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.
The League Mind MELD
Fighting for democracy! Preparing for Convention! Developing partnerships and coalitions! Welcoming new members! Annual Meetings! Wrapping up Consensus! There is a lot going on.
We are all busy and caught up in reacting to the events of each day. In the League, April is a good time to take a bit of a breather, as it is before most annual meetings and Convention. It's also a good time to get together with new members.
Membership orientations can take many forms—from informal coffee dates, a Zoom overview of the League, or even a phone call. Reaching out to find out what is on your members' mind, asking questions, and then being quiet and listening is very important! This is how you develop your League to reflect your community and fit into it, and work with other organizations and agencies.
MELD Pods this month will be exploring how to recognize new members and our volunteers, best practices, and how to effectively respond to the ongoing changes in our government.
Come join MELD at the LWVWA Convention, we'll be playing the "Pathway" game—walking the route of a new member to leadership. There might just be prizes!
Update on a Second Canva Workshop
There is a strong interest in holding a second Canva workshop, however the workshop may not be held until later in the year—so, we want to provide you with some tools to use now! Our trainers have suggested the following "homework" items to address the areas in which you would like additional training (and these items will inform our work in the next workshop):
Question for the month: What are your tips for volunteer recognition? We would like suggestions on creative ways to hold new member orientations.
Please send your responses to (or direct any questions toward) Nancy Halvorson, MELD Director.
*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.
