Teams In The Y.C.W.
Introduction
The National Council of the Y.C.W., at its Meeting in Perth, in August 1949, passed the following motion:-
“This Council reaffirms its policy on teams, and calls on all Leaders’ Groups to persevere with them, It authorises the National Executive to publish a booklet on Teams.”
This booklet is, therefore, being published with the full authority of the National Y.C.W. Council. Its purpose is to give leaders and Chaplains
(1) a clear understanding of the purpose of teams;
(2) an illustration of the advantages of having teams;
(3) an idea of here teams are to be formed;
(4) hints on how to form teams.
Such a booklet will fill a long-felt need. Numerous articles have been written in the Leaders’ Bulletin, and frequent talks given on teams. However there has been a lack of a full treatment of this part of Y.C.W. technique.
The Y.C.W. policy on teams is that they are an essential part of Y.C.W. organisation. in compiling this booklet, discussions have been held. with leaders and Chaplains who have had practical experience on team formation. Thus, every effort has been made to ensure that the most practical information possible would be included.
CHAPTER 1.
THE PURPOSE OF TEAMS
The purpose of teams is to spread the influence of the Movement. To illustrate how teams can widen the Y.C.W’s. influence, let us take two sample Leaders’ Groups. Group A consists of six leaders working without teams. Group B has six leaders, each leader having a team in his parish.
Group A meets regularly, does a Gospel Meditation, tries to keep its Census up to date, does the Review of Influence, hears a Chaplain’s talk, and does the Enquiry. The six leaders have been in the Group almost two years. The number of facts they gather for the Enquiry, the number of Items of Interest and Problems brought to light under the Review of Influence, the Facts of Action, the number of members in the branch, have not increased to any extent. The leaders have contact work to do. but they, through lack of specific effort, are not leading other members to share in the work of the Movement. In a short time, some of the leaders may have to leave the Leaders’ Group, and when they do, there will be no one partially trained to fill their places.
Also, there has been a slight barrier between the leaders and the general members. Despite weekly General Meetings, at which some attempt has been made to tell the members en masse about the aims and ideals of the Y.C.W., none of the general members has been led to: appreciate what the leaders are actually striving to do. Nor have they been shown personally how they can assist in that work.
The influence of the Leaders Group has not penetrated beyond the actual places in which the leaders themselves move. This work of enquiry, recruiting, charity, and service, has been restricted to their own individual efforts.
Certain leaders have at times formed good friendships with young workers. They have, however, not extended their friendships to the next stage of introducing them into sharing their work. Thus, they have lost the opportunity of winning more apostolic workers for the Y.C.W.
Briefly, this Leaders’ Group has not widened its influence sufficiently. It has relied on one apostolic cell, the individual efforts of leaders, and public propaganda at General Meetings. It has failed to develop around the one main cell other cells of action and influence. Such development would have paved the way for more widespread penetration of the ideals of the Y.C.W.
Leaders’ Group B, on the other hand, foresaw the shortcomings existing in Group A. Each leader determined to form a team. Now, instead of having only six apostolic members in its branch, it has 18, as each leader has two other members in his team. Each team meets fortnightly, and once a month sit the team members meet together.
The results of this set-up are as follows – The Leaders’ Group is in close contact with many more individual young workers; a greater variety of items of interest and problems are being brought to its notice; an increased number of facts of action are being carried out, which means greater influence is being exerted on the environment of young workers; sales of New Youth have increased; facts for the Enquiry, and consequent action, are more representative, and when one leader has to drop out of the Leaders’ Group, it is comparatively easy to replace him with a fairly well-trained team member.
This may seem too idealistic, and, admittedly, no Group in Australia can yet boast one hundred per cent. teams. However, that must be the objective of each Leaders’ Group. The advantages are obvious, if we consider the points set out above. Teams are a natural and logical extension of the work of the Leaders’ Group. Without them, no Leaders’ Group can be sufficiently penetrating.
