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127
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1 *Meeting for Sufferings Appeal Review Group final report*
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2
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3 QF&P provides for an process of appeal to MfS with respect to
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4 decisions of an Area Meeting and disputes between Area Meeting.
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5 Experience with this process has been less than wholly positive, and
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130
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6 MfS commissioned a review. The Review Group reported with
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127
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7 recommendations for a narrowed and simplified process, including a
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8 preference for a "conflict transformation" approach (as opposed to
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9 "conflict resolution") and an explicit place for mediation before
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10 things get to Sufferings.
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11
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129
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12 We approved these recommendations, and specific changes to QF&P will
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127
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13 be forthcoming.
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14
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129
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15 We called Area Meetings' attention to the recommendation in QF&P that
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16 they should have a "conciliation group".
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17
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128
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18 There as some questioning of the value of the phrases "conflict
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19 resolution" _or_ "conflict transformation" _or_ any other language
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20 which raises expectations of success which cannot be met or fear of
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21 coercion.
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22
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127
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23 In this context Friends are reminded that Quaker Life can provide help
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24 and guidance to Meetings which are taken by surprise/taken aback by
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128
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25 apparently irresolvable internal conflict, and that asking for help
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26 _early_ is essential to avoid exacerbating aspects of a situation
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27 through ignorance.
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127
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28
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130
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29 The Review Group also suggested that beyond the narrow matter of an
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128
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30 appeals procedure, the larger question of how we deal with conflict as
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31 a Society, as Meetings and as individuals needs to be considered.
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32
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33 In this context we were reminded that difficulties around Membership
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34 often arise from "lack of familiarity with Quaker ... processes" and
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35 that accordingly care for a Ministry of Teaching in our meetings is
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127
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36 necessary to help promote this familiarity.
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130
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37
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38 *Report of BYM Sustainability Group Review Group*
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39
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40 The Review Group reminded us of the Canterbury Commitment:
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41
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42 http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/minute-36-leaflet-2011
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43
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44 The Sustainability Group was established by Sufferings to lead/guide
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45 BYM in taking the Commitment forward.
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46
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47 The situation is complex, the SG has achieved much, but also struggled
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48 much. The RG recommended laying the SG down, probably soon after the
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49 next Sustainability Gathering, in favour of mandating coordination
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50 between the different areas at the Central level which can and do
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51 support sustainability. Concern was expressed by myself and others
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52 that giving responsibility for overseeing this coordination to
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53 Sufferings without any detail on how this to be carried out leaves a
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54 very significant gap and risks simply recreating the SG under another
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55 name. Actually deciding to lay the SG down without a clear picture of
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131
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56 what's going to take it place seems premature, and was in the end not
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57 supported by MfS, which _did_ support the recommendation for "a
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58 specially convened meeting/meetings of the clerks of BYMSG, QPSWCC,
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59 ESP sub-committee, QLCC, QSC, BYM Trustees, the Board of Friends House
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60 Hospitality, MfS and all members of Management Meeting," after which
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61 we will need to come back to the question of the future for SG and/or
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62 the form of its replacement.
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130
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63
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64 The need for a clearer articulation of the largely unspoken spiritual
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65 basis for the Commitment was raised.
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66
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67 The oft-remarked tension resurfaced between a feeling on the part of
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68 many that we ought to put sustainability at the centre of our efforts
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131
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69 and a recognition that many others don't seem to be interested in
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130
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70 doing so.
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71
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72 Some quotes from the floor:
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73
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74 "It's not surprising that we struggle, and blame each other, and get
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75 stuck." (Laurie Michaelis)
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76
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131
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77 "This is the biggest thing we've ever tried to deal with." (Laurie Michaelis)
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130
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78
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79 "Giving responsibility but no authority to working groups [such as
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131
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80 SG] is Kafkaesque, not Quakerly" (Lis Burch)
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130
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81
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82 "How do we connect a BYM Concern with [the priorities and funding
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83 choices] of the centrally-managed work]." (Lis Burch)
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84
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85 "What is it that has caused us to try to do this and fail 5 times?"
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131
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86 (Peter Morris)
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130
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87
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88 [Testimonies C'tee to Sufferings in 2007?]
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131
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89
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90 *Restoring Integrity to the Public Sphere*
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91
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92 We were asked to consider a concern from an AM on this topic, which
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93 asked whether BYM should be a "public champion of truth"?
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94
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95 We've had a testimony to truth since the 17th century, but the more
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96 recent, complex, history to our recent engagement with this issue
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97 begins in 1990 with a concern which created a "Truth and Integrity in
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98 Public Affairs" programme. This was laid down in 2004.
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99
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100 We agreed to ask for input on this from Area Meetings, regarding both
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101 difficulties experienced and actions being taken.
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132
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102
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103 *Trustees Report*
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104
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105 There's a _lot_ of work that Trustees do for us, it's quite amazing.
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106
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107 There's two points of particular interest:
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108
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109 The first is expressed in a single 3-line paragraph in the middle of a
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110 10-page report:
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111
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112 "We agree that trustees, with the support of Management Meeting,
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113 should prepare a multi-year strategic plan. This should be done in
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114 careful consultation with committees and Meeting for Sufferings."
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115
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116 This is explained as
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117
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118 "We acknowledge that there is a lack of an overall strategic
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119 framework below the very high level Our Faith in the Future and
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120 above the operational plan, which makes prioritising difficult and
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121 which we now need to address."
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122
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123 The second was a reflection about diversity:
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124
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125 "[Trustees] are diverse in gender and geographical spread, do not
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126 know on sexuality, and are not diverse on ethnicity."
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127
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128 "In terms of age, we are better than many Quaker committees and
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129 half of us are in paid employment, but we do need younger Friends.
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130 We recognise that time constraints can be a problem for younger
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131 Friends who have less flexibility in their work schedules and often
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132 have family commitments.
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133
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134 "At present only 15 of the 400 places in the BYM committee
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135 structure are occupied by under-35s."
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136
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137 "We need to be radical as BYM trustees and experiment. Young
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138 Friends will bring themselves and bright thinking to being a
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139 trustee and learn in the process. We can and will adjust our
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140 meeting schedules to accommodate individual trustees."
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141
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142 Although filling jobs is hard enough without adding additional
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134
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143 constraints, it's worth reminding ourselves that AMs have been asked
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144 to look to their own structures in this regard and report back to the
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145 centre, and at AM in November we agreed to consider this. As MfS
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146 intends to take this up later in the year we should not delay too much
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147 longer in doing so if our input is to be available in time.
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