Comment

Comment by Mark Sweetland on September 21, 2010 at 11:42pm

Laura,

Great points. I was not at the meeting, so I don't know if one area stands out. But as you suggest, maybe taking one action item to work on first would be the way to go. Then after that, the one that may be second in priority. One step at a time. Too much time was put into this to let it go to waste!

Comment by Laura Suda on September 21, 2010 at 10:48pm

Margy, thank you for all your time and energy setting up this event. I, too, am disappointed that there has been no follow up or action taken. Unfortunately, as with many organizations and calls to action, strong leadership is needed - for setting goals, implementing plans, delegating responsibility, keeping the momentum going, etc. It's not easy to do and, I think, more difficult in organizations where you're trying to mobilize volunteers who also have full-time jobs, part-time jobs, or just already have lots going on. We want to change the world (or at least the 19th Ward), but there are so many obstacles! It might be easier to start smaller - choose a goal that's reachable without a lot of time and energy, achieve success when the goal is attained, and then choose another goal. What do we want to accomplish with the World Cafe? A LOT of ideas were talked about, perhaps too many that it became overwhelming - no one knows WHERE to start? I think another meeting might be needed - maybe to narrow the focus? Any comments or suggestions?

Comment by Margy Meath on September 20, 2010 at 6:15pm

THanks Mark- this event took a lot of my time and energy earlier this summer. I am disappointed with the lack of follow through and/or action re: 'next steps'. I know that I did a number of different things to try and move things forward but things seem to be at a standstill. I know that there are a LOT of people in our community who care deeply about what happens here. Finding a way to MOBILIZE people, capitalize on their energy and move things forward remains a significant challenge!

Comment by Mark Sweetland on September 20, 2010 at 3:16am

What steps are being taken to apply some of these ideas? A lot of time and effort were put into making this happen. Is anyone going to follow up? If not, what was the point?

I thank Margy for putting this together, and it would be a shame if people paid no attention to it. Unfortunately, people are so busy, it appears nothing will happen next. Any comments?

Comment by John Boutet on July 14, 2010 at 2:38pm

Thank you Margy for putting on this wonderful program and thank you to all who participated. I had a great time, and judging by all the smiles I saw in the room, I think everyone else did also. Hopefully we will apply some of the ideas discussed for bringing people closer together and will have positive results to discuss soon.