Session 1 - Intro, Link, Reflections, & Comments.
Intro:
Hello, friends! I am looking forward to the first session of our GOALS CO-VID'20 electronic connections. I'll wear my vulnerability on my sleeve here and let you know that I've never tried anything like this before. Our Zoom subscription is days old...and this is the first attempt - so please bear with me as we figure it out together.
I've scheduled our sessions at 4pm in the hopes that your school responsibilities are wrapped up by then, and we're not putting more burden on home wi-fi systems that are trying to also adjust to a new normal with multiple kids streaming, chatting, etc. This is certainly what's happening with my tribe here at home. A few quick notes:
TONE. I hope to maintain a very positive and upbeat tone to our sessions. I hope to not discuss the pandemic - extra bonus points if we can complete an entire session without using the words "coronavirus". This is NOT to minimize or ignore the seriousness of what we're facing. Rather, it's to create an intentional break from the information stream we're all being inundated with. Pandemic news is easy to find these days. Good news takes some searching.
PRE-MEETING. I'll send out a "topic" each time before we meet. Maybe even a reading. Maybe I'll even hand this duty off to others who want it. We'll learn as we go.
The topic will always be emailed to those who’ve signed up to be part of the GOALS CO-VID’20 online community. If you’d like to receive these automatic emails, please fill out the form at the bottom of THIS PAGE that was used to introduced the COVID-’20 initative. For those who haven’t signed up to receive emails, the topic will also be posted in the GOALS CO-VID’20 blog home page - a different topic for each session.TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS. Zoom is suggesting that people use their computer audio when possible. Their site says that call-in's and use of the app on phones causes significant lags on meetings due to the number of people/businesses using the platform and online communication as a whole.
Link:
MEETING LINK. The link to this session is HERE.
The meeting ID is 237 781 207.
In preparation, please put a bit of thought into things you can do for peers, planet, and self.
Oh, and watch THIS...it's certain to make you smile.
Reflections:
It has been 21 hours since Session 1 concluded, and I’m just getting around to reflecting.
So many thoughts have swirled around in my mind after hitting the “End Zoom meeting” button yesterday. I’ll do my best to put them into words here.
Above all else, I’m grateful for the opportunity. We all need connections in this strange time - perhaps more than ever. I thank those of you who were able to contribute to the first ever GOALS online meet-up.
I’m glad that the technology worked. I tried a prep meeting to get ready, but this was the first “real” online discussion. I didn’t know if we needed to upgrade to a different plan to meet the demands of a larger group or to have more administrative controls - but from my end, it went as smoothly as I could have hoped for.
Kids seemed hesitant to share. This may be due to the venue. We know it’s harder to open up and drop into those meaningful conversations in our own living rooms than it is around a canyon campfire. And, this also may be a part of the process. Night 1 conversations on GOALS expeditions look and feel very different than they do on night 4. We’re all learning and adjusting to this new form of communication…it will improve as we practice. Regardless - if you’re reading this and plan to participate in future sessions, I ask you to view your role as more of a contributor and less of a bystander. Everyone has incredible ideas and insights to share - please don’t keep them bottled up.
We spoke of frequency and a schedule. For now, GOALS COVID-’20 meetups will occur Tuesdays and Fridays at 4pm MST. It goes without saying that if you have ideas/questions/thoughts you want to share after a session OR if there’s something you’d like to discuss during a future session, email me.
I’ve got some great ideas for where this is headed. Through discussion with one of my greatest mentors, I’ve come to recognize that while we do ALL need connections, GOALS simply providing an online opportunity to wave at one another and connect at the level we might through existing social media, etc. is not maximizing the effectiveness of our time together. Our expeditions are more than just a river trip. If the same manner, COVID-’20 will offer more than just a chat room.
You can all provide meaningful feedback. You can comment below (visible to anyone) or use the email link above if you’d rather keep your comments more private.
I am excited about where this is headed. I am grateful for what each of you bring to this community. I feel blessed to be a part of it.