Below are the notes from the breakout sessions, heroically compiled by Charlayne Denney (thanks, Charlie!).
Land Group Notes
Goals:
• Fiduciary responsibility and fundraising
• Cooperation and common goals
• Organization, leadership, institutionalization
• Efficiency—avoid duplication of effort
• Discover who and why we are and where we want to go
• Public education and networking with potential supporters
• Collective identity as a source and focal point
• Public education and legal resources
• Respect for each other's paths
• Action based on tolerance and respect
Standards/Guidelines
• Training to meet standards
• Post resumes with references online for advisory/consultation roles
• List of lists (e-lists)
• Create a presence of leadership
• Funding:
• Auctions• Pledges• Grants• Financial
transparency in all organizations• Training (crossover with Small Business Administration)
• Identity/community movement
• Legitimacy with government
• Organized development
• The next
generation• Education• Professionalism• Funding• "Proversity": Seek diversity of viewpoints
• Define resources
Back to top
Sea Group Notes
Issues, concerns and solutions:
• Common solidarity at grass roots
• Solitaries
— generating enthusiasm
• Small
groups — get them talking
• Focus
on what THEY want to do — monthly by consensus
• Educate
them to take responsibility for their own involvement and networking
• Form
a collective alliance in the state — meet quarterly
• Emphasize
working together — not necessarily "liking" everyone
• Acceptance of Pagan religions by society
• Standards,
compromise, honoring diversity
• Present
a united front to those outside community
• Modeling respect for intellectual properties
• Resource list of mainstream resources for religious groups
• Alabama
Institute
• Church
tax
• Law Report
• Develop and disseminate resources and reference list
• Centralize resources
• Effective, non-redundant communication structures
• Outreach to/for outside groups/people — build a good rapport
• Better
PR outreach — get in the press
• Training
for effective use of media
• Get those
who know to teach us
• Standards of training, conduct, responsibility
• Be "chipless"; educate cowans
• Use proper channels first, in cases of discrimination
• Legal assistance/resources — list of Pagan attorneys or any supportive
attorneys
• Poll Pagan magazine readers on descriptions, identity issues, etc
• Enhance communications with others by understanding their viewpoints
and motives
• Why is
it important
• How does
"it" benefit them
• Reconnect with:
• Theo/alogy
• Stewardship
• Fellowship
• Spiritual
and emotional networking
• Public Education:
• Local
Pagan groups contact public libraries to donate books, offer lists, raise
money
• Contact
local high schools/colleges faculty and offer to present units/lectures
on Paganism and magick in appropriate courses
• Local
Law enforcement — teach about ritual crime, minority religions, gang crimes
• Social
workers
• Lobbying
• Figure
out how to do effective grassroots — go home and expore options for more
effective lobbying
• Hire
a professional lobbyist in DC and state capitols
• What
would it take to do this? $
• Work
with groups with lobbyists
• ACLU
• Americans United
• Emphasize:
• Shared
practice rather than theology or worship
• Accountability
rather than professionalism or standardization
• Understand one another’s language and definitions; consider alternate
terminologies
• Ask publications to devote an issue to institutional needs
• Hold events at publicly accessible venues — public education "demystification"
• Different attitude toward money among Pagans — financial responsibility
• Develop more public education materials:
• Printed
information
• Speakers
for:
• School
districts
• Mainstream
churches
• Law Enforcement
• Employers
• Media/Press
• Challenge generalizations and inaccuracies, and stereotypes within
the Pagan community
• Educate each other about our religions
• Support quality education and training of Pagan clergy
• Create coordinating assemblage of representatives from/of Pagan
groups — all Pagan groups can participate
• Understanding of diversity within Paganism
• Forging community solidarity at the grassroots
• Mainstream clergy role models — define ourselves
• Organized efforts for lobbying governments at all levels
• Widespread teaching of community skills
• Joint statement on religious rights and freedoms
• Staying power for national concerns
• It's ok to say what we are not
• Provide definitions
• Coping with pop explosion of interest
• Response
to Harry Potter movie outcomes
• Plan "B"
• Alliances and coalitions with non-Pagans
• Response to 4 fundie Supreme Court Justices
• We are a Religion — remember that
Back to top
Sky Group Notes
Issues and Concerns
• Better communications:
• Between
groups
• "Off
Internet"
• Networking
• List of contacts on Pagan specialties
• Publishing
• Groups
• Tradition
leaders
• Legal
• Political
• Higher profile in greater community — networking and outreach
• Recognize that we are an "interfaith" community ourselves
• Convince Pagans that neither money nor organization is evil
• Legal Issues — better organization
• Lifestyle Issues — legal issues of skyclad
• Minors
• We have a political threat against us — we need to be politically
proactive
• Professionalism in Pagan publishing and in leadership — training
leadership and writer skills
• Training professional communication skills
• Collaboration — especially in "ripple" issues
• Paganism as national "culture" — how to handle public issues effectively
• "Think Tank?"
