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Your Circle |
Navigator Training and Orientation
Do you want your circle to be an outstanding circle?
It is actually quite easy if you do three things:
- Organize you circle's activities early -- at the beginning of the year.
- Establish a "tradition" (structure) for your circle meetings.
- Maintain a good set of circle property.
Organize Your Circle
Make a circle activity calendar at the beginning of the year and stick to it.
- Include all Nation events in the calendar
- Include all your Circle meetings in the calendar. Schedule your meetings early in the month – as soon after the monthly Nation Meeting as you can.
- Include your two "free-swims" in the calendar
- Include circle outing dates in the calendar
- Include your year-end picnic in the calendar
- Assign a family to host each circle meeting.
- Assign a family to plan each circle outing and your picnic.
- Assign all the other tasks that you know about to someone.
Circle meetings should be held monthly, typically in the members' homes. Your circle meetings should be structured. The basic outline for a good Circle meeting is simple:
- The Circle Navigator Conducts
- The Meeting Host Provides
- A story
- A craft, game or other activity -- adults and children together
- Treats and "free time" (while the adults hold a short business meeting)
- The Circle Navigator Conducts
- The business meeting (while the kids have treats and play).
- The closing ceremony (all members)
Other approaches can work just as well as the outline presented above.
If you have a large circle, you might want to allocate duties differently.
Read the Friends Always book for more ideas.
Some Keys to Successful Meetings
Adults and children should do everything together (except the "business" portion of the meeting - excuse the kids from that.)
Rituals are important.
Each circle's meeting should begin with an opening ceremony and end with a closing ceremony.
Make written copies of the ceremonies.
Pass them out at each meeting and have the members participate.
Business should be kept to a minimum.
Rely on handouts and phone calls. You are at the meeting to play with the kids – not to talk about upcoming events. If necessary, have a separate business meeting once a month.
Structure makes things easy
If the host only needs to select a story, some treats and a simple activity, then there is no real "work".
Variety can be good but use it sparingly
Structured circle meetings are at the core of the program. Special circle activities and outings are a wonderful enhancement; I strongly encourage them. But special activities should be scheduled in addition to the circle meetings, not instead of the circle meetings.
Keep things simple
Choose things that the kids can easily do together with their parent. Choose things that do not require elaborate plans.
Maintain a Good Set of Circle Property
Together with your circle "traditions", your circle property defines your circle's identity. Circle property is important.
Property may be accumulated over time. Be sure you have the basics – a Navigator's Hat and Staff, a Drum. Build from there. Each year you should try to either add a (missing) item or upgrade an old item. Making property is better than buying property. If you buy an item, consider having the circle decorate it.
Circle property should be a shared activity. Creating or decorating your property can be a great activity for one (or more) of your circle meetings!
Wear Your Vests
Your Circle Vests are really a key to bringing your members together. Encourage everyone to have a vest -- especially new members because it will immediately make them part of "the gang". Everyone's vest does not need to match exactly, but they should be similar. Vests are easily purchased at minimal cost. Vests should be worn at all meetings and events.
Patches might seem unimportant, but the children love them. Try to get your members to put their patches on. If members do not sew, perhaps a member has an older daughter or son who will do the service for a small fee. Most commercial dry-cleaners provide sewing services.