By Nancy Halvorson, LWVWA Membership Portfolio Director

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.

Dip Your Toe Into Canva and Social Media

Join us on January 22 at 4:00 PM for our social media general overview, "Dip your Toe into Canva & Social Media!" Register here.

We will be providing tips, tricks, and tools to help you work with templates, logos, and branding on Canva. Bring your questions and your concerns. Jen Winkler (LWV Snohomish County) and Joanne Lisosky (LWV Seattle/King County) will show us how easy and fun it can be to increase the impact your League has in your community! We'll look at how to use League resources, such as templates, to create your own "What is the League of Women Voters?" posts and personalize it for your own League. There is also the possibility of a more in-depth training as well.

Post Election Breathers and Thankfulness

Whew! The 2024 Election has come and gone—and while we may not know the outcome of all the election races at this point—it's time to take a breather! We have all worked so hard these past 15 months, from more tabling and GOTV, to recruiting more volunteers and fielding more requests, to more speaking engagements, more meetings, and more advocacy. It seems like it is always more, more, more! But we did it—YOU did it. So, pat yourself on the back.

Also, a special thank you to Bev Herbst (LWV Skagit County) and Ellie Hutton (LWV Clark County) who spoke to all the MELD pods during October on the new League dues process to be launched in early 2025.

The League Mind MELD

LWVUS webinars for League leadership positions are taking place in November and December. Make sure you are registered for one of these important webinars! Register here.

November MELD pods will do a bit of reflection on this past election season and then focus on the ins and outs of Program Planning and preparation for consensus on two statewide League studies.

Lately, we've been reflecting on what members have learned by attending MELD sessions. We've heard about:

• LWV Klicitat/Skamania's work partnering with a local Tribe to encourage voter registration;
• LWV Skagit County hosting a guest speaker and video presentation on LGBTQIA+ issues;
• The Spokane League worked this year to translate ballots into different languages, hosted their annual Civics Bowl (which included a partnership with their local public access TV);
• The introduction of LWV Seattle/King County's civics education curriculum being introdued in local schools;
• LWV Kitsap's unique take on GOTV on the roadways, using "Burma Shave" type signage to get the message out;
• An in-depth reporting from LWV Benton/Franklin Counties on how they've covered multiple districts and their other forum successes.

But that's just SOME of the many, many things local Leagues around the state have been doing. We want to hear more from local Leagues and invite you to join us at MELD sessions to share the successes of your League!

Last month we asked what LWVUS webinars you attended. The most frequent answer was the "Framing the Future Office Hours." This makes as it's a space to learn a bit more each month about the big changes with due collections in January 2025.

December's Questions:

November is a time dominated by Thanksgiving (at least once the election is over), so naturally, we're asking: What are you thankful for?

Please send your asnwers to Nancy Halvorson.

*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.