General idea and guidelines behind the Compassion team - rough draft :)

This is just a rough draft, of course, because I welcome your contributions on Saturday. I just wanted to set up a basic description of what it is that we would be doing and maybe some guidelines, just to clarify and avoid any gray areas to avoid possible liabilities. (This group was originally called the Therapy group and as you can imagine, that carries all sorts of possible liabilities when dealing with the public)

- This groups main focus will be to help with Occupy movement morale. We are first and foremost here to serve as a "shoulder to lean on" and as a source of support for those who need someone to listen to them.

We are not trained therapists. We are not dispensing medications. We are not diagnosing mental illness. We are not medical doctors, mental health professionals, etc.

This is essential to remember because if anyone is to assume this or ask us this, we must make sure that it is always known and clear that we are not doing this to serve as therapists every Saturday. We are not being compensated and we are definitely not giving away free therapy. We are simply compassionate people who are willing to listen to our fellow human beings with open ears, open hands, open arms, and an open heart.

If the person simply needs a hug and allows physical touch, give them a hug. If they'd like a sticker, give them a sticker. Anything we can do to put a smile on someone's face and help them to know that they aren't alone in this world, we're here to do that. This movement is about unity and solidarity. This team will be integral for that.

As far as dispensing any actual advice, I recommend using your common sense. If someone is having issues, let's say, with a significant other. They aren't getting along but it's nothing major. It wouldn't be our place to tell them to leave them, would it? We need to be smart and exercise extreme caution and limit our actual advice that we do give. It's better that we just be there as a form of support, not as a problem solver.

When we try to solve other people's problems, this is when we begin to run into potential liabilities that we may not have foreseen and we don't want that. Our intentions may have started out entirely innocent but sometimes they can snowball into a horrible territory.

I welcome any and all input you may have. Like I said, this team has great potential to help and unite this movement and we can work closely with other teams, such as art and meditation. I can't wait to meet you all in person on Saturday. If you happen to know of anyone who might be interested in this team, send them this way. In the meantime, feel free to add me on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/eatimitationcrab

I'd really like to work with this. I'm trained and experienced as a domestic violence survivor advocate and I've done a lot of peer counselling for LGBT folks, so those are my main strengths but a lot of the principles of empathy/empowerment are universal.

It sounds like we have some really great applicable experience already on this team. (Hiya, Melittophily - I'm Jodi - former patient counselor at an abortion clinic and mom of four.) I give a big hands-up finger wiggle to all of this. Between the three of us, we have some really good experience in what we can and can't do here. We're the hug squad and I'm absolutely into it (and stickers).

Are we doing our bit only as part of the GA or do you guys want to get together and do coffee somewhere?

Ooh! I almost forgot - do you want to come up with a symbol to tape to ourselves so people know who we are, like the red crosses on the med team? I think a heart or a peace sign would be too confusing, since there is so much of that. Maybe a big white "C"?

I think a universal symbol that's understood to represent us would be great, so that as we're mingling amongst the crowd, people can stop us and ask to speak with us. I don't see us having a special area set up to speak with people, like a table or anything, so being able to talk on the spot or at least pull them aside is essential.

Maybe a heart with arms reaching around to hug it? I could probably find something like that online or come up with it on my own.
Also, if you guys add me on Facebook, let me know you're from this team because I have people adding me everyday from Occupy and I don't know who they are.

I think the hugging arms are a beautiful idea, and if we end up getting t-shirts done or something, I'm all for that. I'm not sure how it would translate if I tried to draw it or tape it out, though. I quilt, but can't draw a straight line with a ruler. On the bright side, I can embroider the heck out of some t-shirts for us once we establish the team.

I'm thinking something universal and easy. Maybe a question mark, or I love the "free hugs" signs. Incidentally, putting "love" into Google images without my filter on reminded me that putting "free love" on my back with tape might not be the smartest idea I've had recently. Maybe a question mark with a heart for the dot?

