Sisterhood please help

[LAblondeGPhi]

Man, I feel like how you should approach this will really depend on what the issues are.

But, in general, here are some of my favorite activities:
-"Pass the candle / candle passing" - the whole chapter sits in a darkened room, and passes around a lit pillar candle (something that can stay lit for a long time). As each woman gets the candle, she has some time to discuss her personal difficulties/thoughts/feelings/what the chapter means to her/etc. Hopefully, this should become very personal and allow the women to understand and empathize with their sisters better.
-"Silent Appreciation" - Have half the chapter sit in a circle with eyes closed. One person reads a list of commands for the other half of the chapter: "Touch someone on the shoulder who... inspires you, is brilliant, is creative, is kind, has been kind to you, is a role model to you, etc. etc." Let the women touch as many women on the shoulder anonymously as they wish for each item. Switch the chapter.
-Chubby Bunny - it's a contest to see who can fit the most marshmallows in their mouth and still say "chubby bunny". Start with one marshmallow with the whole chapter, then go to two marshmallows, etc. Sounds stupid, but I guarantee that everyone will be in hysterics by the end.

Other random recommendations:
-In general, see how you can make the activities of the chapter more streamlined and beneficial for members. If the leadership of the chapter isn't doing a very good job, that could mean that scheduling is done haphazardly, or that the required enrichment/risk management activities are poorly planned and uninspiring.
-I think whenever you highlight similarities is good - maybe an activity where women group up by similar career interests to discuss their goals and why they have these goals, group up by majors, by fears (especially fun ones like falling, spiders and cotton balls), by favorites, etc.
-A general conflict resolution course of some kind would probably do a lot of good for most chapters: cover the basics of expressing how a certain comment/action made you feel, rather than accusing the other person, use lots of "I feel" and "I felt" statements; maybe establish some ground rules for women to address serious concerns they have with others (through an advisor or something)
-Pull aside some of the leaders of the chapter and talk to them individually to find their perspective and ask their advice. Getting influential individuals on board with setting a good example can be very powerful, and it'll be more effective if you use some of their suggestions and honestly hear their concerns/ideas.
-Take an honest assessment if you have some women who are truly bad eggs or risk management dangers - sometimes the chapter needs to see that, as an organization, you're serious about your standards of conduct. If there are women who truly need sanctions, then issues those sanctions.
-Assess the situations why the chapter is where it is: Is the chapter recruiting women for superficial reasons, rather than recruiting strong members who share ideals and personalities? Is the new membership program not instilling the organization's standards (and re-enforcing them with proper behavior from the rest of the chapter) well enough? Is there generally a dumpy attitude about the direction of the chapter? Is there a particular group of women with a bad attitude? See how you can prevent this situation in the future.

Good luck!

[clarinette]

Originally Posted by LAblondeGPhi

Man, I feel like how you should approach this will really depend on what the issues are.

But, in general, here are some of my favorite activities:
-"Pass the candle / candle passing" - the whole chapter sits in a darkened room, and passes around a lit pillar candle (something that can stay lit for a long time). As each woman gets the candle, she has some time to discuss her personal difficulties/thoughts/feelings/what the chapter means to her/etc. Hopefully, this should become very personal and allow the women to understand and empathize with their sisters better.

We do that, but with the sergeant-at-arms' gavel instead.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by LAblondeGPhi

-Chubby Bunny - it's a contest to see who can fit the most marshmallows in their mouth and still say "chubby bunny". Start with one marshmallow with the whole chapter, then go to two marshmallows, etc. Sounds stupid, but I guarantee that everyone will be in hysterics by the end.

This is actually quite dangerous.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

This is actually quite dangerous.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had RM flags going off.

[LAblondeGPhi]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

This is actually quite dangerous.

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had RM flags going off.

Mkay, skip it. It involves stuffing as many marshmallows into your mouth, so there's always some risk of choking.