The position of a leader in the Y.C.W. is not a nominal, nor an honour and glory job. It means that a young worker must be leading others. This involves personal leadership and a general influence. A leader has a responsibility to always give the right example, to be friendly and charitable towards everyone, and to do his best to show that the Christian way of life is both happy and practical. But his responsibility goes further than that. He has to try to show others that they can be apostles. It would not be practical for him to try to make everyone of his contacts zealous apostles, but from amongst all his contacts there should certainly be some two or three or more who, if appealed to in the right manner, would be prepared to undertake definite work of an apostolic nature.
The Y.C.W., by including teams as an official part of its technique, reminds leaders of their responsibility in this matter. and tries to help them fulfil it. The Movement realises that the leader cannot bring others to share in his work without specific organised effort. Therefore, casual contacts, or purposeless frequent personal contact with individuals, will not give the leader all the scope he needs for training fellow apostles. Potential team members, after sufficient personal contact has been made with them, must be brought to a regular Meeting where the Group atmosphere can be developed. The team is intended to be working along the same lines as the Lenders’ Group, with the leader responsible for its formation, conduct, continued existence, and future progress, The leader thus has some few definite people to lead, he is a leader of somebody, and he has full scope for exercising his talents.
Once a leader has formed a team, he is not relieved of making other contacts, or of doing any other work normally that of a leader; rather is he assisted in this work. His team members are able to do a certain amount of contacting, service work, propaganda, etc.
Summing up the purpose of teams, let us again repeat that it is to spread the influence of the Y.C.W. Movement, to enable it to penetrate more effectively into every sphere and aspect of the young workers’ environment. Teams will do this by providing for the training of more young workers to really share in Y.C.W. training and action. Properly run teams will prepare young workers for full leadership, and will enable the enlargement of existing Leaders’ Groups, or at least the adequate replacement of leaders as they retire.
CHAPTER 2.
WHERE TEAMS ARE TO BE FORMED
Teams may be formed anywhere a leader finds it practicable or desirable to do so. Therefore, a leader may form a team in any or all of the following places:-
(1) In his parish.
(2) At his place of work.
(3) In any club or organisation of which he is a member.
(4) At school.
The purpose of the team is the same in any place. It is to endeavour to get other young workers to co-operate in the apostolic work of the Y.C.W.
The approach to the formation of the team and its line of action may differ according to where it is to be formed. In the parish, the ideal team is a formal team, which meets regularly, say, each fortnight. In a club or organisation, or at work or at school, it is not intended, for the present. at any rate, that leaders should have formal teams. Such teams might give rise to undue suspicion and cause antagonism amongst workers. An to go about forming these different types of teams is given in the next chapter of this booklet.
The average leader might feel that being asked to form teams in each of the above places is demanding too much. But the leader should keep in mind that he is to be a leader always and everywhere; that he is to make full use of all opportunities for furthering the work of the Movement. Unless, in any place where he spends a large amount of his time, he is trying to recruit and train other young workers to penetrate the environment with Christian ideals and practices, he is not fulfilling his responsibility.
On the other hand, he would be wise not to try to form all his tears at once. Too ambitious an attempt might result in failure.
Briefly, therefore, a leader should strive to win the support of other potential workers for Christ, and thus pave the way for a good influence to be radiated in all spheres of his environment. The advantage of forming such teams of influence should be obvious to everyone. It is only natural that two or three working closely together will be more effective than one lone soul battling on his own.
In the past, some have objected to the idea of teams on the ground that it placed too much emphasis on organisation and not enough on Catholic Action. That objection is hard to understand. Formal teams in the parish and informal teams outside the parish are a necessity if the number of apostles is to be increased sufficiently to meet the needs of our time.
Some protest that a Leaders’ Group and a good General Meeting is all that is needed. The answer to that objection is that a good General Meeting will not be practicable unless leaders are inspiring and leading others, and the most logical way of their doing that is by means of teams.
CHAPTER 3.
