Video recording of April 17 meeting
Overview
Rev. Cathy Rion Starr led us through the Universe of Possibility presentation, after which we all spent some time drawing our unique Universe of Possibility for work we're doing in our congregations and communities. We reflected on questions like:Β
How many people are in each circle? Whoβs in your core?
Is your committee reflective of the congregation as a whole in terms of demographics and interests?
What do you invite folks to at each level?
How is the flow of leaders in and out of the circles?
What are your hopes & dreams for your universe? What changes would you like to make?
It was so helpful to frame our work through this tool, but don't take my word for it, here's what some of your peers said:
"Love this tool and this groupβ¦ looking forward to working with yβall!" - Sharon G.
"Thank you, Rev. Cathy, for reminding us about the importance of different levels of involvement!" - Diane D.
"This is a great topic β impactful teams! Our UU congregation has many teams and they all operate differently. Love this model and I think we can apply it broadly. I hope to learn more about building community and spiritual connection simultaneously. Thank you!" - Carolyn T.
"I loved this! Lots to think about and weave into all my future efforts!" - Dorothy S.
This will definitely be a workshop we reference time and again in the coming months!
Resources from the meeting:
All resources to engage with the Universe of Possibility
Links shared:
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Β The link to the Action Report Form is here: bit.ly/GS-ACTIONS
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April 2024 Community Meeting of Green Sanctuary 2030: Recording and Resources
The United States is the richest country on planet earth currently, and in history, and yet a significant percentage of its citizens live in poverty. Poverty is usually seen as a personal failing because the person doesnβt work hard enough, isnβt smart enough, or has some sort of moral failing. Poverty, to assuage the guilt of the not-poor, is seen as a personal, individual thing when in fact the factors contributing to poverty are part of the social structure and system. These factors contributing to the phenomenon of poverty amidst abundance are usually below the level of awareness of the population and being unrecognized, unacknowledged, they are not effectively managed and minimized or eliminated.
One of the purposes of davidgmarkham.substack.com newsletter is to highlight the structural and systemic factors contributing to poverty as they can be effectively and efficiently managed at a macro systemic level.
One of these factors that maintains poverty in the United States is the βbenefits cliff.β The safety net in the United States, compared to other first world democracies, is not only extremely inadequate but often punitive. Eligibility to receive societal support is tightly managed and in many instances counter productive. Individuals and families are eligible for support at certain levels of deprivation, but if they reach the upper range of eligibility are abruptly cut off and thrown back into poverty.
The question before us is how can the benefits cliff be managed in a more effective and efficient manner so that as people improve their ability to be self-sustaining, the decrease in societal support is graduated in its withdrawal rather than abruptly discontinued?
From the Public News Service 04/24/24 βCT Day of Action raises awareness on 'benefits cliff'
The benefits cliff is when a person might get a raise, have a kid with a part-time job, or some other income increase which then makes them ineligible for certain benefits. The changes can have severe impacts on communities and disproportionately affect families with children.
Stephen Monroe Tomczak, professor of social work at Southern Connecticut State University, said it is part of a larger workforce problem.
"People, particularly people of low income, are in a sense disincentivized to participate in the labor force and denied adequate jobs and income when they try to do that," Tomczak explained.
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Kat Liu
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