• Paying
for this — what and how
• People offline and inclusion
• Communication and involvement in community
• Teaching how to deal with conflict
• Letter
writing
• Coalition-building and interfaith work
• Documentation of:
• Accomplishments
• Process
• Leadership/authority
• Money
• Power
• Forming training and lists for:
• Pagan
writers
• Pagan
speakers and presenters
• Temple movement — Institutes FOR Pagans and creating useful and
flexible institutional groups
• Need for levels — people to help
• Pagan studies in universities and schools
• Pagan Land projects — communications
• Service organizations
• Dealing with group conflicts effectively
• Goals instead of statements
• Pagan chaplaincy training
• Media Relations:
• Visibility
— newspapers, etc
• Media
handling training
• Better resource sharing/expertise — locate these resources
• Nurturing Pagan leaders — sharing what works for others
• "Future leader" training
• Multigeneration issues
• Regional, regular summits to teach, brainstorm, network
• Find a commonality
• International Pagan Relations
Solutions for Pagan Community:
• SELL the solution: what will "I" get out of it.
• Fundraisers:
• Concerts
• Organization of organizations: 501c(3)s
• Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy
• Write the manual, do the training
• Benefits of win-win
• Group can bring together all traditions/groups
• Web weaving
• Web ring
• Contacts
and speakers bureaus
• Resource
site
• Pagan Better Business Bureau — helping avoid problems with "repeat
offenders"
• Use Quaker conflict resolution model
• Movement for New Society
• Oath of "non-replication of rumors"
• Workshops for teens at festivals
• Education on laws concerning minors
• Web sites for teens, parents, and leaders
• Develop teen leaders and counsel them
• Identify Pagan archives supported by community
• Get publications in pubic repositories
• Discuss funding in all groups
• Share standards of clergy with other groups
• Professional organizations for writers/speakers
• Pagan Awards system — once a year for the best in community (like
Hugos in SciFi)
• Share land projects information between communities
• Share festival projects information
• Develop Land Project/Festival project groups
• Clearinghouse of Pagan e-lists
• Fundraisers
• Pass
the basket
• Life
insurance beneficiary
• Theme
parties
• Auctions
• Envelopes
for donations with names on them
• Getting
people resources to help
• Look
to the non-Pagan public ("Send $5.00 to learn the truth about Paganism"
in backs of some magazines in general community)
• Develop
a foundation for Pagan grant-making
• Talent Bank
• Peer nomination and review of resources
• Combine and network existing training
• Organize planning and strategy at festivals, publications, act
as a catalyst
• Build a business plan to generate revenue to do work
• Need to put 501c3 assistance team to help groups apply and accomplish
incorporation
• Develop a standard list of areas to educate the Pagan communities
but retain autonomy to add/subtract
• Resource of elders to collaborate to end conflicts
Solutions for Mainstream:
• Interfaith
• Pagans
in interfaith councils
• Train
to do this
• Local
level/national level
• International
• Chaplaincies
• Training
from hospitals
• Train
in Pagan community (festivals, locals)
• Nursing
homes and rehab centers
• Call
Faith list (for on-call chaplains)
• Colleges
and universities chaplains
• Corrections
chaplains
• Military
chaplains
• Public contact lists
• Placed
in libraries, media contacts, etc
• Pagan cemeteries
• Library reading list for librarians (what to recommend)
• Government
• Find
Pagan-friendly and Pagan candidates to run locally and support them
• Get involved
in local party activities
• Voter
parties — voter registration and getting people out to vote
• Media
• Send
clippings to archives of Pagan-related stories
• Be on
talk radio as a caller on Pagan issues
• Develop
media relations
• Start
a Pagan PR firm or media service
• Pagan
film and documentaries
• Encourage
Pagans to use "common" names instead of magickal names when dealing with
general public
• Share
names/contacts and materials for chaplains (military/hospitals)
• Get more
people "out" in public and accessible
• Get material
available and accessible for Pagans and public
• Generate
interview resources and material (people and literature)
• Come
up with "talking points" for media (common ground things between Pagans
and general community)
• Generate
PSAs for TV (Freedom of Religion means ALL religions) and run them
• Proactive Law Enforcement relations
• Generate
call list of contacts in community for resource on "gang" and other issues
• Train
law enforcement on signs/signals of Paganism and what it is
• Legal Aid society
• Create "Open Circles" within 200 miles of each other for networking/rituals
• Public Outreach
• Blood
drives
• Food
pantries
• Coat
drives
• Develop Pagan Political Action Committees to lobby outside of 501c3's
Back to top