HOW TO FORM TEAMS IN THE PARISH
The first attempts at formation of teams should be made early in the training of a Leaders’ Group. In such case, the leaders, during their Preliminary Training Programme, discuss the purpose of teams and how to form them, and gradually build up teams in the parish. The branch then grows naturally from the leaders and their teams.”
However, the majority of Groups in Australia have Leaders’ Groups functioning without any teams actually formed. This section, therefore, has to cover both circumstances.
Where the Group has Just Been Formed.
At the Seventh Meeting in the Leaders’ Preliminary Training Programme, an explanation of teams is given, and at the Eighth Meeting, the subject is discussed. Definite action should result from this discussion. Previously, the Leaders’ Group has begun its census work and started making contacts.
The first type of team to be formed should be a team in the parish. Fach leader should submit the names of two, three, or four young workers whom he knows and whom he thinks he could get interested in doing a job for the Y.C.W. The lists are discussed by all the leaders, in the presence of the Chaplain. At the end of the discussion, specific lists are agreed to for each leader.
The leader should devote a page of his notebook to each of these potential team members, so that he can record therein his future progress with them. They are, from now on, his particular responsibility. His objective is to lead them to be apostolic workers. He must know how he is going to lead them. He here has three alternatives:-
(1) To contact each one of them personally; tell them of the ideals of the Y.C.W., and ask them to a meeting to discuss plans for Y.C.W. action.
(2) Choose a particular responsibility in connection with Y.C.W. work, e.g., building up the census, selling New Youth-and call your list of members together to further this particular objective.
(3) Choose one particular member of your list, and get him sharing your leader’s work until he is really interested in the Y.C.W Then, between you, contact the other members on your list, and hold your first team meeting.
Each of these alternatives may suit different leaders. However, experience has shown that team formation is extremely difficult, unless specific action is allotted and carried out. In the past, we have been too hesitant about the formal team meeting. There has been a tendency to gradually contact one and then another potential team member in rather a general way. This has, in most cases, failed, because the leader did not have a clear-cut immediate objective, with the result that both he and his team contacts lost interest.
In the new Group, leaders have the advantage that they can talk to their team contacts about the opening of a new branch of the Y.C.W., and get them working for a successful opening. If each leader is able to have his team meeting regularly before the opening of the general branch, the opening meeting should then be a success.
Detailed hints on how to approach potential team members, and suggested Agendas for team meetings, appear in later chapters, as they can apply to any parish teams being formed.
Where the General Branch has been Formed, but Teams not yet operating.
The same general principles apply to this type of group as to the new Group starting off, with this exception; namely that there is a fourth alternative method of starting teams, starting them from the Special Monthly General Meeting.
Also, a few advantages and disadvantages arise.
The Leaders’ Group in this position would probably find teams more difficult to form than a new Group would. The leaders have become used to their present methods; perhaps they are somewhat tired, and they will have to find an extra enthusiasm to help their potential team members.
The most important thing is that they find this necessary enthusiasm. They must be convinced that teams are necessary. They must realise they have a responsibility to be training future leaders and semi-leaders. But they will not find success without prayer, and without their own personal enthusiasm.
The old Group has this advantage, namely, that it has a number of services or activities that a leader could use as specific objectives for his particular team. Care must be taken to ensure that pushing the sale of New Youth, or developing a service, does not become the sole end of the team, and thus cause the team members to lose sight of the Y.C.W’s. overall objective.
Leaders must determine to reach the stage of a formal team meeting as quickly as possible. Working on one contact for the team can become a false illusion if the leader follows that line too slowly. There must be a challenge in his approach: “There’s a job to be done-you can do something about it.”
CHAPTER 4.
SUGGESTED AGENDA FOR PARISH TEAM MEETINGS
Nothing will dampen the enthusiasm of a leader’s team more than the leaders’ own uncertainty about what he wants them to do. Before you ask your parish team members to your first meeting, be quite clear what programme you are going to do. From that very first meeting, make certain each member has some definite action to do. Ensure that at future meetings. all action allotted to have been done is checked.
