| Date | 5th September 2020 |
| Time | 12:30 – 14:15 |
| Location | Virtual (Zoom) |
| Chairing | Sankofa Small |
| Minutes | Colin Bootle |
Present
| Aileen Hamdan | chair, instructor | AH |
| Ewa Nevisandah | treasurer | EN |
| Colin Bootle | secretary | CB |
| Sankofa Small | director | SS |
| Marilyn Moseley | volunteer | MM |
| Jason Monero | volunteer | JM |
| Eileen Monero | volunteer | EM |
| Daniela Garlashelli | volunteer | DG |
| Flavia Columba | volunteer | FC |
| Wendy Saville | volunteer | WS |
| Ann Faal | student | AF |
| Louise Holloway | student | LH |
| Zuby Skinner | student | ZS |
| Delia Heather | student | DH |
| Yvonne Thomas | student | YT |
| Anne Carpenter | student | AC |
Apologies received
| Catherine Furlong (CF), Hemma Kalra (HK), Karolina Melendez-Strzelbicka (KMS), Belinda Calaguas (BC) |
Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 16th May 2020, were accepted and agreed.
Matters arising from minutes
AH has contacted those who need insurance and this is now completed.
CB reported that due to classes being virtual and no volunteers being active, there is no need to check DBS status at this time. When volunteering restarts, volunteers should have their DBS status re-checked.
The Dao Lu App
CB reported on and demonstrated the admin area of the “Dao Lu App” – name changed slightly from “Registration App” as it does more than registrations. In particular:
- Students can input their own information into the app, dispensing with paper forms
- Information includes emergency and medical conditions
- There are roles so users only see the information they are allowed to see (admin, director, instructor, volunteer, student)
- Personal information is kept private, as per GDPR
- Compliance with GDPR is simplified by having a single location for personal information, so students can request a report of what information we have of them, to correct it or delete it (as required by GDPR)
- A single place where we can keep preferences for email, sms, WhatsApp and photography
- Concept of “home class” for monitoring viability of classes
- “Reports” to be generated, e.g. monthly student lists, so treasurer can cross-check whether students who have not paid monthly have attended any sessions – giving us a chance to follow up
- Transmission of personal information by email to be strongly discouraged, as insecure and difficult to trace and delete all copies
- It is a work in progress, so functionality will be added continuously
- Planned enhancements include metrics (age, gender, ethnicity, disabilities etc) required for funding applications and for us to ensure inclusion.
Suggestions raised:
- Confirmation by email that the form has been completed (but not containing any personal information)
- Add Dao Lu logo and developer link
- Add access needs, support worker fields
Participants’ initial feedback was positive. WS commented that she was so happy to see this happening after discussions in the past year
Autumn/Winter programme
AH gave a summary of the Spring/Summer programme, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. All Dao Lu classes have been kept running, and moved online. Extra classes have been added (fitness, yoga, Pilates, salsa) either included in regular fees or on a donation basis. We also hosted a weekly class for a North Yorkshire group, giving Dao Lu students an additional class. Social activities have gone online, with two active chat sessions.
Since 1st August, we have started returning to physical classes. AW and AH have kept one online class each. In bad weather, physical classes have moved online at short notice, instead of being cancelled. New social activities (with social distancing) have been added – walks and trips.
The autumn/winter programme is being planned now. Normally we move indoors from 1st September, but not all locations remain available, so changes are being made. Our session time at St Barnabas is now required for sanitisation, therefore no longer available. The Bowls Green pavillion requires us to sanitise the toilets before and after the sessions, which is not practical. We plan to use the outside area (gated) only. Triangle-House GP is no longer suitable due to Covid-19 restrictions – we are currently seeking a new home for this class. WTJC on Friday mornings cannot use the Bowls Green pavillion as is fully booked; we plan to move to the Aveling Centre, which also has a small outdoor covered area.
MM suggested that the Tuesday evening class revert to online during the autumn/winter terms. This would mean students not having to travel to class in the dark, and save Dao Lu room hire costs. The class could take place outdoors in a local park during Spring/Summer when there is sufficient daylight.
Theory Development
SS presented on proposals for theory development. They cover the first two years, on a term by term basis.
We have recognised that theory is an important part of training. A questionnaire was produced online to collate responses. The results of this questionnaire and a theory development proposal were circulated before the meeting.
Theory Development considered the following areas:
- Forums and events
- In classes
- Alternative platforms (social media, website, videos etc)
- Qi Gong practice and theory to be developed
- Beginner students’ theory development
- Intermediate students’ theory development
- Curriculum development
Finance
EW (treasurer) reported on our financial situation. The latest part-year accounts were circulated before the meeting.
Dao Lu CIC accounts can be considered to be healthy. Covid-19 has not had a significant affect on Dao Lu finances, despite the overnight change from physical to virtual classes; the reduction in fees from students and the reduction in hall-hire expenses. Remarkably, these changes balanced each other out well.
WS queried whether return to physical classes, with possibly fewer students, would affect finances in the near future.
AOB
We have succeeded in winning a small funding for “Milling Around”, to take place over September and October 2020. This is to provide four Tai Chi sessions, two online (Zoom) and two physical, outdoors (e.g. at Walthamstow Wetlands). A key part of the award is that all sessions will be recorded and made available online for five years.
Next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Saturday, 9th January 2021, 12.30pm, online.
Chair of next meeting: AH
Minutes to be taken by: CB
Action points
CB to continue creating the Dao Lu App
All to recommend Covid-19 suitable and affordable indoor venues
All to continue giving feedback on the current and upcoming programme
End of meeting
The meeting closed at 14:15