That any meeting of Co-Counselors (whether it be called a support group, committee, commission, class, workshop, gather-in, conference, or whatever) shall always attempt to include some attention to the following matters:
The anti-pattern nature of our theory means we need continual reminders of it to keep it from being invaded, diluted, or degraded with the patterns with which it battles.
Communication of new theory as rapidly as possible is important to equip our Co-Counselors for more effective re-emergence.
The assistance which we can give each other for individual re-emergence is the central purpose of our Communities and should be a component of all our activities.
That at least once every two years Area Reference Persons (and as many as practicable of Alternate Area Reference Persons and of Teachers Outside Organized Areas who have at least twenty-five Co-Counselors in their classes) from specific geographic, ethnic, or language regions of the earth, shall meet and discuss policies and organization for their Regions, and Liberation Reference Persons and City-wide Coordinators of particular liberation constituencies shall meet and discuss policies and organization for their liberation groups, and, if a Continental Conference is meeting that year, select representatives to attend a Continental Conference (meeting at least once every four years) with the representatives of the other Regions and liberation constituencies of that continent, the International Reference Person, the Alternate International Reference Person and such representatives of special groups of Re-evaluation Counselors as shall be invited.
That such Continental Conferences shall choose one representative for each one thousand active Co-Counselors to attend a World Conference to be held the same or the following year and which the International Reference Person and the Alternate International Reference Person shall also attend.
That this World Conference consider the nature of long-range goals, the revision of the Guidelines, International policy and exchange of information. These activities shall not be limited to this meeting.
That the International Reference Person and Alternate International Reference Person undertake self-estimation in the presence of the World Conference for a review of the functioning of the International leadership and be confirmed or replaced by the meeting in their jobs.
International examination of information, ideas and activities and long-range plans can best be done by those people more intimately involved in the areas where such decisions will be carried out.
Self-estimation helps the leadership be accountable to the Community. It is a self-correcting way for leadership to move forward, encourages the responsiveness of leaders to the intelligence of the entire Community and encourages everyone to take a responsible attitude toward leaders.
That Co-Counselors and classes cooperate in any one geographical area and stay in contact with the whole Re-evaluation Counseling Community through a leaders' group (Wygelian type) and, when there are enough Co-Counselors to justify it, (thirty to fifty active Co-Counselors) through an Area Reference Person and an Alternate Area Reference Person.
That as soon as there are two or more Co-Counselors in a given geographical area or of a given constituency, these two or more persons shall, in addition to meeting for Co-Counseling, class work, or as a support group, meet occasionally as a Wygelian leaders' group to discuss and plan the growth, improvement and organization of the area or constituency. That the people invited to these meetings shall be people who are functioning as leaders or who are willing to become leaders and that the Wygelian leaders' format shall be followed in these meetings. If such a leaders' group grows to be more than ten, subsidiary leaders' groups covering particular functions shall be divided from it and meet separately but one leaders' group shall continue to take responsibility for the overall growth, improvement and organization of the area or constituency. When the area or constituency has reached between thirty and fifty active Co-Counselors, the leaders' groups shall call for a meeting of the area or constituency to propose an Area Reference Person and an Alternate Area Reference Person.
That the Area Reference Person be chosen by the Area in agreement with the International Reference Person (in consultation with the Regional Reference Person where one has been designated). That the Alternate Area Reference Person be chosen by the Area Reference Person and the Area, in agreement with the International Reference Person (and the Regional Reference Person where one has been designated). That these choices be made, if possible, at a meeting of responsible people of the Area at which the International Reference Person or representative is present, and if this is not possible, through the widest possible consultation between the Regional Reference Person (where one has been designated), teachers and other active leaders of the Area, and the International Reference Person or representative.
That the Area Reference Person and Alternate Area Reference Person not be chosen until thirty to fifty active Co-Counselors are present to constitute an Area. That a consultative review of Area leadership may be initiated at any time either by the International Reference Person or by the Area.
(Proposal 11 also describes the functions of the Area Reference Person)
Area Membership Meetings
That an Area membership meeting meet at least twice a year to review and reach a consensus on long-range policies and actions. That it consist of all active Co-Counselors, or if necessary, the Area Reference Person, Alternate Area Reference Person, the Area Leaders' Group and representatives of classes and active counselors in the Area.
That the Area Reference Person and Alternate Area Reference Person are encouraged to undertake self-estimation and be confirmed by the meeting in their job during at least one of the two yearly Area membership meetings.
Self-estimation helps the leadership be accountable to the Community. It is a self-correcting way for leadership to move forward, encourages the responsiveness of leaders to the intelligence of the entire Community and encourages everyone to take a responsible attitude toward leaders.
Leaders' groups (Wygelian type) evolved in the RC Communities and are now widely used in the RC Communities and in the wide world. They eliminate many of the difficulties previously arising in the relationship of leaders to each other, permit the release of a great deal of individual initiative, and meet the essential needs of leaders in their relationships with each other. The membership of a leaders' group (Wygelian type) consists of everyone who is operating as a leader or willing to learn to do so in a particular constituency. Such a constituency may consist of the Co-Counselors in a particular Area, Region, or locality or of people who share a commonality of occupation, interests, concerns, or oppression. The only functionaries for a leaders' group (Wygelian type) are (1) a Convenor, and (2) a Consultant. The Convenor is a member of the group who agrees to keep an up-to-date address and phone list of the members and notify them of a meeting when circumstances indicate a need for such a meeting. (The leaders' group [Wygelian type] does not meet regularly but only "when there is something to meet about.")
The Consultant may be a member of the group but need not be. A Consultant is the most skillful and best informed Co-Counseling leader available to assist the group (within RC it is often practicable to request the Regional Reference Person to be the Consultant or to choose someone to play the role). The Consultant serves as Chairperson during the first three items of the regular four-point agenda and serves as Counselor on the last item.
A typical leaders' group (Wygelian type) agenda will be as follows:
"News and goods" as people arrive.
Closing circle in which each member says what he or she valued most about the meeting.
Leaders' groups (Wygelian type) do not attempt to draw up overall plans or check up on the performances of the members. They do not meet unless the members or the Consultant feel there is a need for a meeting. They do release individual initiative very effectively and they do provide for rapid training of new leadership.
Having more than eight or ten participants at a particular meeting can make the meeting unwieldy in terms of duration. It has worked best to divide the group in terms of the functions into two or more groups when this happens.
Self-estimation is a tool to be used by a working group, not for members of a class, workshop, or workshop section unless such a class, workshop, or workshop section becomes a working group in another function.
Suggested format:
Clearly the effectiveness of self-estimation depends on how carefully and awarely we think about each other.
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