July 14th, 2005 Meeting Notes

Submitted by cartographer12 on Thu, 07/21/2005 - 3:24pm

This meeting was moderated by Elliott, with Madigan working as a visual scribe. These notes are divided up into sections w/r/t the agenda.

I. Group Intros

we all introduced ourselves, our affiliations, and said one thing we did for self-care

In attendance: Elliott, Jacques, Sascha, Will, Allison, Griffin, Amy, Leora, Jessica, Michael, Stephen, Jordan, Chris, Iris, Alicia, Rickel, Fly, Alex, Oscar, Ashley, Ketchup, Madigan, Allen, Brooke and a few who showed up later who didn't introduce themselves

II. Introduction to TIP at Fountain House (Elliott)

This functioned to clarify the relationship between Icarus and FH

SHARED GOALS:

Both TIP and FH work to intentionally form communities to support people who are disenfranchised from the system. Icarus provides "beacons and illuminations" while FH can work to provide the "follow-through"

(note: "you can't eat inspiration. It can move you to do great things, but at the end of the day, you may need a house")

BACKGROUND:

Icarus - website, info sharing, creating a dialogue through books, touring, workshops and expanding it into a face-to-face network.

FH - started over 50 years ago (in 1948) by a group of ex-psych patients from Rockland County. Began as the "WANA" or "We Are Not Alone" newsletter, which expanded into a worldwide network, with 385 clubhouses from Kosovo to NYC

HOW DO FH AND ICARUS WORK IN CONJUNCTION? HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS PARTNERSHIP SUCCESSFUL/USEFUL?

possible answers: communication, listening, and an assurance that each group maintains its autonomy as they work in alliance with one another.

III. Organizational Overview (Ashley)

TIP - much bigger than FH - 2,000 or so members worldwide. FH is just one nexus of activity.

History:

TIP began three years ago (Sascha's SF newspaper article, Ashley connecting with him, sharing stories)

The original idea - to create resources/structures to plug into and share skills with other "like minded" people.

One essential idea was "dangerous gifts" as a potential new way to conceive of the label "mentally ill." TIP is committed not to just "crisis control" but to make sure that people can understand their own ways of doing productive, powerful, empowering work.

3 FOCI (focuses? it's foci, right?) OF TIP:

Computer - new website launched on July 13th, support community/resources, etc
Media - publications, etc
Support networks - TIP's role at FH

CURRENTLY WORKING ON CLARIFYING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE - at the moment, there are some paid staff and some volunteers. the funding comes from family foundations, grants, (nfp status pending). still working on how to structure the decision making process, etc.

Ashley's vision and goals statement (totally truncated):

TIP provides materials, trainings, support for peer based networks; shares stories; provides guidance and follow-through; in the process of creating a sustainable collective structure; if we take care of our lives, we can be catalysts for change in the world.

IV. NYC/TIP (Alex and Sascha)

WHAT ARE WE DOING:

researching and developing a support group "model" (better word pending) for college campuses
By September, we hope to have helped catalyze a peer-based mental health support group on NYU campus
take the experience at NYU and try to refine our methods/use experience to expand support groups to other campuses
college kickoff event being planned
support group on Sundays at FH
building a relationship with FH
running workshops (Fly's journaling workshop, etc) at FH

V. Group Feedback (Everyone!)

People's experience of the Icarus Project:

a feeling of reciprocal gratitude - FH grateful for TIP/TIP grateful for FH strength and support gained from TIP's presence at FH- "wings"

Who is the Icarus project?: 1. an organization that outreaches to a different population than YAP. Perhaps experiencing challenges similar to YAP in outreach/integration of young adults"¦maybe this is a shared experience/shared goal 2. there's a sense that FH is not tailored for people in their twenties. TIP might help to provide more contact with people in their twenties? 3. FH was radical at a time, but now TIP seems radical in comparison

HOW CAN TIP INTEGRATE WITH FH? Is there a conception of FH as "progressive" to TIP's "radical"?

Is TIP another YAP?
There's a feeling of "youth" and "artistic" sensibilities to TIP
TIP is a positive contribution to the visual landscape (posters, etc)
TIP needs to have a more consistent/defined presence at FH

Question: is creativity closed off to older people? is the emphasis on artistic/creative expression confusing? who is the desired audience for TIP at FH?

VI. Immediate and long-term goals (Ashley and Sascha)

complete publications on support groups for fall semester college outreach
organize college outreach
organize more volunteers to do website content
figure out the organizational structure of TIP (i.e. will it be a collective structure run by consensus? if so, how does that look in a national organizations?

