7/10/99 VS Chicago Meeting Notes
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Steve, Lisa, Linda, Jill, Elizabeth, JR, Mary, Carole, Joel, Dave, Lenny, Julie, Tina, Brenna and Mike, welcomed John, Ron, Tom, Peter and Harry to their first meeting.
Mike opened the meeting with a brief round of introductions, followed by an explanation the simplicity meeting's format (for the past two years, VS-Chicago has been using a meeting format called Open Space Technology, which provides ample room for everyone to participate - please see previous meeting notes for an explanation of Open Space techniques). We than began creating the meeting's agenda, by posting and arranging topics/questions of interest. The agenda developed into nine topics:
The first two topics convened concurrently. Participants flowed between each topic, making use of an aspect of Open Space called, "The Law of Two Feet" (move freely from topic to topic, as you wish, floating in like a butterfly to observe, or like a bee to participant in/pollinate conversation). Throughout meeting, smaller groups sprung up from time to time, to discuss ancillary/miscellaneous topics whenever needed, and concluding whenever discussion was complete.
As a way of continuing simplicity conversations, ideas, … between monthly meetings, Lenny suggested making use of social gatherings. For instance, Lenny and Julie are part of a group that holds monthly pot lucks, and welcomed everyone to attend. Others added on-going events in and around the Chicago area, resulting in the following list:
As a way of using this list, Lenny suggested simply contact someone in the group to make plans for attending any of the above, and/or other happenings (walks, the zoo, …).
As we neared the end of the meeting, everyone came back to form the large circle we had begun with. Mike & Linda updated the group on the FIA Board
* Meeting held the weekend before in Denver. The group concluded the simplicity meeting at 11:55pm, and gathered outside for a picnic lunch where further conversations and discussions continued.
(Reported by: Mike Lenich)
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FIA -- Financial Intelligence Associates -- is a new grass roots organization formed by the New Road Map Foundation, consisting of the Board, FIA Members, and a FIA email List Server. The list server is used by the Members to post and share observations, topics and ideas with other FIer's. To become a FIA Member, contact the New Road Map Foundation. Criteria for membership are doing the steps in the book, Your Money Or Your Life for six months. For further information regarding FIA, see the following article from the Simple Living Network's July-September 1999 Newsletter, Issue #26: http://www.slnet.com/free/newsletter/26articles/26nrmupdate.htm*****************************************************************************
Email: vschicago@juno.com