Form Small Teams

Adaptive Action

What:

Many Americans use each other as tools to achieve outer-directed goals. This alienation reinforces the System’s top-down conditioning, aggravates fragmentation, inflames hyper-individualism and hyper-competition, undermines co-equal partnerships, fails to promote compassion and justice, and weakens a deep sense of community.

So What: 

Small teams whose members share agreed-on principles, such as the Americans for Humanity Declaration, can nurture self-reform to undo divisive conditioning, promote social change, and engage in political action —and attract new members with contagious, positive energy. These teams can be an active ingredient that drives holistic and systemic transformation.

Some team members can meet occasionally with members from other teams in a Network of Small Teams to share information about their work, support each other with their self-improvement, and at times take on specific projects. Some team members will have networks of their own they can mobilize in support of these projects. This “Network of Networks” can lead to steady growth in the number of people who share a common commitment, while supporting the pursuit of individual passions.

Now What:

Select members for your small team you’re comfortable with. Being comfortable means you trust them. Trust among team members is a critical element for success. As a group, determine a name for your team. Naming your team creates an identity that will move you forward as a team.

Individual team members may have a passion for specific topics. People devote the greatest effort to things they’re passionate about. The resources on the Americans for Humanity website may help members find issues to focus on.

Team meetings, at least monthly, can be in-person gatherings or Zoom sessions, though in-person gatherings are most effective. These team meetings should cover:

  • What each team member has been doing since last together, including their efforts with regard to self-reform.

  • The status of any activities the team has agreed to pursue and what remains to be done. 

  • When activities are complete, determine what challenge to pursue next.

Numerous projects these teams might take on are posted on the Americans for Humanity website.