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134
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1 *Meeting for Sufferings*
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127
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2
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3 7 April 2018
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4
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5 Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative
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6
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7 All the papers for the meeting are available online at
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8
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9 http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-april-2018-agenda--papers-package
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10
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130
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11 This includes, in particular, the two Review Group reports discussed below.
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12
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134
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13 The minutes and other follow-up material are available from
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14
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15 http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-april-2018-follow-up-package
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16
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17 *Meeting for Sufferings Appeal Review Group final report*
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18
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19 QF&P provides for an process of appeal to MfS with respect to
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20 decisions of an Area Meeting and disputes between Area Meeting.
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21 Experience with this process has been less than wholly positive, and
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22 MfS commissioned a review. The Review Group reported with
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23 recommendations for a narrowed and simplified process, including a
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24 preference for a "conflict transformation" approach (as opposed to
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25 "conflict resolution") and an explicit place for mediation before
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26 things get to Sufferings.
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27
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28 We approved these recommendations, and specific changes to QF&P will
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29 be forthcoming.
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30
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31 We called Area Meetings' attention to the recommendation in QF&P that
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32 they should have a "conciliation group".
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33
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34 There as some questioning of the value of the phrases "conflict
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35 resolution" _or_ "conflict transformation" _or_ any other language
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36 which raises expectations of success which cannot be met and sometimes
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37 leads to a fear of coercion on the part of the appelant.
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38
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39 In this context Friends are reminded that Quaker Life can provide help
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40 and guidance to Meetings which are taken by surprise/taken aback by
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41 apparently irresolvable internal conflict, and that asking for help
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42 _early_ is essential to avoid exacerbating aspects of a situation
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43 through ignorance.
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44
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45 The Review Group also suggested that beyond the narrow matter of an
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46 appeals procedure, the larger question of how we deal with conflict as
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47 a Society, as Meetings and as individuals needs to be considered.
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48
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49 In this context we were reminded that difficulties around Membership
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50 often arise from "lack of familiarity with Quaker ... processes" and
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51 that accordingly care for a Ministry of Teaching in our meetings is
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52 necessary to help promote this familiarity.
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53
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54 *Report of BYM Sustainability Group Review Group*
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55
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56 The Review Group reminded us of the Canterbury Commitment:
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57
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58 http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/minute-36-leaflet-2011
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59
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60 The Sustainability Group was established by Sufferings to lead/guide
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61 BYM in taking the Commitment forward.
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62
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63 The situation is complex, the Sustainability Group has achieved much,
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64 but also struggled much. The Review Group recommended laying the
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65 Sustainability Group down, probably soon after the next Sustainability
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66 Gathering, in favour of mandating coordination between the different
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67 areas at the Central level which can and do support sustainability.
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68 Concern was expressed by myself and others that giving responsibility
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69 for overseeing this coordination to Sufferings without any detail on
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70 how this to be carried out leaves a very significant gap and risks
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71 simply recreating the Sustainability Group under another name.
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72
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73 Actually deciding to lay the Sustainability Group down without a clear
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74 picture of what's going to take it place seems premature, and was in
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75 the end not supported by MfS, which _did_ support the recommendation
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76 for "a specially convened meeting/meetings of the clerks of
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77 BYMSustainability Group, QPSWCC, ESP sub-committee, QLCC, QSC, BYM
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78 Trustees, the Board of Friends House Hospitality, MfS and all members
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79 of Management Meeting," after which we will need to come back to the
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80 question of the future for the Sustainability Group and/or the form of
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81 its replacement.
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82
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83 The need for a clearer articulation of the largely unspoken spiritual
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84 basis for the Commitment was raised.
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127
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85
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134
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86 The oft-remarked tension resurfaced between a feeling on the part of
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87 many that we ought to put sustainability at the centre of our efforts
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88 and a recognition that many others don't seem to be interested in
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89 doing so.
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90
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91 Some quotes from the floor:
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92
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93 "It's not surprising that we struggle, and blame each other, and get
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94 stuck." (Laurie Michaelis)
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95
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96 "This is the biggest thing we've ever tried to deal with." (Laurie Michaelis)
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97
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98 "Giving responsibility but no authority to working groups [such as
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99 Sustainability Group] is Kafkaesque, not Quakerly" (Lis Burch)
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100
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101 "The major problem has been in how we connect a YM concern with the
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102 existing BYM workplan." (Lis Burch)
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103
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104 "What is it that has caused us to try to do this and fail 5 times?"
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105 (Peter Morris)
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106
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107 *Restoring Integrity to the Public Sphere*
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108
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109 We were asked to consider a concern from an AM on this topic, which
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110 asked whether BYM should be a "public champion of truth"?
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111
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112 We've had a testimony to truth since the 17th century, but the
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113 complex, history to our more recent engagement with this issue begins
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114 in 1990 with a concern which created a central "Truth and Integrity in
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115 Public Affairs" programme. This was laid down in 2004.
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116
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117 We agreed to ask for input on this from Area Meetings, regarding both
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118 difficulties experienced and actions being taken.
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119
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120 *Trustees Report*
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121
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122 There's a _lot_ of work that Trustees do for us, it's quite amazing.
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123
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124 Here are just two points of particular interest:
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125
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126 The first is expressed in a single 3-line paragraph in the middle of a
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127 10-page report:
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128
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129 "We agree that trustees, with the support of Management Meeting,
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130 should prepare a multi-year strategic plan. This should be done in
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131 careful consultation with committees and Meeting for Sufferings."
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132
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133 This is explained as
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134
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135 "We acknowledge that there is a lack of an overall strategic
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136 framework below the very high level _Our Faith in the Future_ and
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137 above the operational plan, which makes prioritising difficult and
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138 which we now need to address."
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139
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140 The second was a reflection about diversity:
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141
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142 "[Trustees] are diverse in gender and geographical spread, do not
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143 know on sexuality, and are not diverse on ethnicity."
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144
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145 "In terms of age, we are better than many Quaker committees and
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146 half of us are in paid employment, but we do need younger Friends.
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147 We recognise that time constraints can be a problem for younger
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148 Friends who have less flexibility in their work schedules and often
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149 have family commitments.
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150
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151 "At present only 15 of the 400 places in the BYM committee
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152 structure are occupied by under-35s."
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153
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154 "We need to be radical as BYM trustees and experiment. Young
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155 Friends will bring themselves and bright thinking to being a
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156 trustee and learn in the process. We can and will adjust our
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157 meeting schedules to accommodate individual trustees."
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158
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159 Although filling jobs is hard enough without adding additional
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160 constraints, it's worth reminding ourselves that AMs have been asked
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161 to look to their own structures in this regard and report back to the
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162 centre, and at AM in November we agreed to consider this. As MfS
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163 intends to take this up later in the year we should not delay too much
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164 longer in doing so if our input is to be available in time.
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