Catalysts of HOPEHealing
Our People & Earth
Bike4Peace
Bike4Peace
The following tips, written for the 2 day workshop, may prove helpful.
How to Organize a Workshop
The first task is to find twenty people willing and able to spend two full days together exploring ways to live for peace. We recommend you invite all your closest neighbors, especially those who may differ with your perspective or disagree with your ideas. The next challenge is to agree upon the same two days that the Journey of HOPE will be in your town. This will require a lot of communication between all parties. Please confirm this date with the facilitator (425-438-8985) before going any further. Keep the names of interested parties who can't make this date, because you may schedule another workshop, but continue to contact potential participants until you have twenty people solidly committed. The exact number of participants is flexible, but twenty is the target around which the workshop is designed.
After people, the priority is place. Look for a room that is quiet and comfortable with restroom and enough space for five conversations to happen at the same time. Confirm that it is available on your chosen dates. A home can work, but we'll want 21 chairs and 5 long tables in the same room, with space to move about. It should be okay to tape to the walls. We'll fill approximately 125 sq ft of blank wall. Remember to check for any accommodations that your participants may need, such as wheelchair ramps or amplification for hearing. Please try to have video equipment that allows us all to watch a DVD during meals.
Arrangements for three meals each day require organizational skills. Please plan where and what we will eat. While participants can help out, it's good to have a non-participant volunteer to supervise meals, unless they are brought in from a restaurant. While it's best to share all meals, it is possible for participants to eat morning and evening meals away from the facility. Meals could theoretically be potluck, if participants are able to prepare food ahead of time, so they can concentrate their energies on the workshop.
Besides room rental and meals, please budget about $50 for supplies and enough to provide room and board for the facilitator and family, who prefer to stay in a home and eat a simple vegan diet, preferably featuring locally grown produce. Vernon will solicit voluntary donations one time during the workshop to compensate other expenses. Since he gets around by bicycle his transportation costs are minimal. Inside storage for the bike is best. Ideally, the workshop facility should be a short bike ride from wherever the family is staying. Confirm exact dates with Journey organizer.
Thank you for organizing the workshop. We hope that you will find the experience rewarding, as others have. As you go through the process, please look for opportunities for future workshop organizers to learn from your experiences. Vernon is always eager to hear your thoughts and opinions.
