One of the great benefits of being in a kindred, is your close association and cooperation with other Heathens that you trust and enjoy being around. A kindred represents your close inner-circle of friends. You share group-identity with the other members of the kindred, and live in true Frith with one another. You learn together, accomplish things together, exchange ideas and thoughts on things, your children play together, and in many ways it is like a close-knit extended family.
One of the difficulties that can come up in a kindred is getting everyone together at one time. Kindred members have different work schedules, different outside activities they have committed to attend, family obligations, and things they need to accomplish around their homes each week. So, trying to schedule an impromptu event every week or every month can be quite a challenge. Having regularly scheduled kindred events and an events calender is way around this problem. So, while the topic of this essay may not sound like the most interesting of topics...it hits directly on when your kindred gets together and what you accomplish as a group.
For example, Jotun's Bane Kindred has a kindred event scheduled every two weeks. We plan out our schedule in November for all of the following year. We decide what events will be private events (for kindred members only), semi-private events (for kindred members and invited friends of our kindred), and public events (open events that anyone can attend). We put our road trips to visit other kindreds and to attend heathen gatherings on the schedule, as well as our study groups, fainings, trash-pickup days, social events, and everything else we plan to do the following year. We've been scheduling our events a year in advance for 4 years now, and this essay represents what we've learned during that time.
HOW TO DECIDE ON A SCHEDULE?
It is possible that one person in the kindred, perhaps someone in a leadership position, could decided on what the event schedule would be and then give that schedule to the rest of the kindred members. I don't think this is a particularly wise course of action. As with most issues of importance in a kindred, things run more smoothly if everyone's ideas and input are considered, and then a discussion is had within the kindred until a consensus is reached. The best way to create an event schedule is to have a kindred meeting, have a blank calendar for the next year in hand, and then create the next year's schedule as a group.
So, if you have a new kindred or your existing kindred wants to impliment an events schedule, let's go through the various steps in the process and some things to keep in mind.
HOW OFTEN ARE EVENTS?
It is important to remember that just because your kindred has decided to schedule a kindred event every week, or two weeks, or every month...does not mean this is the only time kindred members can get together. Couples can get together for dinner. Individual members can get together to go to the movies or a concert. Families can go to a park together. Since the kindred is a group of close friends there is every reason to expect that kindred members will get together and hang out more often than you events schedule will reflect. What an events schedule provides is the minimum amount of gatherings your kindred will have as a whole during the year.
The key to choosing how often to schedule events is to choose a frequency that is possible for everyone in the kindred. A calender with unrealistically frequent scheduled events will place hardships on some or all kindred members, and will cause a situation where scheduled kindred events actually get in the way of the more casual impromptu get-togethers.
So getting everyone's input on the frequency of events is important, as well as being ready to make adjustments to the calender is it becomes clear that the frequency of the schedule is causing serious problems.
Another question to consider is just how far in advance you want to schedule events. You could schedule them out a few months in advance...six months in advance...or a year in advance. Jotun's Bane Kindred has found that we benefit from making a schedule for the following year in November. By planning out the entire next year, we have a very good idea going into the new year exactly what we hope to do and accomplish in that year. We know what public events and Heathen gatherings we plan to host. We know what road-trips we are going to make to visit other kindreds and attend Heathen gatherings in our region. Best of all, we know what we will need to plan and organize in order to make that schedule succeed.
WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD THE EVENTS BE HELD?
It can be helpful if there is some consistency to when your scheduled events take place. So with everyone's input, attempt to identify a day of the week when everyone is free to attend. For Jotun's Bane Kindred we determined that Sunday afternoons and evenings were open for every kindred member to attend.
When you've identified a day of the week that works for everyone, then decide on what times you want to meet. This can vary based on the sort of event you are holding, but having a somewhat consistent start time helps avoid confusion. For Jotun's Bane Kindred, we tend to start our Sunday events at 3:00 PM. This gives us time to have an activity of some sort, eat a pot-luck meal with one another, and then have more activities, social time, or a Symbel.
It is important you choose a location for every event that is appropriate to the event you have planned. It can be really nice to rotate private events through the homes of various kindred members. But keep in mind that some kindred member's homes won't have enough seating for the entire kindred.
For public events, you are better off holding them in public places (coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, bars, parks) so that complete stangers aren't being brought into a kindred member's home. Another approach to this is to require strangers to meet with you prior to attending a public event, so you can check them out prior to having them into someone's home.
WHAT KINDS OF EVENTS INTEREST THE KINDRED?
There are a wide variety of types of events you could put on the schedule.
One of the first things we do is place the holy days we are going to celebrate on our schedule. We traditionally schedule these on our regular meteing day that is closest to the actual holy day. Some kindreds may choose to schedule celebrations on the actual holy day (as they calculate it), but we have chosen not to do this.
It is important to consider the holidays and events of the mainstream culture. For instance, scheduling a study group session on Mother's Day will likely result in many members not being able to attend. Often, kindred member's already have standard activities or vacations planned for the 4th of July or Memorial Day weekend. Staying clear of these prior obligations and plans will make your schedule better.
You'll also want to put on the calendar any Heathen gatherings you may be attending or any visits to other kindreds you want to make. Factoring these road-trips into your calendar up-front will avoid schedule conflicts, allow kindred members to budget for them, and allow you to RSVP for the events as a kindred.
