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graphicsgirl19 4 years, 7 months ago.
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I know you all were waiting for this question! What are your thoughts on getting back to a more “normalized” WGA event and meeting schedule for 2021?
My thought is that we can do these things safely if everyone is to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC. My youngest are finally going back to school full time next week. Yay! And, it is my opinion that we as adults can do conduct business in person and be safe. Obviously, there will be others with the totally opposite opinion and I respect that also.
I believe the bylaws state that at least one of the BOD meetings must be conduct in person and that meeting has normally been held in February. It sounds like a decision has already been made to hold the meeting virtually. It certainly would be nice, for any newly elected board members to be able to enjoy their first WGA board meeting in person with any of the others that would choose to be there and for any others that choose to attend virtually, that option would also be available for them. On my current project, we conduct foreman and owner meetings in this format and it works great!
Events… I have been to a few events since the pandemic hit where the CDC guidelines were implemented as much as possible and I have not heard of any large numbers of positive tests resulting from attendance at those events. I believe the WGA could also go ahead with an event such as the chili feed or LCG event in person and we could do it safely. The LCG event could also implement the in person/virtual attendance options for all whichever they would choose.
This is the awesomeness of geocaching – it focuses on the great outdoors! Putting together events that are COVID friendly takes a little more work and creativity, but it can be done. Since COVID launched last March, I have hosted or co-hosted four different events – all well attended The first three were outside – and social distancing was not that difficult. The last was inside and masks were required and our attendance number was limited. The last, which has traditionally always been a potluck, became a chili dinner where we not only made the chili, but placed it in individual containers so that those attending would feel comfortable. We received great kudos on our efforts.
As humans, we are wired for relationships – some of us more than others. The neat thing about Geocaching and Events is that as adults, we can make our own decisions to attend or not to attend. It is that simple. We must make sure we have mutual respect between those who chose to attend and those who chose not to attend and that we don’t fall into the habit of being disrespectful, mask shaming or other unnecessary actions.
I have reviewed the WGA Bylaws and they do specifiy that at least one Board Meeting annually must be in person. If elected, it would be my hope that the initial Board Meeting would be in person. With a Board of nine members, this should be able to happen and all guidelines for social distancing and masking followed.
If elected, I will work hard and put in the extra time and effort to make events Covid-friendly for as long as need be. Whenever possible, adding a virtual option for those who choose not to attend in purpose is a great idea. I am part of a group that meets every Tuesday. There are nine of us. Some choose to meet in person. The others meet with us via Zoom. We have been doing this since last March and it has worked well and there is no judgement on either side. I feel that it should be the same with Geocaching if we are all putting on our adult manners – or as Aretha Franklin sang all those years ago – R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
I am very thankful that geocaching is largely an outdoor activity! It certainly gave me something productive to do during the spring and summer months when so many other things were unable to happen.
Any breath of normalcy is welcome so long as the CDC guidelines are met. With a board of nine, it is relatively easy to achieve the appropriate social distance to conduct business efficiently. The Badger Girls State executive board had a combination in-person/virtual meeting in the fall that people could attend in the mode of their choosing so I’ve seen it work.
I have attended several geocaching events since the pandemic started. The event hosts made sure to specify the COVID protocols on the cache description page even going so far as to serve food that was individually packaged and providing readily accessible hand sanitizer. I attended the events that I did because I felt that the event hosts cared about running the event safely for everyone. If that level of care and respect goes into how the board conducts their business, I see no reason why things can’t be run in person.
I commit to the safety protocols every day in the classroom and would do the same if elected to WGA Board.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors
I too am looking forward to things returning to the new “normal” perhaps by summer, if not Fall. I have been living in the covid world of program planning since July and have dealt with more close contact and positive covid people than I even want to think about. Between the work related restrictions and watching my parents via FaceTime fighting covid currently, it is way too soon to be overly confident that things should be normal just yet. I am also going to point out there is a huge difference between holding an event as an individual and as an organization. The more that we can do outdoors the better and the Spring picnic is looking like the next time we can all safely do so.
I am not in favor of an in-person BOD meeting in February. The bylaws indicate the BOD does need to meet at least once during the year in-person and the current plan is to do so at the Spring picnic when we will be outdoors.
It’s a sensitive topic because everyone individually has to weigh their own and their families’ risks of getting COVID vs the benefits of human interaction, school, work etc.
The hospital I work at is not accepting any visitors. My family has made the decision to send my kids to school because, in our opinion, the benefits outweigh the risks in that setting.
Covid is still a moving target. The good news is there is hope on the horizon. Tens of thousands in our state have people have already received the Covid vaccine with millions more planned.
I personally have no concerns about outdoor events. I’ve hosted one and been to multiple since the pandemic started. When the virus first started, there was a lot of unknowns. One of them was how long the virus lived on plastic or metal. I think it’s safe to find event caches with proper hygiene and hand washing.
Last week, I co-hosted an indoor event that followed CDC guidelines for social distancing, food preparation and mask wearing. I think if you ask anyone, it was a success and a ton of fun to see friends again.
If elected, I would be interested in getting together in person with non-ill board members who also feel comfortable doing the same. Others on the board, where the risks outweigh the benefits, could easily meet up virtually that day.
I don’t know about the liability of events as a board. The decision to attend an event is a personal one for each geocacher and that can be put as a disclaimer on an event page, if need be. I think as long as we follow CDC guidelines and instruct others to do so as well, it is safe to move forward with WGA promoted and sponsored events.
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
Unfortunately, I do not believe we will ever fully get back to “normal”. I believe we are going through a historic change and there will be a new “normal” that will be settled into. That being said, I wish we could meet in person for the annual BOD meeting however, so many places that could be reserved are either not taking reservations or have so many restrictions that the BOD wouldn’t be able to meet. Thankfully, the WGA is taking to embracing technology and are taking the appropriate measures to ensure that the WGA will continue to be the purveyors of fine Tupperware as they always have been.
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