Recipe Variations
Variations on the original recipe:
You can run an InterMission experience with large and non-local groups, but it should be introduced as just an appetizer for the main course. The InterMission mission of building a constituency for sustainability will only happen if:
It is an on-going experience.
It is built on relationships with people who become a part of your life.
It is a trans-partisan experience
InterMission is founded on the understanding that we are much more likely to change our values when we have personal connections to others who do not share our values. This is happening less and less in our highly fragmented world. Most of us belong to homogenous groups, read, listen or watch the news that coincides with our side of the political spectrum, and connect to national groups that already share our point of view.
To make sustainability a mainstream value, we have to build on-going, personal connections with people who are not already “in the fold”. That’s why our focus is on building on-going, personal, values-based relationships with people who live near each other.
Recipes for Large Groups (serves 20-200 guests)
Some people kick off InterMission groups in their area with a large communitywide gathering. They show the video in their library, town hall, civic center, church, synagogue, local café or school auditorium. The primary goal of these events is to get community members to form smaller groups of 10-20 neighbors who are willing to keep gathering for potlucks and continued learning along the lines of the “original recipe” above.
In large groups, you can replace the potluck section with a coffee and dessert potluck and two sets of more structured discussions.
Dialogue in Pairs – 5 minutes
Invite participants to pair-up and quickly share their top priorities with their partner Pairs identify their shared/overlapping priority issues
Dialogue in Groups of Four (or 8 if a large group) – 30 minutes
Ask two pairs to gather together and quickly share their respective top priorities The foursomes identify their shared/overlapping priority issues.
Our detailed hosting kit has step-by-step directions covering all the details of planning large and small events.
Recipes for Non-Local Groups
You can run an InterMission experience with non-local groups, but it is only a foretaste of the real thing that can happen in their home town. The core InterMission experience only happens when you make a commitment to meet on a regular basis with a small local group and support each other in make changes in your lives and in your community. The not-so-fine print on an InterMission experience with a group of people from diverse locations is: “Please try this at home.”
Recipes for Groups that already gather at least once a month
Some social clubs have added an InterMission night to their regular calendar because it generally helps to build tighter relationships in the group. There’s something very special about gathering on a regular basis with people from your community to explore ways to make the world safe and abundant for future generations.
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