About Meet-ups:
NetworkM is working towards building a community of socially and spiritually striving individuals around the globe. Harnessing the power of the internet to connect people and enable sharing of initiatives NetworkM has created a thriving online social networking website. Our goal is to leverage the connections we make online into local participation in supportive community. Meet-ups serve as one way to embody the network, by giving local members the chance to meet and share experience and ideas every few months. A Meet-up is like a global conference that takes place at the same time around the world in small, local gatherings.

Meet-up groups will share similar agendas for the day and will be working with the same topics. Meet-up participants will also well get to share their own individual initiatives, allowing for new growth and opportunities to manifest in the supportive environment of the Meet-up.
Host requirements and responsibilities:
• Provide space or venue to host the Meet-up
• Invite people in the local area to attend. It is important to invite anyone who is already a member of NetworkM as well as anyone who may be interested in
connecting with other progressive thinkers and doers. An ideal number of
participants will be between 5-10 (for a single host: if there is likely to be more, consider drafting a volunteer to help co-host).
• Someone must perform the moderation/facilitation role. This is often the host. If someone else is appointed please brief them on the contents of this document.
• Whoever is moderating/facilitating should focus on performing that role. Someone else should be chosen who can take good notes and write up a good, quick summary at the end of the day. The summary should be posted in the forms
• A device (computer, MP3 player) attached to loudspeakers will be required to play the lecture/interview. Download the podcast and test it on the equipment before the participants arrive, so that all technical issues can be worked out beforehand.

Meet-up Schedules:
The goal with the meet-up schedule is to include enough time to get acquainted with people, introduce the topic with a recorded lecture/interview, and to discuss the topic or territory. It is strongly suggested that breaks, snacks, and games are also included in the schedule. Depending on variables such as group size, supplied exercises, etc.. the time which is required may vary from the suggested schedules. Below are two options for schedules. Feel free to adjust to meet your space/time/group-size requirements.

Example Schedules:

Early
10:00-10:05 Opening verse and circle
10:05-10:15 Introductions, overview of schedule
10:15-10:45 Getting to know one another, physical warm-ups, etc.
10:45-11:15 Presentation of recorded talk/interview
11:15-11:30 Break/Stretch/Journal time
11:30-12:30 Discussion on talk
12:30-1:30 Potluck lunch, social time, movement
1:30-2:15 Integrating this work into our lives including announcements and presentations by
participants on projects they are involved with
2:15-2:30 Closing and Clean-up

Late
2:00-2:05 Opening verse and circle
2:05-2:15 Introductions, overview of schedule
2:15-2:45 Getting to know one another, physical warm-ups, etc.
2:45-3:15 Presentation of recorded talk/interview
3:15-3:30 Break/Stretch/Journal time
3:30-4:30 Discussion on talk
4:30-4:45 Snack and movement
5:00-5:45 Integrating this work into our lives including announcements and presentations by
participants on projects they are involved with
5:45-6:00 Closing and clean-up
6:00 (optional) Potluck dinner for those who can stay

Be sure that all participants have been emailed the schedule, the location, and a contact phone number.

Overview
Opening verse and circle
• Try to start on time. When people have made a commitment of their time and an effort to attend an event, starting on time shows respect for them and their time.
• Gather everyone into a circle.
• Acknowledging the beginning with a minute or two of silence makes a clear break from people's busy lives, giving them a chance to put their thoughts to rest and become present.
• Have someone read either the provided verse (below) or anther which fits the topic.

Possible Opening Verse:
The Sun and the Heart by Rudolf Steiner

Sun, thou bearer of rays,
Thy light's power over matter
Magics life out of the earth's
Limitless rich depths.

Heart, thou bearer of soul,
Thy light's power over spirit
Magics life out of the human being's
Limitless deep inwardness.

If I gaze upon the Sun
Her light speaks to me in radiance
Of the Spirit, filled with grace,
Wielding through the beings of worlds.

If I feel within my heart
The Spirit speaks its own true word
About the human being, loved by him
Through all time and eternity.

