Next Candidate...
Interesting Answers to the questionaire. I sometimes think people think it's a joke, and they aren't really sure how to anwer.
I find myself scanning the top part of the post to get to the same question:
What, in your opinion, is the most pressing 'problem' with the GGA, and what will you do to help 'fix' it?
I find it very interesting what people think is "pressing". This time it seems to be:
I think one thing that the GGA could do better would be to work on reaching more of Middle and South Georgia. I feel that a lot of the GGA activity has been centered in North Georgia. To improve this situation I would press to have meetings and event held in other areas.
What the heck is that??? People are caching in middle Georgia. People are caching in South Georgia. They don't need parties planned for them. That's what the GGA does. Plans parties. Ok sorry "Meetings". Meetings have been held in the south and middle GA when people have offered to host them. There just doesn't seem to be much of a call for it. No one in either area has shown any interest in stepping up and taking responsibility. No one there wants to lead. I think leave well enough alone. If they want a party, sorry "meeting" let them ask. It is always delivered.
I know, I have my own opinion of "Pressing". But nearly 7 years of caching and 6.5 years of GGA kinda qualifies me to speak with authority. The relative newbies don't have a clue to what caching used to be. They also don't have any idea of what grand plans we had as a group 6 years ago. How we were groundbreaking and leaders not just in Georgia, but to the entire geocaching community. Now we are just a "Social" Club with no social conscience. I believe it's because we were so intent (not me however) to "spread" the word about geocaching and to grow our numbers as an Association. We talked about "self-policing" and "education, Safety and awareness" but we didn't have a plan for making things happen. In the beginning we had lectures about "poison Plants and Compass reading" then we digressed to an entire hour of Lewis talking about how to paint a freaking ammo can! The sorriest thing is...we are still having the same lectures. We arent' moving forward, I think we are actually moving backwards in time.
I think th emost pressing problem we have is ...
are you ready...
Here we go...
That people have only been given 2 choices of what the GGA can be:
1.)Social Club
2.)Incorporated
That my friends is the crux of the problem. I don't think that is a fair choice. There are a couple of members who have actally convinced people that the only way you will be taken seriously is to be incorporated. And we as a group don't want to be incorporated. So therefore all we have been left with is...You guessed it...PARTY!!!! "Social Club".
Being Seroius and being incorporated are not co-dependent. To be taken seriously by anyone that matters (decision-makers) all you need are irrefutable numbers. You walk into an office with numbers of substance like ...lets see...How many pounds of trash picked up (along with pictures of participants) number of members and which counties they are in, How many hours of community service members spent CITO-ing, The amount of caches approved and not allowed, how many archived, maintained cleaned up, and removed. That is just a couple I can think of and guess what we didn't have to be incorporated.
Wow. I wanted to see how many times I could actually use quotes in a post. Could you imagine every time you see quotation marks I was doing that little quote thing with my fingers on either side of my head. The dogs think I am so silly.