Here are a few suggested Agenda for early team meetings:-
EXAMPLE 1:
First Meeting–
(Leader should have copies of the latest. New Youth and Leaders Bulletin, and copies of “The Hour of the Working Class,” at the meeting, to give to members).
1. Y.C.W. Prayer.
2. Brief welcome by leader, explaining purpose of the team (to share in the work of the Y.C.W. Movement). Arrange for one member to act as Secretary to take Minutes.
3. Report by leader on what the Leaders Group is doing (particularly of facts from the Review of Influence and the Enquiry).
4. Discussion on some particular matter arising out of that report e.g., particular problems of young workers, the current Enquiry, the need for recruitment of new members, the sale of New Youth, (The leader should have a definite proposal to make at this stage for some work the team members can take up. Make action small for a start. Tackle one thing at a time, and see that it is carried out. Allot specific action, e.g., each member given a particular contact to see before the next meeting, or each member asked to take a copy of New Youth to sell, or each member to prepare for next meeting a report on his place of employment, showing good and bad things operating there.)
5. Explanation by leader of the Gospel Meditation, and a proposal that the team does one for next meeting. Have the necessary text ready.
6. General Business. (Keep this brief: Perhaps there are some forthcoming functions for which the team members’ support is needed.)
7. Fix date of next meeting. (It is suggested that team meets fortnightly.
8. Final Y.C.W. Prayer.
Second Meeting–
1. Y.C.W. Prayer.
2. Gospel Meditation.
3. Reading and Confirmation of Minutes of previous meeting.
4. Report on action allotted at last meeting.
5. Reports on Leaders’ Group.
6. Discussion on items arising out of report, and allotment of further specific action.
7. Explanation by leader of Items of Interest and Facts of Action. Discuss how team members can help.
8. General Business.
9. Final Y.C.W. Prayer.
Third Meeting and Subsequent Meetings
Along lines of second meeting, with leader gradually introducing and explaining all parts of the Leaders’ Group Meeting. However, leader must ensure that team members become and remain active.
EXAMPLE 2: (This covers the case where a leader intends using a particular service or responsibility around which to develop his team.)
First Meeting–
1. Y.C.W. Prayer.
2. Brief welcome by leader, explaining aims of the particular service or activity; its present position; and what this team will be expected to do.
3. Discussion of plans for immediate action on the service or activity. (Definite action to be allotted at the end of the discussion.)
4. Leader then briefly explains the role of the Y.C.W. Movement and illustrates what the Leaders’ Group is trying to do. (He should. have copies of the latest Leaders’ Bulletin and New Youth, and “The Hour of the Working Class,” to give to his members.)
5. General Business. (Announce any forthcoming functions, etc.)
6. Fix date of next meeting. (It is suggested that the team meet fortnightly.)
7. Final Y.C.W. Prayer.
Second Meeting–
1. Y.C.W. Prayer.
2. Report on action since last meeting, and plans for immediate future action.
3. Discussion on publications distributed at last meeting. The leader explains the Y.C.W. method of training, and suggests the introduction of the Gospel Meditation for next meeting. He has copies. of a Meditation Text to give to his members, and explains how the Meditation is to be done.
4. General Business.
5. Fix date for next meeting.
6. Final Y.C.W. Prayer.
Third Meeting–
1. Y.C.W. Prayer.
2. Gospel Meditation.
3. Discussion on your service or activity (this to include a report on action, and plans for immediate future).
4. Leader to explain contact work as carried out by the Leaders Group, and to try to allot a definite contact for each member.
5. General Business.
6. Final Y.C.W. Prayer.
Subsequent Meetings–
At subsequent meetings, leaders can introduce gradually the whole of the Review of Influence, and endeavour to get team members taking part. in the current Leaders’ Group Enquiry.
EXAMPLE 3: (This will apply where teams are being: formed from the Special Monthly meeting).
The Agenda for this method will depend on the Agenda of your Special Monthly General Meeting.