As for stickers, I LOVE this idea. What kind do you think we should get? I was thinking of stopping by the teacher supply store here in Arlington tomorrow and seeing if I could get a few rolls.

+J+

They have lots of stickers at the Dollar Stores and Big Lots and whatnot. I get out of work tomorrow around 2/230ish. I live in Riverside. If you want to meet up, we could go looking for stuff.
I was thinking of making some makeshift buttons for us for now until we can get to making shirts and other stuff. I have a glue gun and I made some buttons for a previous event.

How about this?

I've got a meeting tomorrow at 2, but if it doesn't matter what kind of stickers they are, then I think I can do quite a few if the teacher's supply works out. I figure hearts, flowers etc. but not "Good Job!" or "Great Check-up!" Heheheheh

That's a lovely design, but I fear we'll end up being called the Twilight Ladies! I don't know if you're into it, but my kids read those books and that looks just like one of the covers. Did you do that? It's really pretty! The buttons are a fabulous idea. Let me know if you need any supplies from Joann's because I have a discount card from the American Quilt Guild. (I spend a lot of time in Joann's.)

+J+

Oh dammit! You're right. Shit.
Well I don't know . Yeah, stickers aren't a big deal. Use common sense. Hearts, smiley faces, puppies, flowers, peace signs, etc.
I'm gonna send you a message on Facebook now before I got to sleep. Maybe a smiley face heart or is that too childish? I dunno. We'll figure it out.

Hey I went to the message box and I guess you'd gone to bed. I'm about to turn in, but I think maybe an ear would be a good, easy symbol.

Check your inbox on Facebook, sent before I went to bed.

I forgot to mention something that dawned on me last night: what to do in case of someone who happens to be in distress.
Ideas?
Do we resort to the classic "call the hotline" bit or what?
I mean, obviously we're physically there and we don't want to let someone who seems to be in emotional pain and possible duress go, but we cannot restrain them.

Also, I was thinking of carrying around some jokes along with the stickers, lollipops, etc. Really, anything that makes people smile, no matter how cheesy, we can pick it up and bring with us. Dollar stores are perfect for this and we can hit the Halloween candy after Halloween for clearance.

As for the logo.. ugh.... I'm just gonna make us some Compassion buttons for tomorrow since we probably won't be actually talking to anyone yet.

Hey Jodi, I'm Sophia.

If someone is leaving, let them leave unless you see imminent threat to themselves or others. If people don't want our help there's no way we can help them (even when there is, it's disempowering to act like we know what's good for them). Maybe we should make up little cards/flyers with mental health/etc. resources to be able to hand to people, though.

Here's a start:

Mental Health
United Way Suicide Crisis (904) 632-0600 / (800) 346-6185
Jacksonville Women's Center (offers sliding-scale group and individual counseling/therapy for women) (904) 722-3000

Substance Abuse
Gateway Community Services (offers sliding-scale intervention, detox, residential treatment, etc.) (877) 389-9966.

Domestic Violence (all 24 hours)
Florida Statewide Hotline: (800) 500-1119
Hubbard House (Duval): (904) 354-3114.
Micah's Place (Nassau): (904) 225-9979
Quigley House (Clay): (904) 284-0061
Betty Griffin House (St. Johns): (904) 824-1555
Camden House Crisis Center (Camden): (912) 882-7858

Sexual Assault
Jacksonville Women's Center 24/hr Rape Crisis Hotline (904) 721-7273

Way ahead of you Sophia but great job! Jodi's husband is actually creating and printing a rough draft, I believe. We may not have them tomorrow but should soon.
Great ideas.....

awesome!

tomorrow, I'll be carrying a sign that says compassion to identify the team. The main focus will be just to focus on bouncing ideas off each other, welcoming any new members, discussing possible further guidelines, getting the agenda set for a future meeting not at the GA, and anything else you deem important. Bring notes!

not tomorrow, today. I'm still stuck in time, mentally.