In Star Trek, a “mind meld” is a kind of telepathic touch that enables the rapid sharing of knowledge and experience. Unfortunately for (at least most of) us, we are neither telepathic nor within touching distance of each other, so we have created a MELD Network* to provide a mechanism to better share tools, methods, practices, and accomplishments across the state with each other.
The “League Mind MELD” column is a way to share even more information to all our members across the state. This column will run each month and will include the responses we receive to the questions posed at the end of the previous month’s column.
June’s MELD Moment
In one sense, the LWVWA 2024 Council could be described as a giant MELD gathering—as its focus was on Membership, Engagement, Leadership, and Development.
At Council, members engaged with one another and discussed the various ways they hold their member orientations and welcome new members. As well as how they hold social events, training for League activities, their leadership models, and how they develop leaders withing their League.
There were three workshops that delved deeper into the “who,” “how,” and “why” folks engage with their members and their community at large. Talks about what DEI means to specific Leagues, and how they incorporate DEI into their League’s work occurred. Different models of leadership, as well as how they are working or not working, were discussed. Workshop panelists described how they identify and develop leaders—from the beginning when they join the League, to identifying their interests and figuring out ways to involve them, to helping them grow with the League. And, of course, since the League is also a “people business,” tips on how to address the challenges and conflicts that come up as we work were also offered.
The 2024 LWVWA Council offered plenty of opportunities to meet new friends, learn new ideas, and share valuable information and experiences. We also came away with a renewed understanding and sense of nonpartisanship—what it means and why it’s an important part of our work as we navigate an increasingly partisan culture.
In future MELD meetings, our MELD pods will continue to explore many of the topics that came up during Council. We hope you will join us!
The League Mind MELD
Last month we asked, “do you have a relationship with your local library and museum?” and it turns out the WA Leagues do have strong bonds with the libraries in their communities! With the
new partnership between LWVUS and the American Library Association, these ties will likely become even stronger.
The connections between local Leagues and libraries ranged from access to meeting rooms to activities and programs focused on civics education and voter registration to community forums and much more. Increasingly, Leagues are also partnering with their local museums to create historical displays, programs, and community forums. These projects range from covering women’s history with programs like local women’s history walks to “League Nights at the Museum.”
A crucial part of our work is the connections the League can make with those around us, and the positive impact we can have because of those connections. And we’re seeing that local Leagues around Washington are working hard to build these connections!
For June's MELD questions, we are hoping to strengthen the LWVWA's communication with our members and local Leagues. To inform those communications, please answer the questions below.
June's questions:
- What does the LWVWA do for your League?
- What do you wish the LWVWA would or could do?
For more details about the MELD workshops held at the 2024 LWVWA Council, or about MELD pods, please contact Nancy Halvorson. And don’t forget to send your answers to June’s question to Nancy as well!
* In the context of the League, MELD actually has zero connection to Star Trek; it is an acronym for Membership, Engagement, Leadership, and Development. MELD pods meet each month to serve as platforms for sharing successes, addressing challenges, and exchanging ideas among local Leagues. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD. Are you interested in learning more about MELD? Talk to your Local League Leadership about becoming involved in MELD.
