Description of the Community Gathering: I keep refining it

What do you think about this description? What questions come up? What are you inspired by?

A community gathering is a cross between a festival, a town hall meeting, a strategic planning session, and a school. Ideally there would be childcare, a free meal, and lots of different rooms where various activities would happen, including music jam sessions, dancing, and various support groups and classes. In the largest rooms, there would be a myriad of conversations going on about things that people care about and want to take responsibility for.

Organizers for the Community Gathering would make sure that people have the opportunity to both discuss and learn about essential things such as alternatives to money (including alternative currencies, time banking, lets system, and barter), emergency preparedness (including natural disasters, terrorism, and martial law), and become self-reliant (community gardens, alternatives to using the grid energy, and water cachement).

Another important and essential activity that would take place at Community Gatherings is political activities. Anyone who wanted to could have the opportunity to use this time and space to promote the candidate of their choice in small groups of willing people. Ron Paul supporters can take this time to work on their strategies and plans if they wish. Ron Paul supporters can also have orientations about the various options for candidates, and give objective views on the stands of all the candidates. This is also an essential time to identify and help elect government officials in every office from school board to city council to quorum court to government to senator.

Education about the issues would be a very important function. There could be a room where films could be shown—like "America, from freedom to fascism". Classes for all ages could be given about the constitution and educating people about our rights and how we can make our voices heard, and grassroots organizing.

The possibilities of what can happen at a well-organized and well-supported Community Gathering are endless. People who often do not get involved such as homeless, single parents and low income people could be offered transportation.

As people gather, cooperate, and build trust, a governing structure where every voice is heard and valued will emerge. In this atmosphere of connection and caring, where people are seeing that they have common needs, and that they don’t need to agree on everything,I believe that people will start learning to work together harmoniously. A governing structure which is minimal, and which insures people’s basic freedoms be met. As was done by our founding fathers who worked so hard to organize a very large country in a way that insured our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we in our neighborhoods will come together to organize for the same purpose.

I think that one of the weaknesses of our constitution is that it does not grant enough autonomy and rights to the neighborhood—the place where people are going to naturally care about the most. I think that if we simultaneously work to elect Ron Paul, and organize our neighborhoods, we will have a win-win situation. Even if Ron Paul does not get elected, we will have power in our neighborhoods. Ron Paul supporters will have a momentum of community service going so that if he doesn’t win, the people power to support Ron Paul can continue to work without missing a beat. Yes, we will be disappointed if Ron Paul loses. But we will have victory in saying, “We are exercising our power whether Ron Paul wins or not.”

More details about the strategy for Ron Paul and neighborhood

I am working on creating a clear description of the Community Gathering, an event which just about any person with a strong commitment could initiate. This community gathering brings a diverse group of people together around the common goal of helping make their neighborhood and world a better place to live.

The strategy is this: Ron Paul supporters sponsor a community gathering in every neighborhood in the country. Because the meeting is set up to help everyone achieve their worthwhile personal goals and goals for neighborhood and world betterment, there will be a space for Ron Paul supporters to gather. People will come and benefit from all the networking and support, and they will also be exposed directly or indirectly to the Ron Paul message if they attend the gathering.

I have been working on the idea of focusing on neighborhood betterment for the past three years. I notice a huge trend in individuals, non-profits, churches, businesses and city governments focusing on supporting neighborhoods in their efforts to improve quality of life. There is a strong movement and great infrastructure where many neighborhoods have neighborhood associations.

When I decided to put all my energy towards supporting Ron Paul for president, I started thinking about how my ideas for having Community Gatherings could help that cause. I feel hopeful that a Community Gathering will encourage the participation of a high percentage of the people in the neighborhood, including busy folks like business people; church members; government officials and families, as well as people who are often on the fringes like single mothers, minorities, and welfare folks.

The idea is that if we can create a weekly event that builds momentum because it is so fulfilling, useful, unifying, and even fun, within a few months hundreds of people will be attending these gatherings in every neighborhood in the USA. This would equate to millions over all. And even those who don’t attend will be connected through newsletter, telephone tree, and word of mouth. All will know that the coordinators are Ron Paul supporters, thus giving people a feel for who Ron Paul is. These community gatherings will incorporate the values of liberty for all.

I hope that you will read the description below. I welcome all feedback. Perhaps this could be turned into a wiki so people could add ideas. The following description could be the beginning of a handbook so that anyone could start of Community Gathering. I am going to start a yahoo group: send an email to communitygatherings-subscribe@yahoo.com

I really want to do this full time, and I am not working at any paid jobs right now--so if you would like to donate to me to support me in doing this full time, I would appreciate it.