Governance

Smokva is organised by The Fig Tree Community Association (read more about this).
We’re currently have planning meetings every 2 months. Anyone is welcome to join these discussions, please ask the coordinator to be included.

Board member roles
Constitution
Conflict of Interest Policy

Following in the theme of sociocracy, our meetings have a few differences designed to make them less boring, more equitable and more productive. Familiarise yourself with some of the following ideas before turning up and you’ll be on the pathway to helping us keep them less boring and more productive.

We are all learning and evolving better ways of cooperation. Here are a few samples.

Rounds

Sometimes we talk in Rounds. This means, everyone is allocated a time to talk, one at a time, around the circle. Knowing that you are going to get a turn to speak reduces the urgency to interrupt. While we’re waiting, we may as well listen. Bring a paper and pen to jot down your ideas.

Rounds are a group facilitation technique to maintain equality and support effective dialogue.

Be clear on the purpose and intended outcome of each round.

Sit in a circle, begin each round with a different person, and change direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) to bring variation to who speaks first and last, and to the order of contributions.

Check-in round

A check in round is a moment to talk about what’s up for you and how you are doing, revealing thoughts, feelings, distractions or needs that might have an effect on how you communicate with other people today.

New people can also say their name and where they are coming from, as a way to introduce themselves.

Consent Decision Making

A (facilitated) group process for decision making: invite objections, and consider information and knowledge revealed to further evolve proposals or existing agreements.

Proposals become agreements when they are considered good enough for now and safe enough to try until the next review.

Unresolved objections prevent proposals from becoming agreements.

Withholding objections can harm the objectives of a team or organization.

  1. In the absence of objections to an agreement, I intend to follow through on the agreement to the best of my ability.
  2. I agree to share objections as I become aware of them.

These are just a couple of examples based on sociocracy30.org by Bernhard Bockelbrink, James Priest and Liliana David