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| A Parish Process for Global Warming |
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One person can make a difference, a prophet who keeps pointing out that if people do not change their ways bad things will happen. Al Gore might fit that definition in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." If we don't start taking some drastic steps and change our life-styles, our lovely, temperate planet earth will be no more, at least, not as we know it. We can ignore the warnings or we can take it to heart and explore possible options and alternatives. The parish might be a fitting place to begin this exploration. One Parish Can Make A Difference Recycling, buying a fuel-efficient car, living simpler lives with less "stuff" – these point us in the right direction but a more collective effort is necessary. Enter the parish. In our workshops with parish staffs and leaders we have used an adaptation of The World Café process. (Juanita Brown with David Isaacs, Berrett-Koehler Publ., San Francisco, 2005.) This could be used for shaping a discussion on global warming as well. The process follows these steps: 1. Have parishioners view the documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth" as background preparation. This helps focus the issue. 2. Invite people to a parish gathering. Arrange tables of four persons each and cover the tables with large sheets of blank paper so participants can draw, doodle or jot down notes on the paper. Supply markers or crayons for this purpose. 3. Train beforehand one "host" (or hostess) for each table. Their task is to remain at the table throughout the exercise as others move about the room. 4. When people gather, they choose a table for the first round of discussion. After an initial prayer and explanation of the process, the facilitators announce the first question for discussion: "How did you react to the film – what grabbed you or caused you discomfort?" The host makes sure everyone has a chance to talk as well as encouraging people to use the paper any way they wish. The attempt is to tap into both right and left brain activity. 5. After 15 minutes, time is called and everyone except the host goes to another table, no two to the same place. When everyone is settled, they have a chance to share what came out of the first discussion Then the facilitators introduce the new question: "What can each one of us do to help stem the warming trend and what changes am I willing to make in my own life?" 6. The discussion goes on for 15 minutes, at the end of which, time is called and everyone chooses a new table. The host makes notes on the table covering and shares these with the new group, as the rest talk about what they discussed in the last round. 7. The third question for the final 15 minute discussion is: "What actions could the parish community take to reverse global warming and what changes might this mean for the parish itself?" 8. At the end of the hour, each host gives a one minute report to the large gathering and the table coverings are taped to a board or to the walls for all to see. 9. The results from the brainstorming are collected and published in the bulletin or newsletter and are put on the parish website. The facilitators prioritize the suggestions and funnel them to the appropriate groups for implementation. One parish, in other words, can make a difference. This same process can be used for other parish issues and topics as well. Just change the questions for each round of the discussion, ending up with a question that moves people into action. Tom Sweetser, SJ & Peg Bishop, OSF This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (www.pepparish.org) Parish Newsletter - August 2006 A Service of the Parish Evaluation Project Milwaukee, Wisconsin Reproduced on the OPRFM website with permission |
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