Section 2.G: Descriptions of Agenda Items Specific to Particular Sessions

• Personal Introductions
• Presentation and Questions — Introduction to START
• Brainstorm and Discussion — Expectations and Hopes for the START Course
• Discussion and Questions — About the START Study Guide
• Presentation of Reports — Relating the Readings to Societal Change
• Plan a Change Action
• Proposals for Action

This section describes more specialized topics and activities that are likely to appear only on the agenda of particular meetings.

Personal Introductions

We encourage those groups in which participants have never before met to devote extensive time to introductions — enough time that people feel safe and comfortable with each other. Even groups in which members already know each other should spend some time getting to know each other better. This encourages cooperation and makes the process go easier and faster later on. No matter what introductory process is used, each person’s comments should be fairly brief and each person should be given approximately equal time to share with the group. This basic principle of equality is important to keep in mind throughout the START course.

Here are some suggestions for things that might be shared:

• Your name
• Where you live
• What work you do or your main interests
• Where you grew up
• A language other than English you speak or read
• Your favorite food prepared by your parents or grandparents
• The origin of your last name
• How you heard about START
• Why you are interested in START
• What spurred your concern with societal change
• One way that you have been oppressed or exploited
• One way that you have been privileged compared to others
• What effect your economic/social/cultural background has had on your political viewpoint
• One significant consciousness-raising experience in your life
• A time when you acted really well (or saw someone else act really well) in a difficult or conflictive situation
• One thing you have done well in changing society, and one thing you would like to be able to do better
• One thing you would like to be doing in social action; what is preventing you from doing it; what you might do to overcome those barriers

So that people can answer adequately, choose only three or four of these items for people to answer in the initial meeting and maybe a few more at a later meeting.

Generally, it is not a good idea to ask people simply to tell what change work they have done since that often produces a situation where a few people in the group talk at length about their experience while others say little or nothing and feel inadequate because they have had less experience.

Here are two ways you might structure the introductions:

Presentation and Questions — Introduction to START

The person convening the group may want to take 5 or 10 minutes to give some background information about START. This should include defining what START is, providing some historical background, briefly explaining the content and process, describing its relationship to social action, and perhaps telling an inspiring story. The introduction to this study guide provides most of this information. After the presentation, you might allot a few minutes for answering essential questions, but do not let this go on too long (more than 10 minutes) — the best way to understand START is just to do it.

The convener should briefly outline what is required of participants (see the list in Section 2.B) so everyone has a realistic idea of what they are getting into.

Also, depending on the group, the convener may want to introduce explicit ground rules for behavior. For some groups, agreeing by consensus to ground rules will make the group feel safer since it will be clear that obnoxious behavior will not be tolerated. But for others, establishing group rules at the first meeting will introduce the worry that others in the group might be problematic. In this case, it is better to wait and discuss ground rules only if problems arise. At the first meeting, you want to establish a hopeful, upbeat atmosphere and suggest that things will probably go well, not focus on potential problems.

Some possible ground rules:

• Everyone will treat the other members of the group well and respect their ideas, perspectives, and cultural practices
• Everyone will explore ideas together, investigating and challenging ideas to see if they make sense and effectively solve problems, but will do so thoughtfully and in a way respectful of others
• Everyone will be prepared to enforce this agreement if necessary, intervening if somebody is out of line, and stopping inappropriate behavior.

Brainstorm and Discussion — Expectations and Hopes for the START Course

A quick brainstorm — with ideas recorded so the group can refer to it later — is a good way of checking out whether people’s expectations are realistic and whether the group is meeting them. Either a brainstorm or a “think and listen” session might be focused by asking people to tell the group (1) ways in which they see themselves using what they will learn from the START course, or (2) a major hope or goal they have for the course. If people have unrealistic or contradictory expectations, this should be made clear and resolved at this time.

Discussion and Questions — About the START Study Guide

The creation of a democratic process — in which everyone participates equally and takes equal responsibility for the success of the group — requires that everyone in the group read and be familiar with this study guide. Ideally this should be done before the first meeting. If this is not possible, time for reading and discussing the study guide should be built into the introductory sessions in such a way as to permit any clarification or group decision-making needed before the group moves into the analysis sessions of the START course.

Reading Sets Collection A, typically used in Session 2, specifically calls for everyone to carefully read all of Chapter 1 and Sections A–F of Chapter 2 of this study guide, to skim Sections 2.G and 2.H, and to look over the other chapters.

Presentation of Reports — Relating the Readings to Societal Change

When presenting reports on social problems, there is a tendency to focus on the problems rather than on solving them. Here is one way to ensure at least part of each presentation focuses on solving problems:

Every time a report is given, the last minute might be devoted to its change implications: new goals, criticism of old goals and present efforts, or specific projects the group could do. If the allotted time period is about up and the presenter hasn’t focused on change implications, the facilitator might remind that person to do so, or suggest that an extra minute be taken at the end for that specific purpose.

Plan a Change Action

Planning and carrying out a change activity can make the ideas discussed in your study sessions seem less abstract. You can actually try out some of the change ideas you have generated and see how they work. The action may raise questions that you can then study and discuss in later START sessions.

Although many of the change actions that we know about are big affairs (such as boycotts, mass marches, starting alternative institutions, etc.), there are many important, smaller activities that a group can do without too much time and effort. Your group might want to do some kind of mini-action once a month. Here are some suggestions:

• Hold a vigil
• Write a leaflet on a chosen issue and pass it out at some appropriate place
• Do a listening project: set up a table with a sign at a street fair or public event, canvass door-to-door, or approach passersby on a busy street — and ask them about a hot-button issue, listen attentively, and record their main thoughts
• Help a local change group by joining their demonstration, handing out their leaflets, or working in their office
• Meet with a Congressmember or other decision-maker about an issue and suggest a solution to a societal problem

Proposals for Action

At the last meeting, to stimulate discussion about what you might do next, we suggest that three people present three different proposals describing what your group might do. These could be culled from action ideas generated throughout the course. After these presentations, you might brainstorm additional ideas, discuss them all, and sift through them for the idea that most appeals to your group. Here are some proposals that you might choose or adapt to your specific situation:

Next Section: 2.H. Descriptions of Exercises

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This page last updated on August 5, 2014.