The next thing you will want to decide is how many public events you are going to want to schedule. Public events are open to whomever wants to attend and are normally announced and publicized as part of a kindred's educational outreach. Public events could include:
- Celebration of a holy day
- Heathen workshops at a coffeeshop, bookstore, or home
- Open study groups at a coffeeshop, bookstore, or home
- Open fainings or blots at a park or home
- Pubmoots at a restaurant or bar
- Picnics at a park followed by a Symbel
- Campouts on a kindred member's land or a campground
- Trash pick-ups or other service projects
- Attending a nordic festival or museum as a group
- Going to a German restaurant as a group
- Hosting a Heathen gathering
While public events are fun and serve a positive purpose, holding too many public events takes away from private time for the kindred itself to gather. This is especially true for the celebration of holy days. For instance, Jotun's Bane Kindred does hold a public event during Ostara, but we have always kept our Yule celebration completely private. So there needs to be a healthy balance between fully public events, private events that friend are personally invited to attend, and events that are purely private.
Private events can be nearly anything, ranging from events with a deeply spiritual Heathen focus to events that are entirely social and have very little direct connection to Heathenry. And some are a combination. Again, you will want a healthy balance between events with a heathen focus and those with a social focus. Some examples:
- Celebration of holy days
- Fainings or blots followed by a feast and Symbel
- Traveling to visit another kindred or Heathen gathering
- Study groups, discussion groups, and workshops
- Camping, hiking, or fishing
- Going out to a restaurant, concert, or sporting event
- Going to a Nordic festival or museum
- Craft nights
- Activities, outings, or classes for children
- Movie nights at someone's home
- Games, contests, and challenges
There may be events that get priority and reoccur more often than others. Some kindreds may want to have at least one faining or blot every month. Others may want a study group session on a monthly basis. Jotun's Bane Kindred decided early on that we would have a Pubmoot or public event at least every 2 months. So, if there is some function or event you want to give some priority to, just make sure that is represented on your finished calendar.
Your goal is to come up with a balanced schedule that everyone in the kindred is excited about. So getting input from everyone is important. Don't forget to put a scheduling meeting on your schedule toward the end of the year, so that you can plan the next year's events.
WHAT ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS/OBLIGATIONS EXIST?
The hope of course is that every kindred member will want to be at every scheduled event, and will do everything possible to prioritize their time accordingly so that they can be at every event.
Part of prioritizing one's time, is using all of your time wisely so that you get the things you need to get done in life at times when kindred events are not scheduled.
Obviously, there are reasonable causes to miss a scheduled kindred event. Work obligations, funerals, medical emergencies, weddings, and other important circumstances can prevent attendance at an event. But even in these circumstances, the kindred member who must miss an event has an obligation to let the rest of the kindred know with as much advance warning as possible.
One type of event that runs into unique attendance problems is a kindred road-trip to visit another kindred or attend a Heathen gathering. These events depend on gas and food money, dependable transportantion, the ability to be gone for several days, and sometimes registration fees. There are times when a kindred member or family will not be able to attend due to finances, inability to get time off, or car troubles. Again, this is completely understandable as long as the kindred member gives the kindred as much warning as possible.
Another part of prioritizing one's time that is often neglected is thinking ahead, and making sure you hold back enough time on your personal schedule to assist the kindred in getting ready for a big public event or gathering the kindred is hosting. Many events take a lot of work and time to organize and bring off successfully, and it works best if every kindred member has made the time to help with planning and preparations.
MOVING SCHEDULED EVENTS?
Make every effort to not move or reschedule events. By creating a schedule, you are asking every kindred member to prioritize these events and to actively shape their personal schedule in a way that allows them to attend all of the events. When you move an event, you throw a proverbial wrench into the works.
When you attempt to move an event to accomodate one member that can't attend, you put hardships on the other kindred members. Often, moving an event for one member makes it difficult or even impossible for other members to attend. You also risk creating a culture where members don't feel the need to work very hard to keep their personal schedule in line with the kindred schedule. You may unintentionally create the impression that a kindred member can double-book on a day you have a kindred event scheduled, because, "You'll just move the event for me anyway."
There will be some events that some kindred members will have to miss because important obligations in their lives get in the way. That's life.
PUBLISHING THE SCHEDULED EVENTS CALENDARS
Once you have scheduled events for the next year, you can publish or provided the full calendar to every kindred member, so that they can integrate that schedule into their personal calendars or plans. You can invite friends to the events that the kindred has agreed to allow friends to attend. And you can publically publish or provide a list or calendar of the public events you are holding.
This can be done printed out on a simple piece of paper. It is also possible to self-publish a calendar on any number of print-on-demand on-line services. You can also distribute this information by email, Facebook message, or by posting it on a website. The idea is to ensure that the appropriate information regarding the schedule is easily available and is delivered to the appropriate audience. The public at large does not need to know when or where you private events are being held, but it is important that the public at large be made aware of your public events. At the same time, your kindred members need a handy place to check the schedule whenever they have a question or are making plans.
THE VALUE OF HAVING SCHEDULED EVENTS
I think having a scheduled events calendar and putting it together in the way I've described here can benefit a kindred in many ways. First of all, it ensures that the kindred is getting together as a whole on a regular basis. It allows for the kindred to plan ahead to future events, and prepare and organize them properly. It allows you to publish a list or calender of your public events far in advance, allowing interested people to plan their personal calendars around your public events. It allows kindred members to plan their own personal calendars around all of the events on the kindred's calender, and to prioritize their time and their lives around those events. Bringing all of these benefits together, the end result is your events, both public and private, will be better organized, more successful, and better attended across the board.
Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
No comments:
Post a Comment