Carrot and Stick

We've hit a bit of a lull with the Solarpunk club. One of the projects we were doing is done and the other is tied up in some local red-tape. I'm trying to look for new community groups to do projects for, but no dice so far. I've sensed people losing a bit of motivation and some of our members showing up less often.

After our last meeting, I was chatting with one of our members and I brought up my worries. I was talking a bit about agitation (in the organizing sense) and gently prodding people to keep them involved. Basically checking in with folks and doing my best to encourage them to follow up on commitments. He said that maybe people aren't in the place for the "stick" right now and it's better to think about the carrot. That kind of hit me in the chest, I had almost forgotten that community spaces need to be fun to keep people involved! Working on projects and motivating people to get involved is great, but we also need to cultivate a community culture and to just make doing this sort of thing enjoyable.

So I'm going to try and cultivate more of those sorts of things right now. More hang outs, pot lucks, parties, and silly things that are just fun times and a way for us to connect with each other. Besides, it's summer time! We should be taking it easy and enjoying the weather.

I'm constantly reminded of how much I have to learn, but I'm grateful for the wonderful people that show up to this group.