Greetings Brothers,
I hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer. I’m going to see if I can get you caught up on what is happening in our center as well as how we are looking forward to the future.
In the next few weeks you will be receiving more specific information on our re-structuring effort here in the Northwest Center. We are looking to simplify the way we operate and potentially make some changes to the council. You will be asked for your input and any concerns you may have. We are basically looking to move to a board of directors. I see this as a natural evolution. I would like to see a smaller board of directors dealing with the business and free up some other men to build community at home. We think we can operate more efficiently. Please look for more info in the coming weeks.
One of the places where there is still much room to grow is around community. I believe we have failed to bring the women and children into our community in any meaningful way. Announcing………Our first major Mixed Gender Event!!!!!
Chautauqua……..Oct. 1,2,3, ……At Camp Wa-ri-ki…..
Lets put on a weekend focusing on the women and children. Friday there will be a “Golden Hot-seat” for children and adolescents. Your children will have the opportunity to be blessed one at a time by the greater community. On Saturday we will have a ceremony honoring the women in our lives. There will be activities for kids…..kickball, softball, swimming in the river, ping-pong, games , hikes…..and other events specifically for kids. There will also be the opportunity to spend some time looking at how men and women make stories about each other as well as project onto children.
Sweats……Games…..Honoring……Anybody is welcome…….Family and friends!!!
Please put the first weekend in October on your calendar. More will be announced soon.
This will be an event ………..for sure.
Center Accountability;
We raised staff fees last year. It is of course an on-going challenge to provide funds for men who don’t have money to attend the NWTA. At the time we put this years budget together “the NW council” told the community that all of the money from staff fees would be going to scholarship. We/I am of accountability with that promise. What we are making more important is to try and stay in financial integrity around our other commitments. This was done with the best of intentions. However….we cannot afford to put all of the staff fees towards scholarship, It in fact makes our cash flow problems much worse. I can see how this looks like a bait and switch. I assure you it was not. The shadow is that we are often too optimistic as to what money the center will bring in a given year. We end up making commitments to our community with the best of intentions. I feel sadness that we are not able to live up to the commitment around staff fees. Do not plan on staff fees going up again………not if I can stop it. After a slow start to the year in both additional trainings and initial I-groups, we will be dipping into our reserves that we would rather not touch ever. This is not unlike other challenges we have faced before. And….with a strong fall hopefully we can put the reserve money back.
Please put the Chautauqua down for October and be on the lookout for info regarding our restructuring.
As you attend your summer events and gatherings be on the lookout for men to join our circle.
Perhaps there are some men who would benefit with what we know.
Perhaps you know men who could teach us something.
If you see something that isn’t happening in your community………Make it happen.
- Robert “Groov’n Walrus” Crowell
Good job Robert. In regard to the budget woes you can’t give what you don’t got! There’s nothing wrong with men earning their way into the training. What does the accounts receivables look like for the many loans given to men to attend? There’s a shadow here that won’t be explored by a supposed generosity that weakens or debilitates the center. Best, Wolf