Apologies: With half the gang in Cornwall at the Intersect it was a pretty quiet Wednesday in ARK. However its sometimes weeks like this that I prefer the most, as I get to speak to a small group in more detail about what we want to do or how we need to improve what we do. So what did I learn this week?We need Minutes, or rather we need to record what we discussed each week in a informal manner. This can be a written, recorded, photographed or sketched. This is for those who didn't make it as well as all you people out there who are still deciding whether to come along or not. Don't worry we know its a scary thing, but take the plunge, say hello and get involved...we are actually quite nice people.....honest!So what else happened this week? We discussed the best use of the meeting room and bar in the Cardiff Arts Institute for our meetings and this is what we concluded:Upstairs meeting room works best:For more formal Wednesday clubs - workshops/ projects discussions etc where the room is facilitated or lead. One of the conversations tonight was around the fact that although ARK has an informal structure, sometimes you need you need a chair or leader to keep things in check.Downstairs bar works best for:For informal chats and catch ups, welcoming new people in a relaxed environment, like a personal warm welcome. It turns out although 'upstairs' is a great open space it can be a little intimidating for new people to walk into so maybe we need to take it in turns to meet and greet new people, tell them what we do first before introducing them to the bigger ARK picture. What do you think?We want to develop the Skill Swap Barter Market. Firstly by interviewing everyone who has swapped so far to find out how it went. Secondly by deciding how we develop this idea further. So if you have recently swapped your skills we want to hear how it went....photos would be good too!Can we organise a ARK school trip? We're thinking a weekend away to learn or develop new skills. Maybe we hook up with a similar group in the UK and where we run a 24hr project? What do you think?Well that was it for this week, hope to see everyone back next Wednesday.Lynsey
Why not come along to our meeting on Wednesday evenings and see how you can get involved! Click here to view our calendar.