Looking upwards, I can see
In the Sun's bright disc
The mighty heart of worlds.

Looking inwards, I can feel
In the heart's warm beat
The human Sun ensouled.


Introductions, overview of schedule
• Even when most people know one another introductions provide a way to verbally acknowledge everyone who is in attendance. Go around the circle and have everyone introduce themselves.
     o In addition to their name it is nice to get a little personal information         about people. Below are some examples of information which makes         great introductions:
              Who they are connected to (knew before arriving), and how.
              A life question which they have been struggling to answer.
              How they relate to the topic.
              A hope they have for the day.
              A highlight of the past week.
• Once everyone has introduced themselves give a quick overview of the schedule, break-times, where the bathrooms are, if there will be snacks etc... This is an opportunity to check in with the group and make sure that the schedule will work for everyone, and if not address any issues before getting started.

Getting to know one another, physical warm-ups, etc.
• Now that introductions have been made it is important to help the group become comfortable with one another.
• Depending on the size of the space and the number of people there are many
different ways to warm up a group. A few icebreakers are provided below, however any group game which isn't overly complicated will work.

Icebreakers
• The Counting Game: Simply put, the group tries to count as high as it can (ex 15 or 20) without anyone saying a number at the same time. For example, one person begins by saying "one." Someone else chimes in and gives "two" and the next person "three." If, then more than one person says "four" at the same time, or their voices over-lap, you go back to one and start again.
• Zip-Zap-Zop: In a circle, each person puts their hands together and you begin by pointing at someone and saying "zip." Their response will be to point at someone else and say "zop," at which point that person (the third person) will point at someone else in the circle and say "zop." The idea is to get a rhythm going of "zip-zap-zop." After a few rounds, you can play for elimination, meaning if someone speaks out of turn, is not clear in the sending of the word, says the wrong word, etc, they sit out. You can play for last person standing. You may not send it back to the person who 'zipped' you until you are down to three people.
• Passing a bubble: Stand in a circle and pass an imaginary bubble around the circle. Remember, it's a bubble and you must take good and delicate care of it. You can let the bubble grow until it's the size of a large beach ball. Then, you can allow it to shrink down again until it's once again small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
• The Snake: One person is "it" and tags someone. The person tagged must hold hands with the original "it." They are both "it" now and can tag people, but cannot separate from one another. Every time someone is tagged they must join the "it" snake but only the two ends with one hand free can tag people. The whole snake must work together then, to get the last people, who will, if they're clever, hang out near the snakes's "belly" so as not to be caught by his head or tail. This game takes a lot of working together and will get everyone happily out of breath. It's a great one and has worked wonderfully every time, except for a few times when the group was too small.
• Shared Pictures: Each person receives a piece of paper and something to write with. The goal is to fill as much of the page as possible in the amount of time given. The sketches can be from the imagination, although it is generally better if it is a still- life or some other sort of life drawing so that the sketches don't end up as scribbles. Each person is then instructed to begin sketching. The monitor can establish a set amount of time for each sketch (around 10 to 15 seconds, but no longer than 30) and count or just select a time and call stop. After the monitor calls stop each person should pass his or her sketch to the person on his or her right and the process begins again. The exercise can end when the page is jammed full of stuff.

Presentation of recorded talk/interview
• Introduce the topic and the speaker. It is recommended to listen/watch the podcast the night before just to have a sense of what the material is which will be covered. Having done this it will be easy to give a brief introduction. Additionally a story about a personal experience or connection with the topic might make a nice introduction as well. Encourage the participants to take notes. An alternative is to use a white-board, butcher paper, or another large writing surface to record group notes.
Materials
• Participants may have brought their own pen and paper to take notes. If not having some extra paper and pens available will help everyone feel engaged in the material.
Break/Stretch/Journal time
• After the recorded lecture it is nice to have a break. Participants will have been sitting for awhile and the chance to stretch legs and chat is a welcome change. The recorded lecture will often bring up issues and perspectives which are thought provoking and other participants may choose to spend a bit of time writing in their journal.
Discussion about the recorded lecture
• After the break there should be time provided for a facilitated group discussion about the lecture or the topic of the talk. Often conversation flows between the lecture itself and the topic as experienced in the lives of the participants. The main difference between a facilitated group discussion and a freeform one is that in the former someone is consciously leading the discussion to make sure that all participants have a chance to speak and be heard. Freeform discussions often favor people who are socially confident, extroverted, opinionated and loud. Those who are more quiet, who take longer to formulate their thoughts, who are introverted or socially less comfortable may not get a chance to speak in a group which doesn't have a facilitator. Having all participants voices' and thoughts in a conversation creates a complex and rich tapestry, with a diversity of opinion and viewpoints. The
conversation will be more interesting and lead to deeper questions and surprising outcomes.


