Conflict & Learning - Growing Through Problems!

Thank you for clearing this up! We appreciate all your hard work on all of this! @Kate @Laura

Note about Group Support:

The CML is in charge of combining any trainings for the SC that are already created and keeping the training up to date.

However, Support Team Leaders are still responsible for running the training and onboarding new group mods, discussion leaders and (soon!) room supporters to their subcommunity.

@Laura I think that Together Everyone Achieves More - this is all a great step!

I think unified group trainings make really great sense - I participated in a recent forum training, and it being done in a group, with supporters of various communities only helped gain insight and more creative ideas!

@Laura thanks for this clarification. The subcoms are still relatively new and with changing roles in the subcoms there may be some confusion.

Settling on roles for the subcoms for a longer term might help reduce confusion and make certainty more possible.

@Laura

HI Laura thank you for this post. I do hope that this helps us all in the community learn to learn from problems we face here

Thanks for the update!

I appreciate that Mods and Listeners are volunteers and as a Member I try to support them.
By reporting troublemakers and calling for a Mod if things are getting out of hand.
We know you are doing your best, but frequently it feels like our cries for help or change are not being heard.

Now we know you were listening.

@Laura

Thanks for this post Laura.

Does any of this help deal with the problem of absentee leaders or uncommunicative leaders?

As someone who is not a member of the Trauma team, I did not think it was my place to speak up too much. I believe in showing support, but also have full confidence in Trauma co.

I do not agree with how this matter is handled whatsoever. This thread is going to turn into an [I the most accurate, non-vulgar synonym is] "echo chamber" like the DID thread. Can I mention that, or will I be censored/deleted/banned like Deb and Bee and others were? We all know that it wasn't for "safety" reasons. In that case, I should have been censored/deleted/banned because I was as harsh/honest, if not more. Or heck, go ban Rain too while you're at it again when Rain's not even around, but you took down Rain already of all people so womp.

This is not "miscommunication" (fluff word), you just handled this wrong and deservingly got called out on it. Plain and simple. This matter has been going on for over a month. Then, you proceed to delete posts, censor users, ban users all willy-nilly. So yes, if you delete someone's post just for asking a question (or better yet, screenshots of informative posts), you're going to have a problem. And a whole bunch of valid concerns were raised ("unsupportive"? give me a break, it's criticism).

For those unfamiliar, let me summarize the situation. I'd be happy to link things in if necessary.

1) An unfamiliar name is added to the subcommunity leader list. This user did not go through the subcommunity's onboarding, but was added because they use the same room as Trauma does for their sessions under Support+. Note that while Trauma may have been under Support+ in the past, Trauma has been established as a subcommunity of its own.

2) Deb asks about it. Her thread is deleted. Followed by another. And another. And another... Someone admits they asked for the threads to be deleted because the matter was addressed and this was "unsupportive".

3) Drama.

Teen/Support+ feels they can handle things appropriately, TYVM. Members from Trauma raise a couple of concerns about how they handle their sessions.

7cups staff takes their sweet time responding to messages sent by Trauma co. while banning various users, including the subcom leader who wasn't even around at the time.

Teen/Support+ attempts to rationalize their behaviour of holding Trauma sessions and whatnot instead of talking to Trauma co., asserting that Trauma co. does not have much activity for teens (especially compared to the adults) when to be fair, they don't either.

There is no such thing as miscommunication when there is no communication in the first place, that's common sense. This whole issue could have been avoided with talking in the first place. That would be the professional thing to do from the volunteers. Trauma co. works together with other volunteer staff. A very simple introduction would have gone far, instead of attitude from the echo committee. Also, this situations shows what a mess that "subcommunity centered moderation" is: you either have separate subcommunities for a reason, or you don't.

1. What does the Support Team Leader do vs Forum Mentors vs CMLs? And how are leaders selected for each of these roles?

... Really? Sorry, but this sounds like a question to cover yourself when that leadership structure is already well-established.

2. Onboarding trainings and processes for group support. The process should be unified for all subcommunities. There may have been a time when this was not true, but we aim to make this true in the future to ensure consistency.

Ah perfect, a half-apology after-the-fact. Moving on.

I'm not sure what else I can say expect the obvious. It's all been said before. 7cups staff did not listen/read in this case. As another point, you could have just said "because we said so. end of story", you wouldn't even have to bother to actually clarify things! Then you wouldn't have so much of a problem and people would know not to bother. With the secrecy and jumping around the bush, you caused a problem. People will join in on your game for evidence sake and to try to get you to listen. However, there is no point in fighting a brick wall, and it's better to move on somewhere that is more supportive.

Pretty much all the good volunteer staff (aside from 2 or 3, one of which left the site based on how you handled a situation in the past) that I knew of were in Trauma co. Helpful. Informational. Supportive. Minimal frills.

Congratulations, well done, hope you're happy, good luck. Hope that Trauma co. leaves little behind to help you (while still being courteous am I right? ). Knowing they were volunteers, they did not and do not owe you like a labour slave. (this is also directed to your requests to meet not being granted... not like you could have communicated another way, right?) I'm proud of them for refusing to even bother conversing about what they didn't want to talk about in the first place.

I'm not sure what this thread will accomplish (if anything) aside from being fluff.

I've been seeing bits and pieces of this as it has unfolded and I am now compelled to add my thoughts here as a member of 7 cups...

It is truly sad and unnerving to see this conflict going on, as I am new (relatively) to this place, and I'm really hoping to find even a small shred of light...I have become aware that I suffered some traumas and I need some help working thru things...

However, I'll not place myself into the hands of a conflicted community with dissent among it's leadership. I have suffered enough that I simply cannot accept help that is flawed at it's core.

I do believe there are some positive corners on this site, and I shall take peace in those places and gain what I can.

I do hope this gets resolved for the better, and sooner than later. I'm staying out of the politics of it, as it is not my battle.

My only request is that it may be wiser for all if the dirty laundry was aired a bit less publicly. Dont get me wrong, transparency had it's merits, but I fail to see what good it is doing at present. Perhaps create a password only forum so it can be discussed among the involved parties?

I wish the best to all in resolving this.