Assaya Community Meeting Summary Date: 11/02/2024

Members Present: Kate Munding, Jeanie Bunker, Kip Walsh, Jude Pollack, Nadine Cohen, Heather Walls, Lynne Prather, Judy Michel, Anna

Meeting Agenda​
10:00 am - Welcome and short group check-in
10:20 - Assaya Updates and current volunteer opportunities 
10:40 - Community brainstorm about programming in 2025
11:15 - review action items 
11:30 - close

Community Notes: 
Updates from Kate:
Kate began by reflecting on the growth of Assaya,“wrapping up an amazing year!”

Offerings in 2024:

• Daily sits at 7amPT (zoom) (offered continuously since 2020!)
• Weekly Wednesday Intensives 10am-noon PT (in-person & zoom)
• Weekly Monday eve sit/Dharma talk/share 7-830pm PT (zoom) and beginning Monday Nov.4th, bi-monthly in-person meetings to be held the first & third Mondays, 7–830pm PT at Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley. Starting Nov.18th there will be an Affinity Group meet-up at 630-7pm PT (in-person only) for BIPOC members and various other affinity groups to be announced in the near future.
• Weekly BIPOC sit/Dharma talk/share -Fridays Noon-1pm PT (zoom only) 
• Added new teachers, Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, MBA and Shakthi Ganeshan, MD,MPH and ongoing teacher development and collective mentoring with all Assaya teachers.
• Kate reported ongoing progress on the draft of Assaya Community Agreement. Info is to be shared with the entire community early next year for review.
• Goal for 2025 is to add more in-person half-day and daylong programs next year, continuing the hybrid format.
• Another goal is to build out the Board of Directors next year. Kate noted that the Board works in December and January to review the budget in preparation for the February Town Hall (full membership meeting) to discuss budget and program planning for 2025.

Volunteers needed: Volunteers needed to help do tasks that each require about 3-4 hours per month. After discussion, all volunteer jobs were filled as follows:

1. Calendar: Kip will replace Bea & share duties with Barbara.
2. Mass emails: Nadine.
3. Monitor & respond to website emails: Judy.
4. Audit website pages & update: Heather.
5. Monday in-person meeting set-up: Jude to help & recruit volunteers from attendees.

Discussion:
The meeting was opened up for a discussion about what people wanted to see more of, changed, and added to in 2025. 

• Suggestion made to remind teachers to ask before offering feedback in daily sits as some only wish to offer their reflection without comment. Kate agreed to remind the teaching staff to ask before offering feedback.
• Suggestions were made to increase half-day and daylong offerings next year and to offer Sunday gatherings in person perhaps four times per year, possibly in public parks to reduce rental space costs. Kate agreed to include these requests in planning for 2025 with the BOD.

​No Community Meeting in December or January; next membership meeting will be February Town Hall (date to be announced)