Meeting Guide
Supporting others through the pandemic
Overview
These days, leaning on and supporting our loved ones and community can be life-changing. Crises can also heighten the barriers and biases some groups face. While these problems can’t be solved overnight, it’s important to know how women of all backgrounds are being impacted by COVID-19. Here are some practical tips and critical perspectives for how you can help others in your community.
Pre-Meeting Prep
- If you’re covering this topic in your virtual Circle this month — ask members to review one or more of the below resources in advance, or review them together at the start of your meeting
Resources
- What to say when people are grieving
- How you can help people who’ve lost jobs or housing
- How to start a conversation—and why it matters
- Supporting your team’s mental health
- I’m immune compromised & high risk—mutual aid is what’s saving my life
- 5 easy ways to help support your favorite local businesses
- 20 ways to support healthcare workers
- Coronavirus: Why some racial groups are more vulnerable
- Black women have long faced racism in healthcare. COVID-19 is only amplifying it
- How to support restaurants without putting food delivery workers at risk
- How can we look after older people when coronavirus has made it impossible to see them?
- How to support others during the COVID-19 pandemic
Check-In
Group activity
5 minutes or less
An icebreaker is a powerful tool to help us become present with one another and ourselves. Use this icebreaker to see how your Circle members currently feel. Go around your Circle and share an update on how you’re feeling using the traffic light colors:
- Green (mostly good)
- Yellow (mixed feelings, unsure, or just OK)
- Red (mostly not doing great)
You can also briefly share why you’re feeling that way if you’d like.
Discussion Questions
Group activity
Approx. 35 minutes
These questions are designed to help you and your Circle members connect over common challenges, share your best strategies to overcome them, and workshop solutions together.
Pick one question to start with and move on to the other questions if you have time.
- Who in your community have you been able to support? What have you done for them that seemed most helpful?
- Is there anyone else who you can support in a way that is manageable for you?
- What’s one new thing you’d like to try to show your support to a friend, neighbor, or someone who’s vulnerable loved one, or neighbor during this crisis?
- Crises like a pandemic can perpetuate systemic discrimination, including racial and class bias. What’s one thing you’ve learned about how different groups of women are impacted by COVID-19?
One Action
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Come up with a One Action
Individual activity
Approx. 5 minutes
We recommend you close every meeting by committing to a “One Action”—one concrete thing you’re going to do before your next Circle meeting to step outside your comfort zone, practice a new skill, or try something new, based on what you’ve discussed today.
Next time you meet, update your Circle on your One Action (what you did and how it went).
Take a few minutes and ask everyone to write down their One Action.
Share your One Action with your Circle
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
One by one, go around your Circle and share your One Action. Move quickly from member to member, and consider cheering one another on as you go.
Wrap-Up
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Finalize logistics of your next meeting
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Before you break, make sure you have the basics covered for your next meeting, including day and time. Decide what you’re going to do, when you are going to meet next, and who is going to send out ideas. You may also want to talk through what worked—and what didn’t—in today’s meeting so you can brainstorm improvements going forward.
Close on an uplifting note
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Think of one small moment of joy you can plan for this week. Go around your Circle one by one and share what you’ll do. Alternatively, take a few minutes to write down something you’re grateful for—and share it with the group, if you’d like to.
