It's really great that the blog for this week is all about the Tuckman model, considering that the first session I attended at the conference on leadership and civic engagement was all about the different levels and the various team building activities that can be done in each step! Funny how the world works like that...

Anyway, this model and what it means. I'm much more limited, as a freshman, when it comes to picking a really good group experience to be the base of my talks in this blog. I've decided that the best example that I have right now is my experiences involving Drackett/Neilwood Gables Community Council.  

Forming

All the people in this world let's come together, more than ever, I can feel it, can you feel it?

The stage where it all begins. Everyone is coming together with a purpose. In my case, we were coming together in order to make the DNG complex a better place and provide great fun for everyone. This was a time of ice breakers, and a lot of them. We all got to know each other better, got into the swing of how things would work, stuff like that. We were going to be a team now, in our little cohorts and then together as a large group. We got a feel for how things were going to go and how the group meshed, although the structure was based on previous years we were all new to this group regardless of position.

Storming

Now that we had come together, knew how meetings were going to run, different ideas began to come out. How were we going to vote on money forms? Whose idea would take precedence? How would we choose what we are going to do and what we will wait on? How will the meeting be run and how will everyone be involved? During this stage there was a lot of change until we found a way that things worked and worked well. This was a relatively short stage for our group, I think. A major part of it was that our advisers were very much a part of the action and keeping us on track. They kept us going in the right direction and offered support when we needed it, which was more often that it is now. Also, individuals began to feel more comfortable and, just as our book says, opinions began to emerge. The general body is made up of representatives from each floor, and now that we began to feel more comfortable as a group, we didn't have that big of a problem was saying something if we wanted to. If things weren't the way we thought they should be or someone had an idea on how we could so something different, they would voice it to the group. This wasn't something that would happen if we were in our forming stage so much. 

Norming

This is the stage I would say DNG CC is in now. Well, more of a limbo between this and the next stage really. Norming is where the group establishes how things will be done. Now that we have been together as a group for over a quarter, our meeting run a lot smoother and the members all know what is expected of them. Input and feedback from the adult advisers occurs less and less often because we know how to keep ourselves on track. We began to brainstorm details for the group and the different activities we would introduce to the complex. Money form voting became much easier too because we knew the process better and the questions that needed to be asked before everyone felt comfortable with passing them. 

Preforming

Almost there! Now that we are in this mode where we cycle through meetings much quicker. Everyone knows what is expected and we have started to put ideas into actions. We have had a lot of successful activities be planned such as Bottle Caps for Boobies, numerous alcohol alternative events for Friday nights, movie nights, group dinners, and more. Our executive board throws in some new twists like fun activities every now and then so no one gets bored, but we are very much so in a rhythm and getting things accomplished. Small groups are in charge of activities in their field (service, general programing, cultural awareness), but the larger group is in charge of marketing and making sure that the events are not only up and running, but the residents of the building are aware and there. 

Adjourning

This is a step that will be faced eventually, since Drackett is freshmen only and none of can stay to keep it around, but I think it is also a fresh step for any group. I guess when the time comes it will be more of a semi-adjournment, because a whole new group of students will pick it up next year. I've been in groups that have dissolved themselves before though. For example, in all of middle school I was in girl scouts and a part of a very active group. As we got older, all the members could put less and less time in and we weren't accomplishing the goals we had set for ourselves to do projects. At that point, it was time for us to go our seperate ways instead of trying to keep up an essentially dead group. I feel like any group that no longer has a purpose should either revisit the forming stage or adjourn. Not all groups are meant to go on forever, and if no one is going to put the effort into the purpose it is probably time for them to close up shop.