Virtual Assembly | Good Shepherd Asia P

How will a Virtual Assembly work?

Covid 19 has created many challenges for all, but with the help of technology we are able to gather and interact virtually for this Asia Pacific Regional Assembly. We have chosen technologies and processes to keep things as simple as possible. This site is the place to access all resource materials before, during and after the assembly.

Our gathering will be conducted via video conferencing using the Zoom video platform and breakout rooms. We will also use some other tools to harvest peoples thoughts and ideas. You will be meeting in smaller STAR Groups using platforms like WhatsApp. This Assembly has been designed to allow for dialogue across units, provinces, regions and countries whilst acknowledging the barriers of time, location, technology and language.

How to Prepare for the Asia Pacific Assembly

Thank You

The information in the resource pack has been kindly, thoughtfully and generously prepared by Good Shepherd partners in mission across Asia Pacific. We warmly thank all of the contributors for their efforts in preparing this pack. Thank you all.

Using this Resource Pack

This pack holds all the background information that is required for preparation for the Asia Pacific Regional Assembly.

There are videos and other information that share the work that is happening across Asia Pacific, such as the goals and objectives, milestones and key insights from different initiatives.

We have prepared the information a in a sequence that aligns with the sessions. There are videos and powerpoint presentations included in the material. There are moments when we ask you to stop or pause the presentation and reflect on questions. Take as long as you need to do this. These questions provide the preparation work required for the dialogue sessions at the Assembly. You can also see English subtitles on most videos by clicking on the cc on each video.

Get yourself a journal

It would be good for you to keep your responses to the questions in a journal which will be easily accessible for you to refer back to during the Assembly days.

How We Will Meet

The virtual Assembly is offering us a new way of gathering and opens up opportunities for more of us to gather. We are taking a “flipped” approach. This means we will share content before the Assembly (in this pack) and use the majority of time in the Assembly in dialogue. There will be lots of group work utilising Breakout rooms in Zoom.

When meeting in the Breakout Groups, the etiquette is to

Introduce yourself by name and geographical location (no role is needed as we are all equals here!)
Invite a volunteer to monitor the time and gracefully prompt the group to fair sharing of time
Invite a recorder for the group who will respond through mostly written responses in Survey Monkey; Google Docs; and A4 Poster

We understand that with such a diverse group of people from across Asia Pacific, that language may pose limitations or nervousness for some. Therefore, we are also initiating “STAR Groups” – “Simple Talk And Reflect” You will be assigned to a STAR Group of four people who you can share deeper insights, clarify understanding and dream a little bit with. You will meet with this group outside of the Assembly hours. We will inform you of your STAR Group members and invite you to connect with them prior to the Assembly in whatever way works best for your group. We will pay special attention to ensuring that English language abilities are comparable in the STAR Groups so people can share comfortably.

Supporting Teams

We have a special group of people, the harvesting team, who will be working with the facilitating and convening team to harvest the insights and information shared in the group work and who will feed this back to the large group. The Harvesting Team are generative listening practitioners and we thank them for volunteering for this important task.

We also have a team of IT support people who will be working behind the scenes to ensure that our Assembly runs smoothly. Local support is available via your Assembly IT Support contact in your local region.

Some Tips to Help

The Asia Pacific Regional Assembly has been prepared to invite active, rather than passive participation. We will be turning to one another, either in pairs, small ‘STAR Groups’, larger Breakout groups and as a collective group of about 500 people. We believe that by meeting like this, we will be able to connect and take on the complex and important issues of Good Shepherd in a well-supported and animated experience.

The Pre-Assembly Pack gives us time to reflect on the important issues in our own time frame and without rushing. We hope this way of engaging with the content takes us all to a deeper understanding, personally and collectively.

It is our hope that this Assembly will provide you with an empowering environment. We invite you to participate with the following agreements which are simple but effective.

See with soft eyes. So many of us have been conditioned for seeing only the objectives, working within a paradigm of concrete measurement. This Assembly invites people to see beyond the literal and objective and to see, feel and sense the person and situations before them.
Listen for what is under the words. Or between the words. Listen with ears that are seeking the of story to make sense not just of one moment, but of many moments strung together.
Be with what is arising. “Being with” is different than directing or controlling, which is the skill valued in so many contemporary forms of meeting. Breathe or lean into what is new. Be willing to follow it.
Own freedom. If we truly value justice and peace, we must engage with certain freedoms…

To ask questions about anything confusing or unclear.
To talk about how you see things, rather than how you are expected to see them.
To contribute where you can and take responsibility for learning more about what you don’t understand.
You also have the freedom to say that you don’t feel any of these freedoms.

Here are some practices and dispositions that help with online gatherings:

Arrive Early - Maybe five to fifteen minutes. It's a step of personal preparation and centering. Sit at your desk in a fresh way. Perhaps it means you clearing the space. Putting papers away. Moving materials to another spot. Sometimes lighting a candle. Placing a centering object in front of you. The online world has a different timing expectation that feels so instant. Take some extra time to get your physical heart beat to slow down before the Assembly starts.
Avoid Distractions - Did you see that on your computer screen! An incoming email notification! A Facebook post from one of your favourite people! A news headline! A received text! It's beautiful that we can have so much information on our devices. But these wonderful notifications can also be very distracting. Who among us hasn't chased one, thinking it will only take a minute that turns out to be ten minutes later and a lot of attention. When possible, close the programs and notifications.
Get A Little More Descriptive - Virtual circles have us sitting in many places. Or walking too. Since we aren't all sitting in the same room, much of the access to visual cues that we count on as shared when face-to-face isn't present in a virtual circle. We don't all see the rain pouring down through the window. When online, describe a little extra from your location to create presence and texture. It's a sunny morning. The trees are blowing outside my window. The city is bustling as it normally is at the ground level. Help people to see and feel where you are.
Express your Appreciation – You may experience an online gathering where it has felt intimate and well connected. It is really lovely when people express their appreciations. It's the voice of hope. It's the relief of released worry.
Adapted from http://www.tennesonwoolf.com

We are not just preparing and participating in a meeting. We are holding space for possibility. For honesty. For connection. Presence is critically important. Presence is the operating system. Let us all use a little extra imagination and practice to bring ourselves fully to the Asia Pacific Regional Assembly.