Guide to the Long March (for new staffers)

The Long March is our name for the process in which new people get acquainted with GW & find out where (or if) they want to participate. We'd like it if everybody could just jump right in, take on responsibilities, and be both a good leader & follower. But it almost never happens that way.

So this is our attempt to guide you through the Mechanics ( the day to day staffing at the store), and through the Red Documents which tell how we're organized and what we're trying to do.

You should end the Long March either by becoming a member of the collective, or someone who works with us but doesn't agree to the Collective Agreements (a 'Fellow Traveler'), or by dropping out because GW isn't it for you. Then you can settle down & do good political work or continue to expand your responsibilities to the level of the Core Collective.

Before starting to staff (can be done the first time you come to staff)

You should have some idea of what GW's doing: working for social change, developing skills needed in the good society, providing literature which encourages people to take control over their own lives. You can best pick this up from reading 'What's a Groundwork?' or from discussion with people in the collective.

You should also be willing to make a minimum commitment to make and receive criticism with your Day Coordinator (DC), learn how to staff (the mechanics), show up (on time), and contact your DC if you can't come or decide to drop out. You should also expect to learn about the collective (from the Red Documents and from collective members) until you decide at what level to participate. Staffing will take a minimum of 2 hours a week. Red Doc discussion groups take about 1 hour a week for 5 weeks, plus another hour a week to prepare for the group. People who are only interested in the bookstore and not in the collective (i.e. future Fellow Travelers) may spend less time with the Red Docs. In the meantime, GW in general, but particularly your DC is committed to take you seriously and struggle with you over your criticisms.

Still want to staff?

On backing off -- at any point in learning about GW or later while staffing, a person may decide they'd rather not put in the energy. That's a perfectly acceptable decision and we encourage people not to be liberal with their commitments to the collective (i.e. trying to do more than they really want to . We encourage people to come back and visit us -- at TGIF's, Work Parties, or whenever.

Need more information to decide? Feel free to talk to other staffers or to people in the collective or take a look at the Red Docs or whatever helps you decide. Maybe just come to a TGIF or Work Party and discuss you reservations there. We're not as uniform in our politics as it might appear from the outside. You're going to hear a variety of answers. If you were in the collective, there might be an even greater variety!

Yes! Ok, get ready to give up your freedom plus your first born child! Well, at least move onward in this guide.

move on to the First Week!

return to Groundwork Collective: Who are we?

return to Groundworks home page