Some Last Tips
Planning is important: Even the smallest events can be a social and stimulus overload. Planning ahead, clarifying tasks and responsibilities – to the best of your ability – makes for better radical childcare environments.
Realistic Appraisal: Try to realistically gauge (and re-assess/check in as needed) your collective and individual energy, and commitment level. There is nothing wrong with knowing your limitations or feeling that you do not have enough time and energy to do some of these steps that we have outlined or to make all your fantastic ideas a reality.
Communicate limitations: It is better to realistically communicate and try to gage your group’s capacities than to have to deal with issues of burnout later. However even if you do over reach – open communication can still help assess and pull back to make a more realistic goal.
Keep your Boundaries: It took us a while to learn to get better about this. Boundaries are such a beautiful thing! Also being assertive is not the same thing as being aggressive or rude.
Hold Space: Keep taking childcare work and activism seriously. Society often underestimates, undervalues, as well as marginalizes caregiving, parents and children’s issues.
Be accountable: It is important to provide the safe and accountable childcare that you set out to achieve. Take responsibility for your actions. Communicate through difficulties.
Be gentle with yourself and each other: There is no perfect way forward. Each group and person has to find their own way and make it up as they go: responding and modifying as needed. This is hard work! So celebrate your accomplishments and be as kind as you can with learning lessons and places for improvement.
Organization takes time: Building relationships take time. Over time organization becomes easier, and the discussions you have and problems you work out with each other build trust and goodwill. We increase our capacities through practice.
Realistic Appraisal: Try to realistically gauge (and re-assess/check in as needed) your collective and individual energy, and commitment level. There is nothing wrong with knowing your limitations or feeling that you do not have enough time and energy to do some of these steps that we have outlined or to make all your fantastic ideas a reality.
Communicate limitations: It is better to realistically communicate and try to gage your group’s capacities than to have to deal with issues of burnout later. However even if you do over reach – open communication can still help assess and pull back to make a more realistic goal.
Keep your Boundaries: It took us a while to learn to get better about this. Boundaries are such a beautiful thing! Also being assertive is not the same thing as being aggressive or rude.
Hold Space: Keep taking childcare work and activism seriously. Society often underestimates, undervalues, as well as marginalizes caregiving, parents and children’s issues.
Be accountable: It is important to provide the safe and accountable childcare that you set out to achieve. Take responsibility for your actions. Communicate through difficulties.
Be gentle with yourself and each other: There is no perfect way forward. Each group and person has to find their own way and make it up as they go: responding and modifying as needed. This is hard work! So celebrate your accomplishments and be as kind as you can with learning lessons and places for improvement.
Organization takes time: Building relationships take time. Over time organization becomes easier, and the discussions you have and problems you work out with each other build trust and goodwill. We increase our capacities through practice.
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