TheWorkmanshipGroups long term vision
Posted by Jeff Berndt on Thursday, September 17, 2009
Under: Our Vision
I've gotten more than a few requests from people who want more concrete examples of what the "vision" for TheWorkmanshipGroups is. Now, I have to be completely honest and say that there have been few things as challenging as putting the purpose and mission of our group into a nice, neat, and conscise sentence or two. So I'm going to give it a try again, but THIS TIME I am going to draw a scenario or two. And who knows? Maybe by doing this I will finally be given that nice, neat, conscise package that seems to elude me.
All of us have issues that we feel passionate about. It could be animal cruelty, or global warming, or the use of pesticides, or any number of things. And believe me, the number of things is mind-numbing! For example, I remember when I was younger, there was an organization who's only goal was to convince the record companies to repackage music CD's because (For those who remember twenty-five years ago) CD's were packaged in a plastic case that was more than two times the size of the actual CD and it's case. Apparently it was an anti-theft measure. So you had this big chunk of clear or white plastic that got thrown away. And since this was prior to music downloads and MP3's, alot more CD's were being sold. So this group, which I suppose would be considered an environmental awareness group, opposed the wastefullness of the packaging.
I bring this up because of the fact that, like I said, the number of issues out there is huge. And with each issue there is another, narrower, "sub"-issue. And then a "sub-sub"-issue. And then...well, you get the picture. There is Cancer Research, then there is Breast Cancer Research, then there is Early-Onset Breast Cancer Research, then there is Early Lifestyle Effect on Early-Onset Breast Cancer Research. Whew!
So, we all have the issues that are imortant to us, but oftentimes, without our knowledge, there is a "sub"-issue within that issue that we would feel even more passionate about if we were aware of it. This is the first reason that TheWorkmanshipGroups exists.
Because we don't focus all of our energy on just one issue, it allows us to be able to address nearly ANY issue. Be it homelessness, hunger, childhood cancer, etc. We are only limited by the imagination and the passions of our members. And by keeping our options for action wide open, we not only allow ourselves to learn about, and perhaps become inspired by, any number of issues but we also allow ourselves the opportunity for the second reason that TheWorkmanshipGroups exists. And forgive me, but this is the point where I stuggle with being conscise.
More often than not, when we decide to become involved with volunteer or service work on some level, we join a group or campaign that is already in operation. Sometimes this works out perfectly. We find a group that energizes us, inspires us to greater action and participation, and we love doing what this group does. But other times it works out a bit differently:
We start out working with a group that at first is great. We meet people who feel the same about an issue as we do, we feel good about the work we are doing. But after awhile, things get somewhat tedious. The initial excitement has worn off. We start to have more important things to do during the time we spent in service work. If we give financially, we don't really see a tangible result from our donation. We find that the issue we are working on behalf of is either to broad or to narrow. We still feel strongly, we just don't feel strongly about the way in which we work in addressing the issue.
Our mission statement currently reads like this:
What INTERACTIVE means is that we don't want to just be an organization that tells our members how to work on behalf an issue that they feel strongly about. If we do have a group that addresses the issue in a way that fits them well, then great! But we want people to be INSPIRED and ENERGIZED about service work! We want to provide the resources, models, and fellow volunteers who can work together on an issue in a way that is unique and creative. That is what our monthly meetings are for. They are an opportunity for anyone to stand up and share what they are passionate about, and in doing so, energize and inspire others so that a group to address hunger in our city becomes personal. Not just spending an hour a week ladling soup into a bowl, but working INTERACTIVELY with other s to develop a new, unique, and creative way to make a difference. They are also an opportunity to share information about organizations whose work is inspiring and who we could support as well.
I believe in our humanity. I believe that within all of us there is compassion and empathy that, if harnessed correctly, can cooperatively change the world. And I envision TheWorkmanshipGroups as being an organization that is dynamic and active, full of people who inspire, energize, and support each other in our common goal of making our community a better place for everyone.
All of us have issues that we feel passionate about. It could be animal cruelty, or global warming, or the use of pesticides, or any number of things. And believe me, the number of things is mind-numbing! For example, I remember when I was younger, there was an organization who's only goal was to convince the record companies to repackage music CD's because (For those who remember twenty-five years ago) CD's were packaged in a plastic case that was more than two times the size of the actual CD and it's case. Apparently it was an anti-theft measure. So you had this big chunk of clear or white plastic that got thrown away. And since this was prior to music downloads and MP3's, alot more CD's were being sold. So this group, which I suppose would be considered an environmental awareness group, opposed the wastefullness of the packaging.
I bring this up because of the fact that, like I said, the number of issues out there is huge. And with each issue there is another, narrower, "sub"-issue. And then a "sub-sub"-issue. And then...well, you get the picture. There is Cancer Research, then there is Breast Cancer Research, then there is Early-Onset Breast Cancer Research, then there is Early Lifestyle Effect on Early-Onset Breast Cancer Research. Whew!
So, we all have the issues that are imortant to us, but oftentimes, without our knowledge, there is a "sub"-issue within that issue that we would feel even more passionate about if we were aware of it. This is the first reason that TheWorkmanshipGroups exists.
Because we don't focus all of our energy on just one issue, it allows us to be able to address nearly ANY issue. Be it homelessness, hunger, childhood cancer, etc. We are only limited by the imagination and the passions of our members. And by keeping our options for action wide open, we not only allow ourselves to learn about, and perhaps become inspired by, any number of issues but we also allow ourselves the opportunity for the second reason that TheWorkmanshipGroups exists. And forgive me, but this is the point where I stuggle with being conscise.
More often than not, when we decide to become involved with volunteer or service work on some level, we join a group or campaign that is already in operation. Sometimes this works out perfectly. We find a group that energizes us, inspires us to greater action and participation, and we love doing what this group does. But other times it works out a bit differently:
We start out working with a group that at first is great. We meet people who feel the same about an issue as we do, we feel good about the work we are doing. But after awhile, things get somewhat tedious. The initial excitement has worn off. We start to have more important things to do during the time we spent in service work. If we give financially, we don't really see a tangible result from our donation. We find that the issue we are working on behalf of is either to broad or to narrow. We still feel strongly, we just don't feel strongly about the way in which we work in addressing the issue.
Our mission statement currently reads like this:
What INTERACTIVE means is that we don't want to just be an organization that tells our members how to work on behalf an issue that they feel strongly about. If we do have a group that addresses the issue in a way that fits them well, then great! But we want people to be INSPIRED and ENERGIZED about service work! We want to provide the resources, models, and fellow volunteers who can work together on an issue in a way that is unique and creative. That is what our monthly meetings are for. They are an opportunity for anyone to stand up and share what they are passionate about, and in doing so, energize and inspire others so that a group to address hunger in our city becomes personal. Not just spending an hour a week ladling soup into a bowl, but working INTERACTIVELY with other s to develop a new, unique, and creative way to make a difference. They are also an opportunity to share information about organizations whose work is inspiring and who we could support as well.
I believe in our humanity. I believe that within all of us there is compassion and empathy that, if harnessed correctly, can cooperatively change the world. And I envision TheWorkmanshipGroups as being an organization that is dynamic and active, full of people who inspire, energize, and support each other in our common goal of making our community a better place for everyone.
In : Our Vision