Resolution to Refocus Action Forum

Whereas:

• Action Forum was created to be:

• A second chapter-wide monthly meeting

• Non-binding and action-oriented

• Open-ended in format

• A low barrier to entry

• Empowering to membership

• Some members have expressed an inability to attend both Action Forum and the General Body Meeting because both are scheduled on Thursday nights

• Action Forum attendance has not been comparable to GBM

• The format generally only changes in response to a lack of attendance, otherwise it stays as a discussion topic followed by three breakout groups.

• It is unclear if Action Forum is empowering membership

• Very few discussion or work topics are suggested by the membership

• No new projects or campaigns have been started out of Action Forum discussions

Be it resolved:

• The Executive committee shall consult the membership and produce a schedule which keeps Action Forum and the GBM on different days of the week

• The Executive committee shall ensure Action Forum meetings are planned and promoted at least one week prior to the meeting

• Each month’s meeting shall be one of the following formats:

  • Debate: A brief presentation about an important, divisive, or heavily discussed topic within the chapter, followed by an informal debate to help establish a unified chapter position on this topic. The debate should be moderated but does not need to adhere strictly to Robert’s Rules.

  • Work session: Either as a single group or in breakout sessions members should attempt to prepare for an upcoming event, draft a resolution, or perform some other necessary work. This should be done in a way that empowers the attendees to have an impact on the action as a whole, not just produce according to a pre-existing plan.

  • Retrospective: Discuss a recent event or action, determine what went well and what needs improvement, and draft or refine guidance for future events to address any issues. This may also be a discussion on the state of the chapter in general, which should result in recommendations to the Executive or other committees for improvement.

  • Chapter Development: As a group or in breakout sessions members should discuss the work of a particular committee or campaign and develop ideas on how this work could be done more effectively or have a larger impact, with the goal of bringing more members into that committee or campaign to accomplish these goals.

• Executive Committee has the ability to rename Action Forum

Impact Statement: Resolution to refocus action forum

Criteria

Pass criteria: Attendance at Action Forum is within 50% of the in-person attendance at general body meetings for three months.

Fail criteria: If the Pass criteria is not met within six months of passage, this resolution will be considered void. As there are no other resolutions dictating the format of the Action Forum, the Executive Committee may continue to experiment with the format at that time, or terminate the meetings entirely.

Guidance

To be implemented or delegated by: The Executive Committee

Plan: 

• The Executive Committee will need to begin Action Forum planning earlier so that it can be promoted accordingly.

• The Communications Committee may need to prepare new templates for the different formats of Action Forum, and will need to ensure these are posted on time each month.

Anticipated labor: 

• Additional Action Forum planning to prepare for the new formats and improve outreach

  • 1 hour per month

  • Executive Committee

• Preparation of new social media templates

  • 4 hours

  • Communications Committee

• Planning new schedule for Action Forum and/or GBM

  • 2 hours

  • Executive Committee

Additional Notes: 

This resolution is not necessarily written to pass as-is, but is intended to promote discussion of possible ways to reform the Action Forum format. I would appreciate amendments from the floor or even tabling the resolution for further consideration.