Developing community is a core issue of CLIPS. The transition from the individual to the group can be challenging and needs to be supported even in long lasting groups, as the process is never complete and seem to be in constant evolution. A line of methods aiming to create and reinforce a sense of community within a group have been tested and developed in the ecovillage movement and have been adapted for CLIPS.
A METHOD TO GET TO KNOW YOURSELF IN YOUR COMMUNITY. To know more of yourself in a group, to know your group; differences and skills. to know which areas to improve - where to give special attention, to bring awareness to differences in a community group and why it is necessary to have different skills/styles represented. And give value to them all.
These cards are produced by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN Education), here contextualized to CLIPS. They can be used to map motivations for group members, to map skills and learning needs of group members and to search for a common intention for a group. A workshop of 1,5 hours.
Best use: start organisational meetings Check-in is a method for groups to tune into the work or process ahead. Check-in is done by briefly sharing with your group how you are in the current moment. This is often done with words, but can be expressed as a movement, sound or in any other way that works for the group. Others pay attention or listen mindfully to group members as they do the check-in.Check-in informs the group about the collective atmosphere and how to work together.