During this meeting, team members get to know one another, make plans for carpooling and sharing rooms, and give first thoughts to the community improvement project they would like to take on as part of the program. The project is not actually selected at the orientation meeting, we just want to get creative juices flowing. Also, if there is any research to be done about the need or feasibility of a project idea, team members can find information and bring it to the opening workshop that takes place in Berea within the next couple of weeks. Brushy Fork teams leave the workshop with a group identity, including a name for their team, and lots of enthusiasm for the work to be done and skills to be learned. At the opening workshop, Brushy Fork teams establish a schedule for regular meetings over the six-month cycle.
Most teams meet once or twice per month.
During these meetings, group members practice the roles they picked during the opening workshop and usually work on their roles in teams of two or three. Their tasks include facilitating, recording minutes, handling finances, observing group process, coordinating logistics, and making reminder calls. A month or so into the cycle, a Brushy Fork staff member visits the group during one of its regular meetings and helps address questions and concerns that have arisen. Considering monthly meetings and tasks to be accomplished between meetings, group members can expect to spend six to eight hours each month working on the project. About midway through the cycle, a Brushy Fork staff member will travel to the county to hold a mid-term workshop.