Before the Monthly Meeting is held, the leaders should work out. amongst themselves which chaps they will be responsible for getting to the meeting, and for developing.
At a meeting, when discussion takes place on a suitable subject, say, on the Gospel Meditation, or on the reports from the Leaders’ Group, or on a particular problem, the meeting should be divided into discussion groups, each under the control of a leader. At each monthly meeting, the same discussion groups should be held so that each leader will get to know the chaps for whom he has accepted responsibility. After a few monthly meetings, the leader should try to get his particular team to meet once a month in between the monthly meetings. At those team meetings, he could use either of the Agenda set out above.
These Agenda may be varied slightly by leaders to suit their particular problems. However, each leader must remember that he is responsible for training his team members to be apostles of young workers. He should. therefore, model his team as closely as possible on the lines of the Leaders Group, which is the controlling cell of all apostolic work carried out by its leaders. Formation of, teams is part, of, the apostolic work of every leader.
CHAPTER 5.
METHODS OF APPROACH TO PARISH TEAM MEMBERS
Having decided on which chaps he is going to try to form into his team, a leader must give serious thought to his methods of approach. The best approach is a manly and challenging one. To make such an approach, a leader must be really conscious of the problem of the young worker, and convinced of the Y.C.W. as an essential part of the solution to that problem. He must be able to give examples to show the contradiction that exists between present-day surroundings of young workers and Christian ideals. He must be conscious of the true dignity of every young worker as a son of God destined for an eternity in heaven, and he must be able to show how the present situation is robbing working youth of the opportunity of upholding that dignity.
The approach, therefore, should not be a soft and apologetic one. There must be no promises that appeal only to his selfishness. On the contrary, the appeal should be, after outlining the serious state of conditions. to ask the contact if he is prepared to do something to help his workmates. An appeal to his sense of fairness and justice, to his courage to fight for these things, and to his charity for others, must be the main features of our efforts to get him interested.
It cannot be repeated too often that the best way to win a young worker’s interest and support is by giving actual examples of problems, and how Y.C.W. members have tackled and overcome them. This reduces the appeal to a practical level and gives the potential team member some confidence that the task is within his reach. It is better still. if the leader himself can get his potential team members doing some little action – of visitation, of selling “New Youth,” of bringing a chap to him before he makes his definite request for them to come to a formal team meeting-with meeting.
It is necessary for the leader to get to know his team members as thoroughly as possible. He must take a real personal interest in each one, knowing their type of family life, their job and its advantages and disadvantages, their particular hobbles, etc., will put the leader in a position to be able to help them at every opportunity because each of those things may give rise to particular problems which, if not remedied, could seriously, affect a team member’s Interest.
The leader must retain close personal contact with his Group President and Chaplain in regard to his team formation. Both of them will be able to give him good personal advice and confidence, particularly when things are not going so well. In addition, he must report at each Leaders’ Meeting on his progress with his team, from the very time that he chooses the names of his potential team.
CHAPTER 6.
HOW TO FORM TEAMS OUTSIDE THE PARISH
A. At Work:
This is not to be a formal team, which holds regular meetings. However, the leader must try to make himself a leader of influence in his place of employment.
His starting point is to review his place of employment and set out the good and bad features of it. This should be done in conjunction with his President and Chaplain. He then is able to decide whether there are any particular problems needing attention.
His next step is to list the names of all the young chaps who work there. After he has had sufficient contact with them to know their interests and standards he should consult his group president and Chaplain on the possibility of developing an informal team. They will go through the names, and between them, decide on a suitable chap for his main off-sider, and on other chaps who may be suitable for the team. Care must be taken to get chaps who are honest workers and reasonably efficient at their job. Non-Catholics may be included in the informal team.
From there, he makes definite contacts with the individuals he has chosen and discusses with them the problems previously discussed with the President and Chaplain. If there is any particularly serious problem, he should try to get his team members interested in solving it and to get their co-operation, in working for the desired reform. This may involve a dignified appeal to the foreman or employer or to the Union representative or a discreet campaign among fellow-workers if the problem is a matter of conduct.
