BIRCH Notes
Posted by: "Ross" rossmen@comcast.net rossmendenhall

One part of BIRCH is the assembly which meets at Dandelion

Everyone is welcome to attend, share information, and participate in consensus process

Only a community group representatives can block consensus

A Community group is at least 5 people who self identify as Reclaiming

BIRCH working groups are formed around the needs of BIRCH and/or the needs of Reclaiming communities.

Request for Administration group; that we have as a criteria that the gathering not occur on a major sabbit.

BIRCH Healthy Bodies (Now Healthy Communities)

Conversations ebbed and flowed about what the tasks would be for the group.

Came to an agreement to take on the tasks of developing processes, resources and support for healthy community dynamics.

In our agreements for on-line consensus: we asked that members make an agreement to read e-mail with in one week and respond.Silence would be taken as agreement.

We worked on community needs around process which included: To help set agreements about how we interact.; Agreements for ending or transforming relationship; Need for conflict resolutions tools, skills and resources.

We intend to identify specific tasks for the group. We exist to support the broader community in nurturing community in whatever form that takes.

Resources for conflict resolution, ground rules for groups.

Question: BIRCH Groups and BIRCH Representatives are different - why?

Response: A Community group is at least 5 people who self identify as Reclaiming

BIRCH working groups are formed around the needs of BIRCH and/or the needs of Reclaiming communities.

Suggestion: Group called Reclaiming culture - to document and share Reclaiming dance, spirit paths, music, and lore, to minimizerepetition of work by many communities all doing the same thing. Want to see what artists can bring to camp, participatory art that is healing, joyful.

Dandelion is about having seeds go back to the community. Please go back and disseminate information in many ways that you gathered at Dandelion.

How do we empower people to step up (teachers, communities) and at the same time have accountability.

Concern that there is no time for the groups to meet and consolidate - facilitator group to rework the time in a way that would allow for meetings.

Look at our culture - focused around gathering at witch camps, Dandelion gathering and flying is one of the most carbon intensive things that we do.

We need to change the way we function. The speaker would like to see more thought put into changing our culture. The way we teach magic, the way we define community, the way we gather does not reflect our value of sustainability.

Use this issue in classes to make some of the changes we have been talking about.

Use magic/spellwork to change consciousness so that we embrace change.

Our daily practices impact the environment more than flying once or twice a year.

Request that BIRCH provide action examples of specific things we can do to incorporate sustainable living into our culture and build that into a core Reclaiming class.

Chicago Reclaiming - it would be difficult to get support for classes that are not recognized as part of the Reclaiming culture. It would be helpful if there was some recognition that they were important, part of our culture, something that we value as Reclaiming.

Can we agree that this is a primary issue? And also create a vision of what we want. How can we take the Earth Path (permaculture courses) and work it into a class that can be offered.

We could examine procedure for selecting site of future Dandelion to streamline process so that people know further in advance and can be thoughtful in their travel plans. Such as that the host community and dates be decided at least a year ahead of time.

Can the Sustainability group come up with other options?

That the incoming BIRCH Administrative Group be empowered to create a process for host community selection for the next Dandelion/BIRCH gathering; that the decision on the host community be made at least one year prior to the gathering and that Chicago/Trillium have the right of first refusal to be the 2010 host community.