Process Committee Mandate

Process 2005-01-17

Summary:

Process Committee Mandate

Proposal:

Are we empowered? NO

What is our global task in service to the community?
The Process committee actively supports the decision-making and communication processes the community uses at the individual, committee and community level to accomplish it's goals.

i. CONSENSUS SUPPORT
The Process committee actively supports the community's commitment to using consensus in our decision-making processes by:
- organizing and supporting effective facilitation for general community meetings, including agenda planning;
- providing resources and opportunities for individual members and the group to develop and strengthen our understanding of, and participation in, consensus decision-making;
- keeping consensed-on decisions visible so that the work of the community is respected;
- supporting the GO committee system by:
o clarifying and educating members about our agreed on structures and processes;
o supporting committees in clearly identifying their mandates;
o supporting committees in communicating effectively with the general community;

ii. COMMUNICATION SUPPORT
The Process committee actively supports and encourages respectful dialogue that provides for the expression of diverse views on both the individual and community level by:
- providing individual members and committees with resources that enable them to effectively identify and resolve conflicts;
- providing resources and support to committee and general meeting facilitators on how to effectively encourage and support dialogue in group discussion;
- creating on-going opportunities for community building experiences that support our developing sense of respect and appreciation for each other

What are we responsible for?
- Facilitation of General Community Meetings, including agenda planning;
- Setting the frequency of general meetings based on input from the community;
- Providing resources for individual members and committees to understand and effectively use the community's agreed upon processes and structures;
- Providing resources and trainings to individuals and the community to support effective conflict resolution and consensus decision-making processes;



What aren't we responsible for?
- The outcome of specific community decisions;
- Approving or endorsing the content of specific proposals;
- Resolving conflicts within committees, between committees, between committees and individual members, between individual members, or community-wide conflicts;

What is expected of committee members?
- Intention to work on behalf of the community's well-being;
- Participation in committee discussions - in-person at committee meetings whenever possible, via e-mail when appropriate or necessary.
- Willingness to take on and follow-through with occasional tasks outside of committee meeting time; ability to realistically estimate completion time for tasks; ability and willingness to say "No" to such requests; willingness to ask for help/support when you need it;
- Respect for confidentiality regarding personal conflicts or other sensitive issues that may be discussed by the committee;

Objectives: What projects/proposals are we currently working on?
- Drafting a proposal that outlines processes for effective decision-making/communication at the committee level; ETA: March, 2005;
- Drafting a proposal that will clarifies the consensus terms and processes we use at GO; ETA: April, 2005;
- Supporting implementation of an electronic Book of Agreements; ETA: April, 2005;
- Supporting implementation of an on-line archive of committee and general community meeting minutes; ETA: Spring 2005;
- Support the CRC in requesting agenda time (at least once a quarter) during general business meetings for community building experiences that support our developing sense of respect and appreciation for each other;

Where do we get our funding?
- We are funded through the GOCA operating budget;
- We submit our budget needs to the community's consensus based budget process;
- Process line items are dedicated to: archive materials, expenses related to providing training and resources, and community meeting supplies;