WWFOR Report for Witness

By Bruce Pruitt-Hamm

They say “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” After nearly 40 years of enjoying paid staff, the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation (WWFOR) is transitioning to become all volunteer… and all active!
Following chronic budget concerns, our “board” decided this spring to terminate the position of our WWFOR Organizer of 10 years, Ellen Finkelstein. A “Transition Committee” was commissioned and has been working for months to ensure that the regional organization continues and expands its tradition of networking unpaid activists (aka “volunteers”). WWFOR has, using volunteers, organized (with Oregon FOR) a Northwest-wide annual conference at Seabeck conference grounds on Hood Canal for over 60 years.
The WWFOR is updating that tradition with new technologies for networking and collaboration that are being embraced by the younger generation of activists and by newer tech-driven activist networks like 350.org. We have formed a standing committee on Information Technology that conducted a “needs assessment” and forged ahead to begin revamping our web site, our social media and, most importantly, our communications infrastructure. We will be utilizing various IT tools to allow volunteers to accomplish tasks that were always done “in the office”. These include using remote access and “cloud” technologies; and facilitating committees and issue working groups to coordinate, make decisions and accomplish and track tasks by use of an Organizational Website that has sub sites, shared calendars, task lists and document workspace, and online meeting and screen-sharing resources. The WWFOR office and staff always functioned as a clearinghouse and a networking resource, but those functions can now be “flattened” and fulfilled with new collaboration technologies, and the cost savings invested in program.
Of course, the Transition Committee understands technology is useless without people. In April we surveyed our mailing list (using online survey tools unavailable 20 years ago) of 1300 to assess what they were interested in for program and willing to do for handling office and organizational tasks previously handled by paid staff. We figured that if there wasn’t enough interest to keep a program or organizational function going, then we should re-examine its continuance. In other words, let the members lead and we would follow… and facilitate. We followed up by phone with the roughly 100 folks surveyed who indicated interest in one or more activities. From this we have initiated list-servs on 3 program topics that had the most interest: nonviolence; economic justice and racial justice. We intend to follow up further to assist and encourage members to initiate and organize programs and projects based upon their interests.
A key program of WWFOR was put “at-risk” by the elimination of staff. Founded by Mike and Ruth Yarrow, former WWFOR staff in 2000, the WWFOR has conducted a month long training program for high school youth each July, called the “Peace Activist Trainee” program. For the last 14 years WWFOR staff have provided the backbone of this program, which has trained over 100 youth in nonviolent direct action. In 2014 the WWFOR Organizer served again as the Director. However, 2 Assistant Directors, Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm and Dante Garcia, both former PAT graduates, helped with the planning and training. Kaeley has now been hired by Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington, DC and Dante is working as staff with 21Progress in Seattle; but both care deeply for the sustainability of the PAT program, in no small part due to their loyalty to, and love for, Mike Yarrow, who died June 2, 2014 from cancer. Kaeley proposed a revamping of the PAT program to accommodate the loss of Ellen Finkelstein as a full time staff. She proposed an ambitious one year fellowship with a summer and recurring monthly training component that we are calling the Yarrow Peace Fellowship. Dante has indicated his interest and willingness to take a leadership role in the development of this program idea and Ellen Finkelstein and Ruth Yarrow have also endorsed it. An all-volunteer committee has formed to begin the hard work of developing and implementing the Yarrow Peace Fellowship, to honor and keep alive the legacy of Mike Yarrow and the Peace Activist Trainee program.
In addition WWFOR has changed the name of its” board” from Area Committee to Regional Council (a regional analog to the National Council); begun to review and update its Guidelines (bylaws); strengthened and populated its committees; obtained the services of IT and web consultants; elected new leadership; and most importantly, shifted its focus toward the grassroots of its chapters and members, a shift necessitated by the loss of staff. A necessity that is proving to be the mother of innovation for the WWFOR!

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