deeply committed to mindfulness and moderation in the way we live.
Diversity: WomanShare honours women’s personal experience and thrives on our differences. The coming together of women of diverse age, ethnicity, economic and educational background, sexual orientation, and marital status enriches our lives and strengthens our purpose.
Linking: WomanShare acknowledges the importance of linking with other groups who share our values in order to create a strong network of alternative communities.
Trust: WomanShare is committed to creating an environment in which each woman’s privacy, integrity and well-being are protected.
Joyous Living: WomanShare regards joy as the birthright of every human being. We nourish that spirit and encourage its expression in our community.
Empowerment: WomanShare encourages women to reclaim their rightful roles as leaders, healers, mentors and visionaries. The quality of life on this planet and even our ultimate survival depend on our recognition of our collective power and the willingness to take necessary action to bring our vision into being.
WE WOMEN ARE A FORCE!
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How Does It Work?
On joining, each member makes a list of what she has to share – skills, interests, resources – and what she needs or wants. These lists are provided to all members and are the basis of a directory of WomanShare offerings.
When a member wants a service, she consults the directory and finds a person who offers it. The provider then earns a credit that she can spend with anyone in the group. The recipient is debited the same amount, a debt that is cleared when she provides a service to someone else. All work time, no matter what the exchange, is valued equally – hour for hour. We are an economic democracy!For example: Joan needs to have bookshelves built. She calls Anna, who listed carpentry among her skills. Anna does the work and later uses her credits to learn bread-baking from Lynn. Now Lynn has credits she can use, and so it goes. Share an hour, earn an hour... build a community!
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A Small Sample of Skill Offerings & Wish List
Professional Skills:
Contractor
Lawyer
Numerologist
Day Care Provider
College Professor of Women’s Studies
Anthropologist
CSW – Older Women’s Issues
Gallery Owner
Singer
Home Office Organizer
Conflict Resolution Professional
Detective
Caterer
Baker
Speech Therapist
Actor
Storyteller
Writer
Massage Therapist
Marketer
Artist
Life Skills:
Wall treatments/murals
Creating space and decluttering
Problem solver
Brainstorming
Spanish conversation
Drawing lessons
Yoga
Portrait and Pet Photography
Gardening
House/Apt sitting
Knitting
African cooking
Refinishing wood furniture
Medical forms literacy
Traveling for almost nothing
Adoption process advice
Ironing and hemming
Picture framing
Puerto Rican dishes
Good map reader
Wish Lists:
Help with desktop publishing
Carpentry
Bodywork Art
Healing, herbal, etc.
Painting rooms
Learn a language
Single Mom/Daughter events
Closet Organizing
Computer skills
Wallpapering
Help packing to move
Learn stick-shift driving
Software training
Painting lessons
Pet sitting
Career counselling
Personal trainer
Learn how to kayak
Washing windows
Help clean house
Cribbage partner
Travel partner
This is just a small sampling of the possible skills, talents and wants that could be identified in one's personal profile -- hopefully this list sparks ideas and aides you in generating your own personal list and profile!
Come, join us on March 3rd, and learn more about the dynamic potential for community and economic empowerment - indeed, we women are a force!
