10 Ways to Keep Your AASWG Chapter Active and Alive

1. 10 Ways to Keep Your AASWG Chapter Active and Alive Patty Underwood, LICSW MA Chapter Board President Jared Kant, LCSW MA Chapter Board Member

2. Mindfulness

3. 10 Ways to Keep Your Chapter Alive • Create Board of practitioners and academics • Create Board terms • Create and disseminate minutes of Board meetings • Have fun, bring food to meetings, plan annual Board retreat • Attend to group process • Celebrate students, practitioners, and agencies in your area for their commitment to group work • Share expertise • Reach out to agencies and universities • Encourage and mentor students • Utilize social networking in collaboration with other committees Governance Membership/ Conference Communication

4. History of MA Chapter

5. Current Board Members

6. Current Board Members

7. MA Chapter Purpose • Mission Statement Recognizing the power of environment and it’s impact on individuals, we believe groups stimulate the well-being of the development of individuals and communities. The AASWG serves to provide a professional, international organization promoting the practice of group through education, training, and networking among interdisciplinary group work. (from By-Laws)

8. MA Chapter ObjectivesFrom By-Laws • Promote the recognition and acceptance of group work as recognized method among helping professions • Advocate public policy perspectives which address needs of group workers • Serve as a training resource and provide supervision and consultation • Promote and support new approaches in theory, research and practice • Advocate for the advancement of group work curriculum and stimulate written media materials for group work • Provide forum for members to exchange information • Define a working relationship for members to exchange with an international symposium

9. Board Structure Conference Governance Communication Officers Membership

10. Board Structure

11. 10 Ways to Keep Your Chapter Alive • Create Board of practitioners and academics • Create Board terms • Create and disseminate minutes of Board meetings • Have fun, bring food to meetings, plan annual Board retreat • Attend to group process • Celebrate students, practitioners, and agencies in your area for their commitment to group work • Share expertise • Reach out to agencies and universities • Encourage and mentor students • Utilize social networking in collaboration with other committeess Governance Membership/ Conference Communication

12. 10 Ways to Keep Your Chapter AliveGovernance • Create Board of practitioners and academics • Create Board terms • Have fun, bring food to meetings, plan annual Board retreat • Attend to group process • Create and disseminate Board meeting minutes

13. Governance Roles/Responsibilities • Ensure by-laws adherence • Communicate with International • Financial management • New Board member nominations/recruitment • Annual meeting • Celebrated committed group workers • Run Board meetings (Living the work/guidelines) • Create a culture of respect and fun

14. Nomination Form

15. Living the Work • Guidelines • Start on time/end on time • Prioritize attendance • Let us know if you are unable to attend • Get the minutes out within the week • Co-create agenda items • Step up/Step back • Respect each other • Everybody has a place at the table • Be Transparent • Attend to our working dynamics • Follow through Live the Work

16. 10 Ways to Keep Your Chapter AliveMembership • Celebrate students, practitioners, and agencies in your area for their commitment to group work • Share expertise • Reach out to agencies and universities • Encourage and mentor students

17. Membership • Connect with and support current membership • Peer supervision • Consultation • Education • Provide resources • Mentoring • Grow membership • Reach out to agencies and universities The ever important question: What do I get out of this membership?

18. Why Join? Answer: Connection, collaboration, creative ideas, community, consultation, comrades

19. Membership Activities 2012 • Social at local restaurant • 28 people in attendance • $400 (pizza, salad, BYOB) • Social in Western MA • NASW table • $100 • Organized and staffed by 2 Board members

20. Conference Committee Responsibilities • Plan annual conference • Execute annual conference • Collaborate with communication committee • Assign tasks to Board members • Breathe deeply

21. Flyer

23. AASWG, Inc. MA Chapter Conference 2012 At Simmons College Award Winners

24. Conference • Task List • Run of Show • Flyer • Advertising • Program • Annual meeting • Evaluations

25. Run of show

26. AASWG, Inc. MA Chapter Conference 2012 At Simmons College

27. Communication

28. Communication

29. Communication

30. Communication

32. Communication

33. Communication If your chapter has a website, always offer a way to subscribe to your newsletter.

34. Communication

35. Communication

36. Communication

37. Communication

38. Communication

39. 5+ Pitfalls • Ignoring the hard work of the Board • Ignore by-laws (term limits, mission, guidelines) • Rigidity • Board member burn out • Trying to do too much • Ignoring problematic dynamics • Focusing too much on the task, forgetting about the fun, reflection, and community • ??????

41. Contact Information • Patty Underwood, LICSW • underwoodpatty@iaswgma.org • 617-515-5047 • Jared Kant,LCSW • jared@iaswgma.org