Transition Task Force (TTF) Meeting #6 Official Minutes

September 21

Please note - we make edited notes of our conversations public in the interest of transparency. These notes reflect the conversations and concerns of the TTF, but are not our final positions or decisions. All decisions taken by the task force will be published in our letters to the community.

Aug 22, 2018, 9-11a Pacific Time by Zoom

Present (on Zoom): Charlene Leung, Katrin Stelzel, Sharon Owyang, Andrew Sacamano, Suzann Duquette, Basia Solarz (Facilitator)

Action items:

• Clarify the meetings notes are discussion we’ve all been having, and the letters are decisions.
• Arawana, Charlene, Andrew to work on the the letter
• Clarify in next letter, advisors need to apply in person.
• Clarify that Advisors are not being appointed by us, but making themselves available to the IB / PT as those groups wish to reach out to them.

Discussion:

Responses to second letter

• Process team: we’re trying to bring in people who have connection to the vision, but don’t need to meet some strict requirement.
• What exactly is the vision - how to define that?
• We’re considering people who could have the conversation that we’re having now, and would hold divergent views.
• People that we’re looking for have to hold that heartfelt not knowing.
• Could we make the board more conservative, and the process group could be more people visionary?
  • Seems like that could be a bad combination. Whoever we choose for both needs to be open minded and willing to be part of a live process, and not pushing a specific agenda.
  • Alternatively, able to advocate for a specific agenda, but still respect others and arrive at a consensus?
• AI: Clarify the notes are discussion we’ve all been having, letters reflect decisions.

Process team

• Length of service of PT?
  • Maybe organic - not limited to one year - there will be tuning after things roll out?
  • Maybe good to have a bounded time - making a specific commitment?
  • Maybe during 1 year without the Sakyong, people come up with “this is what we want”, and then time for that to be digested and implemented/
  • No clear decision was reached.
• How do we reduce the time load on the Process Team? Whoever is on the Process Team could go and find their own task force, create other sub teams, etc.
• IB could be small, PT could be very big. IB has narrow focus. PT has vast green field in which to discuss.
• PT looking at how to hold what Shambala is, and what it could be in terms of being more participatory.
• Also mention that there is a difference between Government structure and religious structure, and they could be more separate.
• AI: Charlene, Arawana, Andrew to work on letter

Compensation

• Having compensation for Process Team would enable more people to serve.
• Expecting a lot of time from Process Team members might discourage people from serving.
• Hard to find compensation when Shambhala is cutting staff. Would there be a fundraising ask? Who would do that?
• If some people are compensated and others aren’t, they do most of the work.
• No decision was reached.

Interim Board zoom calls

• Would it be helpful to hold informational zooms for people who are interested in the Interim Board.
• Also, zoom calls would be a good way to disseminate more clarity, people on the call will probably talk to other people..

Meeting twice a week

• Yes - we think we need to meet more often.
• Wednesday and Friday - Same time on Friday as Wednesday.