OLOC STEERING COMMITTEE reports

We Came, We CR’d, We Consensed
by Alix Dobkin, 66

A report on the OLOC Steering Committee meeting
held Oct 12-15, 2006, near Portland, OR

At our August Gathering, five women answered our call and expressed interest in joining the SC. Their first meeting was quite unusual. Committee members spent four days covering a daunting agenda prepared by our hard-working and capable co-directors, Jan & Shaba. New provisional members and guests contributed their thoughts throughout. A substantial effort is involved in the management of OLOC, much of which falls to our Steering Committee, communicating with each other through a multitude of e-mails, several phone conferences a year, and twice-yearly meetings where OLOC work is envisioned, assigned, and accomplished (or tabled).

I adore Consciousness Raising — our stories are so spectacular! And the frequently thrilling (to me) results of the Consensus Building process, as tedious, nit-picking, and plodding as it can sometimes be. In my opinion, those two practices are life-saving gifts to current and future pre-feminists. At the SC meeting, although we each experienced difficult, frustrating, and tedious moments, our consensus process mostly worked and the actual work was, mostly, handled efficiently and openly.

Under the pressure of a jam-packed agenda, we rotated the jobs of facilitator, time keeper, and a "vibe watcher" to improve communication and help keep us brief, kind, and respectful. It worked. A CR session opened the weekend, with a focus on visualizing/building a stronger OLOC and Steering Committee. We closed the CR determined to try and build upon each other’s ideas and suggestions in doing the work of OLOC.

I’ll spare you the details of every discussion filling four frenetic days working through the two-and-a-half page agenda. Suffice it to say that many things were discussed, some at great length. Topics ranged from fine-tuning our Mission Statement, to evaluating the recent Gathering, beginning plans for the next Gathering, field organizing, evaluating our work, mentoring provisional SC members, development of new local groups, harnessing the interest and energy of women approaching 60, budgeting, planning for changes to our website, reviewing OLOC bylaws, updating guidelines, forming standing committees, and more.

We receive excellent feedback from subscribers and love hearing from our amazing, creative, funny, accomplished tribe. Personal meetings are special treats, and happily, on Saturday afternoon we were treated by visits from a dozen or so Oregon and Washington State OLOC gals plus two more en route back to California. The SC had invited area women to join us for conversation so that we could get better acquainted with them and the OLOC work going on in the northwest. A couple of delightful hours flew by while we exchanged information, opinions, stories, and jokes before going out to dinner together. There’s good evidence and a strong sense among many in OLOC that we are on the threshold of tremendous growth. First of all, there are lots and lots of us. Second, we, the very first generation of post-menopausal, feminist Lesbians on this poor, abused planet share a unique perspective and experience not to mention knowledge and wisdom. As patriarchy goes totally bonkers, it’s easy to feel grim and frightened, but there’s another path to walk, and I came away from the weekend feeling energized, hopeful, and grateful to OLOC for helping me stay on mine.

Alix Dobkin, Woodstock, NY. Alix@oloc.org (845) 679-7586

Top Photo:
"OLOC Demonstrates with Grandmothers Against the War, Oakland 2006." (photo by Cathy Cade)