Facilitated group discussion guidelines
1. Only one person talks at a time
2. Whoever is speaking should choose a single person to speak to, rather than trying to speak to the whole group at once. Eye contact and other forms of feedback should be primarily with this individual instead of to the rest of the group. This one-to-one dialog will focus the conversation, create a more intimate connection and allow the rest of the group to focus on listening.
3. Everyone who is not either the speaker or the listener should remain attentive to the conversation. As observers rather than participants it will be easier to really focus on listening and not worrying about a reply as is the case in a usual conversation.
4. Those in conversation should feel free to go back and forth as in a usual
conversation - probing, asking questions or replying with a story of personal
experience
5. Those in conversation should also try to remain aware of the rest of the group. Remember that everyone should get a chance to speak. Be conscious of the time and of the mood of the rest of the group.
6. In conversation focus on connecting by sharing personal experiences rather than abstract statements or philosophical positions. A good way to do this is to use the noun "I" instead of "you", "we" or "one". Instead of describing general scenarios, provide concrete examples from personal experience.
7. If a statement is offered which differs from an individual experience of truth allow space for both to exist instead of moving to argue for one position or requiring the other to prove it's validity. The goal is to share and explore, not to debate or to win.
8. Silence is OK. When someone stops speaking it isn't necessary to immediately jump in. Allow for what was said to come to a rest before speaking - everyone will get a chance to be heard.
9. If something is said which initiates a desire to comment or contribute, make a note on a piece of paper and wait for a natural place to join the conversation. When joining choose someone specific to speak to. This might be someone who was in the previous conversation, but it can be someone else as well.
10. When choosing people to speak to try to connect with people who are strangers or who have not spoken yet. Connecting with people who are not already acquaintances or friends widens the overall bonds within the group, speaking to someone whohasn't joined the dialog brings more people into the conversation.
11. The facilitator will gently step in to remind people about time if they forget. They will also be paying attention to who hasn't had the chance to speak and gently facilitating to help form connections between people. This might take the form of, "Juan I noticed you shook your head when Amy spoke about her family relationships, is there someone you would like to share your experience with?"

Potluck lunch, social time, movement
• After the topic discussion it is important to give participants the chance to get up, move around and informally socialize. Depending on how the schedule has been set this might also be the perfect time to share lunch. This less structured time gives people the opportunity to follow up on connections which might have started in the discussion or to follow up with a specific individual. Let people know what time that the next activity will begin. This gives them time to take a walk or take care of personal business with disrupting by being late when they return. Integrating this work into our lives including announcements
and presentations by participants on projects they are involved with
• Provide participants with some time to discuss how they intend to integrate the learnings from the lecture and discussion into their lives. Some may have additional questions to the group, or concerns which have not been addressed. This time is an opportunity to finish up any loose ends.
• This can be more of a free-form discussion than the previous one, however if the group enjoyed the facilitated format it is OK to continue using it for this section of the meet-up.
• Participants should also be encouraged to give announcements about projects which they are part of which may appeal to the group. These may relate to the topic, or may be more generally in the spirit of Network M (spiritually striving or socially conscious).

Closing and Clean-up
• For closing bring the group together in a circle. Link hands and hold a few minutes of silence or read a closing verse. Remind participants to sign a roster with their contact information, and ask for whatever help is needed to clean up the space which was used for the meet-up. Pass out any Network M literature which has been provided.