What Peer-Run Organizations Should Always Keep in Mind
We can start by understanding YURT
NEW YORK CITYVOICES: Spring 2006
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By Noelle Pollet
A yurt has been described as a Mongolian tent. It can handle the stress of intense winds because its frame is "a living structure." As force is placed on one section, it is spread out through the whole frame. If well-constructed, a yurt made from vinyl, light wood and thin cable can withstand the force of 100-mile-an-hour winds.
Peer-run Organizations Need Yurtness
A yurt is round: To whatever extent possible, as often as possible, let folks all be on the same level in a circle. Let us listen well to each other. A circle is the natural habitat for peers. A yurt distributes stress: Stress presses downward in hierarchies. Most stress is exerted on the heads of directors, but ultimately everybody feels it. Leaders are encouraged to share their burdens and their power.
A yurt is strong: Our collective wisdom wields great power for problem-solving, healing and creating. The feeling of being honored in the circle creates strong loyalty. With input from all, create thoughtful, innovative policy as a safe container for functioning. A yurt is flexible: Policy is meant to serve. If, in any circumstance, it doesn't or needs "tweaking," flex it!
A yurt is a home: Let our work be about love. Let us work with joy and commit to hanging in there for the other stuff too. Let us do it to the greatest extent we can as equals or peers.
Ideas on Work Relationships for Peer Organizations and Beyond
Reasonable accommodations translate into humane and decent treatment; something everyone should expect. Because of the value to ourselves and to the larger community, getting our work relationships right is a priority worthy of intense focus and care.
Assets Worth Capitalizing On
- Peer willingness to work on ourselves and our relationships
- Natural bounty of loyalty to peers
- Ideals that are honored
- Passions that belong to individuals are respected and integrated into work
- Impulses that are channeled toward problem-solving, fund-seeking, etc.
- The wisdom and fairness of the group process
What We're Trying to Do
- We're trying to reconcile peer equality and organizational hierarchy.
- We're trying to get along and still get the job done.
- We're trying to be accountable to our funders and their expectations.
- We're trying to ensure that staff members do the job they're paid to do.
- We're trying to have useful and respectful relationships with providers.
- We're trying to maintain and/or enhance our will being, the well being of our co-workers and those we serve.
Live the Ideals You Preach
Sharing of responsibility
- Maintaining multiple world views
- Growing self-awareness
- Honest, direct communication
- Sharing of power
- Valuing community
- Avoiding the use of symptoms as an excuse for bad behavior
- Giving and receiving critical feedback
- Understanding larger cultural and political issues
- Building on strengths
- Promoting hope
- Understanding Mutuality
- Having flexible boundaries, empathy, personal accountability
- Believing in everyone's recovery
- Having fun
- Taking care of ourselves
- Working through conflict
We should aim to achieve all of this while also meeting the requirements of a not-for-profit business organization. Many peer-run organizations have learned the hard way that integrating our ideals, our quirks and the requirements of business is incredibly tough. Much of what we know has come at the cost of deeply felt interpersonal struggles.
To keep our collective dream moving forward, let us all seek to discover a satisfactory balance between our individual needs and the needs involved in maintaining and improving the healthy functioning of an organization.
This organization is a valuable tool for positive change. It benefits our peers and the world in general. It is our baby. Decisions may have to be made to protect the organization, seemingly at the expense of the individual, which is the last thing we want.
Understand that any company is a work in progress and probably always will be. Situations will arise that no policy exists to cope with. Many of the rules and financial policies are required by law. Some are in place to protect the health of the organization. Some are negotiable.
Sometimes peer-run organizations spread themselves too thin. We forget that the magic we sell is our transformed selves. We forget to dwell in love in our snug little yurts.
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