VII. Collective decision making/sustainable growth(Brooke)

Brooke's role was to help facilitate a democratic decision making structure for TIP - she can be a resource for organizational structure.

Some observations:

Strength of TIP at FH - FH has a foundation in democratic/consensus decision making process

Difficulty: there are various entities interacting - there's TIP the NFP, TIP the internet/national network, TIP at FH, etc

note: in the organizing of your structure, you do not want your structure to be "taking up your time"

What needs to happen: We need to come up with a clear structure of how TIP functions that can be modified, evaluated and changed with experience. figure out what TIP is ideologically, structurally, and find ways to clearly be able to plug people in

CLEAR, TRANSPARENT, ACCESSIBLE (in actual availability [should we have a sheet?] and in language). the key is to be supportive, not alienating.

accountability - what level of involvement is required for participation in decision-making processes? Should it be totally open? Should there be a system of membership?

"MAKE THE STRUCTURE FIT THE FUNCTION"

VIII. TIP/FH common ground/common goals (Jessica and Michael)

YAP: YAP is new (past 5 - 7 years) just like TIP. There may be similar obstacles being faced in creating communities. FH has historically attempted young adult initiatives, but generally, the mean age at FH is mid-40s

How can YAP and TIP collaborate?

YAP goals that may intersect with TIP: YAP wants to reach out to college/college-aged individuals - "early intervention" - and wants to create an environment that is engaging to young people

Common goals for YAP and TIP:

change
alleviate isolation
early intervention
self-empowerment

IX. Group Feedback (Everyone!)

CHALLENGES/WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER:

challenges with YAP/TIP social program collaborations
take time to form relationships with FH members -"have them provide you with leadership"¦they'll be the in to the community"
there's a lack of clear/defined roles
there's a lack of a defined schedule
there's a lack of clarity in the communication of TIP ideas
barrier - is a member of FH a member of TIP? can you be both? do people feel like they're primarily one or the other?
there's a willingness to participate at FH - involve members
transparence - is there an "inner icarus circle" and an "outer icarus circle"
unfamiliar forms of advocacy: the language of "mad pride" and "dangerous gifts" is terminologically very different that FH - FH takes on the system in a "practical" way - there may be different conceptions of activism/advocacy (is there a "meat and potatoes" advocacy vs. linguistic advocacy? etc) we can come to a shared understanding of activism and change (mad pride!)
there should be an FAQ pamphlet with FH/TIP collaboration details!
TIP works is not accessible to the huge amount of people at FH who want to do work. BUILD COMMUNITY! ENGAGE/INVEST PEOPLE IN THE PROJECT - P A R T I C I P A T I O N!
communication needs to happen on both ends
Monday meetings - come prepared, share schedules for the week
if you have work, let FH people know! If you have a schedule, let FH people know! (use unit meetings)

X. Group Brainstorm (Everyone!)

Things we can do:

one page sheet of Icarus project bullet points to give to people on tours? (TIP FAQ HANDOUT)
Icarus project should go to each unit and do an intro/mission statement (on a somewhat regular basis)
TIP/FH collaboration pamphlet
Outreach to people on the street - outline potential resources they can gain at FH
Regular or semi-regular open NYC/TIP brainstorming meetings
Project timeline
weekly column in FH publication (newsletter)
YAP outreach
Can we make High Point a place for skill share, etc?
Regular TV tiles
Design a postcard for FH outreach to young people on the street (Ketchup?)
Make the Sunday support meetings elsewhere? (WSP, Staten Island Ferry, etc)
Try to get more FH member presence on the website/in TIP publications
Create a time during the week where TIP can hold a meeting for FH members to check in
Create orientation time (scheduled) for people who are new/want to check out FH
"Dangerous gifts" +/or/vs. work-ordered day (is there any contradiction?)
Schedule a weekly meeting that anyone who wants to collaborate/connect can attend
get a workshop space that we can make a mess in/and more materials - get a better event space
TIP/FH collaborative art show in the gallery at FH?

..metaphor..stories"¦space"¦finding a bridge between communities"¦

potential things FH can do:

Funding? Create longevity? mutual support (fundraising? financially?)

..okay. that's it for my notes. now, here's what I took down from the board for the first part of the feedback section. it's differently worded, and that's valuable"¦Madigan and I may have taken note of different things. I know it seems a little out of place here, but I didn't want to put it in the middle of my notes because it's so different structured. anyway, here's verbatim-ish notes from the board (verbatim-ish"¦totally paradoxical term? or funny? because, I'm thinking funny"¦)