[matilda] Report from CommonPlace meeting.

[Benjamin Major]

Hello all.

Hope you've all had good weekends, either giving the massive terrain a 
massive clean-up, or Shambala-ing it.

Sorry I didn't show up at the work day session. But I haven't been 
completely slacking. I'm just fresh from a long, long meeting at the 
CommonPlace over in Leeds. It was a big one, lasting from one till gone 
seven ! (I must be mad) but it was interesting. Really interesting. I've 
learnt a few new facillitation techniques- they had an external facilitating 
pair in, who were 'quite' good, I say only quite because I don't think it 
was as good as it could have been (it started well and flagged towards the 
latter half, but then six hour meetings with half of the attendes having 
hangovers is hard-going, so I shouldn't be too harsh on them)- but they did 
have some clever techniques of getting the Common Place people to really 
think about some of the central questions. Some of the same questions that 
we have asked of ourselves.

The CommonPlace are a group who have hit upon a problematic. It is a very 
serious problematic, and this was a difficult meeting in which members of 
the collective were trying to come to a decision whether they could keep the 
building on at all. They have not yet reached a decision. The further 
question was of the continuation of the network, even if the physical space 
does dissapear for a while. I hope that the network that we have created is 
one that it is strong enough to survive whatever complications and 
precarities life throws at us.

There was also much discussion about how the Commonplace defined 
'themselves'. There was self-reallization that the group had become inward 
looking since the G8. That there had been little attempts to made to try and 
introduce more people to using the centre.

It was here that I realized how essential it that we consolidate some 
collectives, in the next month or so. Not in the sense that we close them 
off or say 'you can only be a member of one or other group', but in the 
sense that we have a more or less clear idea of where we belong, and that 
some indivudal from each is in posession of a key, and is a first point of 
contact for anyone new wishing to join in with that collectives. We also 
could do with a welcome pack of some sort; I mean welcome leaflet. Or a big 
colourful notice which expains what we're all about. And a big, open meeting 
designed for newcomers sometime in late September......

As well as this front end to the project, it also made me realise the 
importance of having the research, and the legal + futures meetings to back 
this up. I don't think this is something that the Commonplace ever even had 
on the agenda. To be able to have a case, a clear and well thought out 
justification of our existence, is going to be in our favour when we reach 
those rough and rocky times that inevitably lay ahead.

It was sad to see a meeting with so much sadness and dejection. Escpecially 
when ours are so full of positive energy. But these are our precarious 
times; when one light fades, another one is lighting up. And i think the 
Commonplace lot seem like they'll survive this rough patch in one form or 
another.

Infact. I've done gone kind of invited them over. I'll propose this at the 
meeting as I think this would be cool. A joint social. An 'idea', 
'experience' sharing exercise over some good food.

After all, even a mole...

...has to meet the neighbours some time  :-)