Community Care and Restorative Rest
It’s time to shake loose the ties that bind us to a toxic cycle of burnout and grind that is not serving our organization.
It’s time to shake loose the ties that bind us to a toxic cycle of burnout and grind that is not serving our organization.
I heard about the concept of “Restorative Rest” at a conference for educational professionals. The idea is simple: the antidote to fatigue is REST. So part of our work together MUST be rest. Restorative Rest looks like a cycle of recognizing that something fatigues you, resting while learning how to CHANGE the thing that fatigues you, returning with clarity that allows you to do the actual work, and becoming free from the thing that fatigued you.
I’m proposing that we infuse a culture of restorative rest for our leaders and our organization. Sometimes, we move too fast. In my personal experience talking with leaders of this organization, I’ve learned that members move at a fast pace out of fear and shame that is often associated with critical membership feedback or things not going as planned. So I’m proposing a culture of restorative rest that manifests in three ways:
Planned and predictable days off where the organization rests: this includes major holidays off and planning periods for national and regional leadership teams.
Pre- and Post-evaluation periods for all major events: we know how to throw a great party! We don’t know how to look back at the party and evaluate it for its effectiveness, successes, and opportunities to be better— mostly because we’re off to the next thing.
Utilizing our communication systems to inform members when we are in a rest period and what we learned during the rest periods: I’ve always said that the national board serves at the pleasure of its members. This must include vulnerable communication of the things that fatigue us, when we need rest, and what we’ve learned during rest.
Cultivate an Environment for Change
One project I propose to cultivate an environment for change is the creation of the Membership Conduct Task Force. The purpose of this task force is to convene a diverse group of leaders to assess, revise, and evaluate policies related to membership conduct.
In its first year, the task force will review all related policies including the National Membership Status Policy, the National Policy for Standards Committee Procedures, the National Anti-Hazing Policy, the National Anti-Harassment Policy, and the National Etiquette Policy. The task force is expected to review all policies for duplication or conflict and create a NEW policy that includes comprehensive definitions for misconduct and a streamlined process for addressing misconduct. The task force is expected to create opportunities for feedback from regional and national leadership teams to further iterate on changes before presenting the new policy for legislation in 2024. The task force is expected to host Think Tanks with the national membership to garner insights and collect feedback to further iterate on changes before presenting the new policy for legislation in 2024.
If the new policy is enacted, the Task Force will convene every other year to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and make revisions as needed. The Task Force may also propose or plan learning opportunities for the national membership to understand new procedures and give feedback if necessary.
This task force will be co-chaired by the National Parliamentarian and National President; membership to the task force will include two nominated representatives (one Undergraduate and one GAP) from each region for a maximum of 10 representatives. Representatives must be active, dues-paying members-at-large or in a chapter/kaleidoscope. Representatives cannot be serving in a regional or national office but could serve in chapter/kaleidoscope leadership roles, as a delegate, and/or intake. Regional leadership teams will be asked to nominate two members; if those members accept, they will serve on the task force for 1 year. Representatives can be nominated again for the next convening year and continue to serve on the task force for as long as they are nominated.
Design Systems for Sustainability
To design for sustainability, we have to be brave enough and daring enough to rip apart the pieces of who we have always been to make room for who we want to become.
To design for sustainability, we have to be brave enough and daring enough to rip apart the pieces of who we have always been to make room for who we want to become.
One thing I propose is the re-designing of regionalization for growth. We’ve operated in regional structures for a while now, but we have not seen or experienced the success regionalization was supposed to bring. I propose a multi-level restructuring of our regions that would disrupt how we are used to doing things but align us more closely with our mission and values while operating more seamlessly.
First, we will work to fully staff all regional leadership teams! This will include hosting longer nomination periods and regional incentives for a complete team. Additionally, we will critically examine each regional leadership team’s current officers and reduce the size if necessary to ensure that it meets the level of work that needs to be done.
Next, I will work in collaboration with Regional Directors to streamline regional timelines across the entire organization. This will require regions to “let go” traditions that are not serving us to ensure that events and initiatives are scheduled at times when we can leverage collective support and collective planning.
We will also work to align all regional goals with national goals and the strategic plan. Regional leadership teams will be required to critically examine their by-laws for change opportunities, as well as submit a “change package” and/or annual goals as it aligns with the strategic plan.
Lastly, in a 2-year cycle, each region will be required to set growth goals. Goals should be co-created between RLTs and members of the region taking Undergraduate and GAP intake, as well as expansion and re-activation opportunities into consideration. Regions will work in collaboration with the national leadership teams to support their initiatives and meet their goals.
This proposal will bring regions to the forefront and hold our regional leadership teams accountable for aligning with national goals.