Gymcraftics Project 2009

Gymcraftics Explorations for Sharing

April 20, 2008

Notes from Organizational Meeting

April 13, 2008

Notes: Laura Golitko

Present: Clerking- Laura Golitko; Graham Daley, Jane Farrell, Hanna McPhee, Abby Robbins, Jeff Robbins
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What we have accomplished thus far and additional thoughts:

Jane: Made a movable model and looked into spaces to lease in Framingham.

Graham: Created a "Google docs account" and is using the annual report
from the old center to create pamphlet on the new center.

Jeff: Communicating with Hannah Raila about putting together a chapter about sharing for book.

Produced handouts on Jeff and Laura's exchange of ideas on the center.

People Jeff has been in contact with that have positive ideas:

Andrea Melton, Jim Nance, and Hannah R's friend Hugh.
Another possible contact is Steve from the Field House who has knowledge about setting up a facility.

Find someone with background for setting up a 501C3.

Hanna: Doodled labels and has ideas about Ning where you can start
your own database/club about things you are doing.

Abby: liked Hue's ideas on how young people today network through cell
phones and online technology to become social entrepreneurs.

Other thoughts:
Jeff believes teachers need support. People need awareness of the positive.

They need an opportunity to come and see creative processes at work.

It can network quickly because of our ability to share.

Jeff continued: We need to set last 5 minutes of meeting aside to set
an agenda for next steps. We also need a binder with all our notes,
pictures, ideas for the center so we have some sort of organization
and something concrete to show people when we talk about the center.
Jeff also thought it would be good if we have 2 or 3 really good
gymcraftics routines with pairs, triples, etc. to present to people.
Other ideas for support: The Women's Sport Foundation and The National
Center for the Arts. Estimated minimum for the center: $500,000. Is it
worthwhile to look at land and have it affiliated to what we're doing?

Jane: found little house that is connected to a small industrial
building. It is one mile from the train stop. What is the lot size and
how high are the ceilings? Price: $344,000.

Second lot: is $400,000 and is less than 1/2 ACRE (30,000 sq ft)

Other spaces: lumber companies that are closing

Is it also possible to look into purchasing land or buying/renting out
an existing space with the support from a college like Framingham State College?

Graham: Also thinks we should look into the Wellesley Center for Women.

Carol Gilligan is associated with them and wrote the book,

"In a Different Voice" (another contact person?)

Other affiliations: Boys and Girls Clubs or YMCAs

Laura: Little Wanderers is an organization whose mission is to ensure
the healthy, emotional, mental, and social development of children at
risk, their families and communities. They are located on Huntington
Ave. in Boston and have a page on their website that talks about
hosting your own event (possible gymcraftics opportunity?)

The TED Conference: Create a sharing vehicle. We need a framework for
a conference: A conference for sharing of needs that has three
overlapping parts such as creative arts, outreach, and physical.

Other colleges such as Babson and Olin could be good colleges to connect with.

Sharing:
Jane's model inspired ideas for creating a theater with lights in consortium with a college.

Laura's i-movie sharing: perhaps this could lead to a DVD that would
increase awareness on the center maybe through you-tube.

Next Meeting: May 4th 1:30-2:30.

Possible meeting place: Graham's Church, St. Elizabeth's in Sudbury.

We need a bigger space for more people to come and share their ideas.

Agenda for next meeting:

Jane: working on model with people and pamphlet. Contact Dick Fell.

Laura: Draft of newsletter and connect with Bates alum to see if they can come to next meeting.

Graham: Pamphlet, connect with her friend Mandy and Jane's dad. Starting a binder?

Hanna: connect with real estate friend, people from the Wellesley Center, and look into Ning.

Jeff: Two photographic things to share, connect with Andrea Melton again and others.

Abby: Put additional Air Time people on the database.

Everyone: Try to put contact people on Google docs (do we want to look into Google groups?)

Jane is clerking the next meeting.

See everyone on May 4th at 1:30! Good ideas everyone! Laura

Notes from Organizational Meeting: March 30, 2008

Notes: Graham Daley

Present: Clerking- Jeff Robbins; Graham Daley, Jane Farrell, Laura Golitko, Hanna McPhee, Abby Robbins
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Notes on three rounds about pamphlet contents:

- Importance of initiating and empowering women.
- Teaching tolerance, girls with girls and boys with boys and girls and boys with each other
- Having more than one pamphlet:
- Facilities People we know: John Thompson, Peter Rapp.

- Construction/projects, including possible diagrams
    - What we want to do vs. what we need to do & what we want to do.
- Pictures of gymcraftics, including some non threatening shots, group process, art projects etc.
- History of projects, old center, timeline.
    - Provides example, "proof" we might need for "buy in".
- Reach lots of unexpected people, developing potential in any form
- Art: connecting with medicine wheel kids, southern poverty law center materials.
     - Notion of gymcraftics etc as a vehicle for teaching tolerance.
- Space we work in should be visually inspiring, not cinderblocks etc.

- Contact key people: Becca Brogadir, Margot Albeck, Andrea Melton, Dan Rubin.

- Impact of gymcraftics on people: Movie!!!
Follow up to interested parties should be clear and easy.

- New Website?

- New performances/clinics- Natick Mall.

-Line up events in advance in order to be able to give out a schedule to observers.

- Links to slideshow/movie- easy access.

- People who can clerk.

Mailing list, updates, contacts: the notion that people would like to be informed in their inbox
Monthly newsletter, seperate from airtime, rotate writers

"Women in Sports Movie" by Andrew Silver.

We want to be inspired like that with a movie we make.
Performance based fundraising,

Hanna's idea about a gala-type event with gymcraftics

to convey message to interested parties and accept their donations.

Wellesley high resources: printing and woodshop model machine

Diagrams in our literature, connectedness, levels of involvement

Cost issues: mailings, paper, etc.
Accounting, transparency, where does the money come from, who is keeping track.

Connecting with people, including those who are often left out

Laura's thesis: Everyone is a story.

Take-aways from this meeting:

1- Next meeting at Laura's House in Hopkinton
Sunday, April 13th, 2pm
[changed to Natick]

Hopefully, by then, we will:
Graham: send this email, start writing about purpose etc.,

blurbs for various pamphlets, database set up and google group.
Jane: designing space on autocad, making model,

website procurement, layout for pamphlets
Jane and Graham together: start working on video/slideshow stuff
Laura: more generalized grant reasearch,
Hanna: make a logo, talk to mom.
Jeff and Abby: Dream!

We should continue to think about non-profit status, LLC and accounting issues.