Community Group Network Summit

Yes! There is an advisory body to the The Institute of Noetic Sciences Community Group Network. Follow this link to see some of the Stewardship Council members at a meeting almost 2 years ago in Memphis when the Council decided to regroup into councils: Elder, World, and Network, and to add a Youth Council.

Following that last pivotal meeting, the Community Group Network met as three councils: Elder, World, and Network in March of 2005, for an awesome 4 days of visioning for IONS Community Groups on the IONS campus in late March. You can find IONS Regional and International representatives at this link.

Below is the summary newsletter of that 4 day gathering which included Elder Council, World Council (formerly Stewardship Council) and Network Council. It was written by Elder Council member, Ann Frost. Go to this link for getting in touch with various IONS Community Group Coordinators around the world.

Letter to CG Leaders re the March Summit of the CG Network.

There was a wonderful spirit of energy and enthusiasm in the various Council meetings and in the Summit meetings which followed. The Community Group Network is well on its way to self governance and the seventeen of us who were there were encouraged and energized by the word we did and committed to the vision of where we are going.

We looked at the ways we can best serve the Community Group membership, the needs of the Community Group Coordinators and their members, and the makeup of a new IONS Network Council structure as well as its vision and purpose.

President James O'Dea had met with all of us on the Thursday and shared with us the Board’s vision for IONS and so we were able to have our discussions in the light of their powerful and exciting work..

In breakout sessions, we looked at the following areas:

Empowering Local Community Groups
1) Support
2) Inspiration
3) Communication
- membership issues Click here for Jane Gignoux or Patricia Kittleman
- questions re Shift in Action web

Linda Hassler (tutorial on using Shift in Action web).

Susan Burns

Michael Hoag

4) Creating Unifying Theme

Gratitude Day (June 6, 2006)

Hello from the Heart Day (between September 11 and September 21, 2006)

UN International Day of Peace (September 21, 2006)

Earth Day (April 22, 2007)

IONS International Meeting in Brazil (2007, probably June, date to be decided)

Network Structure

Network Council

1) Purpose

communicate with, support and inspire IONS CGs
liaise with CGs, hubquarters and each other
develop
disseminate suggestions for unifying themes for all CGs

2) Member Responsibilities

All checks for new or renewing memberships should be identified as coming from a CG. Bob Blackstone has worked with Billy Luu at hubquarters to set up a system to record all memberships that are identified in this way.

Bob Blackstone and Susan Burns are working to develop a system where memberships could, if the member chose, also be registered on Susan’s website.

Other Logistics (this information was in the letter from Stephen Dinan but it is included here as a reminder)

1. Mailing Lists Requests for mailing lists now go to Billy Luu: basic mailing list in Excel file -$15; Excel plus mail merge -$20; printed address lists -$25 plus $1 page for the labels. Contact Billy or 707-779-8203. Make your check out to him directly.

2) Video Rentals now go through Spokane group leader Kent Moline, 509-838-0891.

3) Other Needs
For all group needs, support, changes of contact information, contact your regional reps (found in Shift, and on the Shift in Action site.

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Link to Issue #2