MINUTES PRACTICE & EDUCATION COMMITTEE 26TH SEPTEMBER 2020

Present:  Rachael Cheang   Jane Hope (Minutes), Tessa Watt (Chair)

Apologies:  Merlin Cox, Jez Taylor

 

Action  By When  By 

Whom
1. Actions from last meeting
   
2. Report on Current Situation 
Monday evenings  – 5-7

Wednesday evenings around 6-8 people

Opening centre 30 Sept – 7 registered, more expressed interest, max 14 can attend

David’s Talk September  – 20

Sadhana of Mahamudra  ?

Shambhala Sadhana  ?

WIEL sign-up  9

Sign up for coming on-line events

What is emptiness – 9

Beauty of mind  – 3

Lamledra  – postponed to spring
3. Practical Forward Planning
Discussion of Jez’s letter.   Jez writes: 

  • The latest draft budget I prepared for the finance team, which takes into account paying only £10,000 in rent and recording around about a £6,000 loss is dependent on there being programme income of £17,500.
  • Currently we have no event assistant (no applications have come in for the position) 
  • We have barely any teachers.  Basically David H, Merlin, Tessa (when you can but you are busy), Jane is not sure, no Orhun, Peter, Jim or myself.
  • How are we going to create a programme schedule to make this kind of money?  I can’t see it happening as it’s not so easy to get teachers in from abroad and not something I can devote time to to create a full healthy schedule, in which case we’re looking at more like £12,000-£15,000 loss unless we manage to rent the centre out with unheard of success which I also cannot see now that we have the rule of 6 in place for at least the next 6 months.  
  • A £12-15k loss is not disastrous for the centre, we could sustain that kind of loss for several years, so it’s not entirely doom and gloom, but we need a P&E plan to get us through this year in some way shape or form and into the next few years with some sense of optimism.
  • Or a more sensible way of going about this is P&E need to propose what is realistically possibly and then a budget needs to arise from that so that the trustees can decide what to do about it.

We discussed that it would be difficult to make £17,000 in programme income at the moment.

Plans included:  

  • Doing levels on-line.  Try Level 1 in November.  Ask David if he would be willing to do it.  Would need umdze and Zoom host.
  • Ocean/The Wisdom Seat are doing Levels on-line.  Jane/Rachael will research more
  • JH considering doing small groups on Zoom like the Vajrayana group.  Possibly doing Aging for Beginners
  • Tessa considering doing one day retreat
  • Rachel will ask Paul if he is interested in doing something
  • Jane will ring Vinita 

We discussed the need for better publicity and decided to ask Alex if he would do posters for FB and for sending out as e-mail.  JH will ask him.

Asap

???

RC/JH

JH

TW

RC

JH

JH
4. Need for new energy in P & E/Longer term vision 
There was discussion on the need for fresh energy in the P & E team – names of people who might be invited to a ‘brainstorming’ session were discussed.  

JH will ask the Vajrayana Group if they would be interested

TW will invite Katrina

JH
5.Longer Term vision for P & E  
We should not wait for decisions to be made from the top – P & E could take the lead on things.  Need long term strategy on what we do.  Look at Llew’s ideas on ‘common’ syllabus.
6. Programme with Fleet Maull
This programme was ‘red-lighted’  the decision to be taken to Trustees.  Do we have a policy on programmes taught by those loyal to the Sakyong? Trustees/Council
8. Date of Next Meeting
22nd October