Agenda for June ESAC meeting
Susan Livingston
meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2009. The meeting starts at 3:00p.m. EDT
and is expected to last two hours. Connection information is in the
header to the agenda.
Recent developments in this group and recent developments in the GCC
and within CNVC Governance combine to make Tuesday's meeting perhaps
the most important one we've had since the establishment of ESAC a
year ago. Besides electing people to fill two key positions, we will
be discussing our position and function in the NVC Global Network and
our future direction, including our very existence as a group. Please
make every effort to attend. If you are unable to make space for this
meeting in your schedule, I suggest that you delegate the
responsibility to someone else in your group so that we can make
decisions with more confidence that we are considering everyone's needs.
Jerry Koch-Gonzalez
My understanding of the agenda of this next meeting of ESAC was as stated in
the last meeting minutes: "Status of ESAC - discussion of proposal to close
this group including implications for role of ESAC representative to the
GCC." I believe in some emails afterwards we noted that at this meeting we
would likely not only close ESAC but that Mercedes may mediate a dialog
between Susan and Jerry. To me elections of representatives and facilitators
would only make sense on the agenda if we decided for some reason to
continue the existence of the current form of ESAC.
Of the 4 people on the last call, John Mudie and Jeff Brown said ESAC was
not meeting their needs and they would no longer be participating. Susan was
feeling sad about the idea of closing ESAC and Jerry was feeling relieved
and looking for formal closure of ESAC and resolution of his role on GCC.
Susan note the following in the most recent GCC minutes: "Decision: The GCC
proposes Jerry Koch-Gonzalez as coordinator of the English-speaking Americas
CIRCLE, for 5 months, while the NVC Global Network strategic planning
process outlined above is conducted." The word "CIRCLE" should not have been
in that sentence - that was a mistake in the minutes that I did not notice.
GCC asked me to serve as Americas coordinator without reference to a
specific existing circle. So for me the question of my role on GCC has been
resolved. And if and when we do have a double link with an Americas based
circle, I expect that circle would look quite different than the current
ESAC. I find it hard to express in a few words in writing what GCC is
thinking and planning in this period of time. I will be glad to do that on
the call.
Jerry Koch-Gonzalez
Mercedes Frace
Dear Jerry/All,
From what i see on the agenda after looking at it just now.... yes, like you stated....it is slated to be a "discussion of proposal to close this group including implications for role of ESAC representative to the GCC".
When you say.... "I believe in some emails afterwards we noted that at this meeting we would likely not only close ESAC but that Mercedes may mediate a dialog between Susan and Jerry."
I wonder who "we" is because I don't see emails on the group discussion board.
I do remember a Skype between myself and you (jerry) about possible mediation and I am honored to support a mediation on the call if need be, because I value contribution, mutual consideration & understanding and ease.
So perhaps the Discussion of Proposal can be put in at 2.3 after we hear the GCC report? Is this what you are suggesting?
with care,
Mercedes
Susan L
between Mercedes as Facilitator and me as Clerk. The election of a
Facilitator and a Representative is on the Agenda because the Roles
and Responsibilities document calls for those elections to take place
this month. That document (to which you did not object) is up for
review after two more years.
There is space for the proposal to close this group under Item 3.2.2.
I would emphasize that it is a proposal and not a decision, and
especially in light of recent decisions and requests of the GCC, I
intend to propose that we table the discussion until the GCC strategic
planning process results in the creation of something more effective
or structurally sound or more in line with whatever vision emerges.
However, you are welcome to resign at any time as did Jeff Brown and
John Mudie at the last meeting - without taking away this resource for
growth and community from other emerging groups that are not yet
cohesive enough to participate and from established groups that
appreciate the existence of ESAC even if their human resources are too
overtaxed to participate.
The conversation Mercedes will be facilitating goes all the way back
to a statement at the March meeting that if/when the Regional Centers
were established, they would have representation on the GCC or a GCC-
connected circle, and "I don't know what will happen to this group."
Then in April, you brought the proposal to close the group. At that
time, there was high confidence that the Regional Centers would be a
reality by now. Subsequent developments indicate that the Board is
not even considering the Regional Center proposal until October at the
earliest - yet another reason why I am strongly opposed to closing
ESAC at this time. If you have another concern that you want
mediated, such as why you have difficulty keeping your giraffe ears on
while in dialog with me as you stated in December, I ask that such a
conversation take place outside of ESAC's meeting time. I'll go
further and say that I am not willing to discuss interpersonal
tensions at tomorrow's meeting.
That the resolution of your role in the GCC depends on the non-
existence of ESAC is a totally foreign concept to me. With or without
the word Circle in the language of the GCC decision, it is clear that
they are PROPOSING you as Coordinator for ESAC, as the top-down half
of the double link, just as they did for Irmtraud for the EAC. I
witnessed Irmtraud bringing that proposal to the EAC this morning and
obtaining consent and wondered why you didn't extend the same courtesy
to ESAC. I find that my level of trust in you is very low; I have
more trust in Irmtraud's interpretation of the GCC's intentions. In
fact, I wondered why you would propose closing the group you are
seeking to coordinate and thought perhaps you were having second
thoughts about such a proposal, which is another reason I didn't carry
forward the language of the action step on the April minutes to the
June agenda.
Please recall that, ESAC or no ESAC, there is a precedent for the GCC
to have Members-at-Large. Or perhaps you will embody a direct link
between the GCC and the New England Circle. In closing, I want to
point out the parallel between this situation and what happened when
the GCC tried to close the yahoo group that is now known as NVC
Practitioners Networking for no other reason than that they had no
more use for it. The origin of that proposal, the energy behind the
decision, and the energy behind the reversal of that decision are very
clear to me now.
Jerry Koch-Gonzalez
Jerry Koch-Gonzalez
CNVC Certified Trainer
New England NVC Coordinator
CNVC Global Community Circle member
413-549-1747
email: je...@communicatingwithcompassion.org
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communicatingwithcompassion.org
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From:
ESAc...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ESAc...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mercedes
Frace
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 10:06 PM
To: ESAc...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Americas Circle:371] Re: Agenda for June ESAC meeting
Dear Mercedes,
Yes I would put the item on closing ESAC after 2.3 after we hear GCC report. As to the mediation, Susan and I had exchanged an email and I guess you an I chatted on Skype. In any case it seems from Susan’s last email that she does not want a mediation on this call.
Jerry