He will also be able to tell them of some of the Enquiries the Y.C.W. has done, why he thinks certain things should be changed, and be able to sell them a copy of “New Youth” and talk about articles in it. Gradually he may be able to work his informal team up to the stage where each of them sells a few copies of “New Youth,” gives him facts for his Enquiries, helps him conduct little campaigns on bad language, etc., and gives the lend in developing a more Christian spirit of comradeship in the place of employment.
Where it is not a matter of getting reforms, the team may be able to discuss, during their lunch-hour, Christian social-principles in relation to certain aspects of their employment, which they are then in a position to convey to other workers. They are also able to interest fellow-workers in their particular Union or Association, help them obtain a knowledge of Trade Unionism and insure that they attend their meetings and are aware of the evils of Communism.
Some leaders may not have the opportunity of forming a team at work because of isolation, or lack of other young workers, but the majority can. They should do so. They must, however, use discretion, and ensure that none of their actions are contrary to the principles of the Y.C.W… particularly that of honesty. The leader must report regularly to his Leaders’ Group on the progress of this part of his apostolic work.
B. In Clubs or Organisations
A number of leaders are delegates to various combined youth committees, or are members of various sporting and social clubs, both Catholic? and non-Catholic, or belong to trade unions or associations. How can they’ best fulfil their responsibilities as apostles in those places?
They must realise that, as lone individuals, they will not achieve much.: Therefore, they should try to choose reliable contacts in such places, with whom they can discuss the various activities of their organisation, with a view to winning the contacts’ interest in the Christian attitude to matters that concern working youth.
Again, if the individual leader has one contact this month, and another next month, he may not have very satisfactory support. It seems logical that the best thing for him to do is to fix on two or three reliable persons on whom he can work in a friendly and charitable way, with a view to their influencing others. This is what we call the leader having an informal team in such organisations. As in other cases of teams, the leader should report regularly to his Leaders’ Group on this matter.
C. At School.
Many leaders attend day or night school classes. Instead of claiming this an excuse for not having time to do Y.C.W. work, they should recognise that this time spent at school is part of their apostolate. If a leader is: going to exercise a good influence in his school class, he needs to become known to and accepted by others. He should choose a few reliable contacts. develop his friendship with them, and develop an informal team there. He and his team members can get to know the attitude and mind of the young workers attending school, can undertake any necessary reform work, and can discreetly distribute copies of “New Youth” to anyone they can interest.
One leader, acting individually, may go to school classes for a few years without being able to do anything to change that environment. But if the same leader were to develop an informal team, co-operation with his team members would help him understand the real situation of the environment. and give him more scope for action.
CHAPTER 7.
CONCLUSION
The following points may he helpful to leaders:-
Whom to Choose for Your Team Members.
Team members need not be natural friends. In fact, it will be better if they are not, as they may he more representative if not a group of friends. In choosing team members. a leader should have an eye to the ability of chaps to be able to exert some influence on others. The leader should make one of his men his deputy leader, and try to develop him to gradually become a member of the Leaders’ Group.
Should the President Have a Team? Not in the parish. The Group President would be well advised to regard the Leaders’ Group and the Branch Committee sufficient responsibility without trying to form a special team of his own. He should, however, do everything possible to help every other leader form teams. The President should try to have an informal team outside the parish if opportunity permits.
Where should parish team meetings be held? No specified place. Some leaders have found meetings held in the homes of team members very successful.
What is the Relationship of the Chaplain to Teams? An indirect relationship. The Chaplain does not attend team meetings, but the leader must try to have a personal conversation with the Chaplain between each team meeting.
Is Action Through Teams the Only Work of the Leader? No. The leader must fulfil all other obligations of Y.C.W. leadership. For instance, he should have other casual contacts in various places, in addition to his team members. He has also to watch his personal spiritual development. He must be a good propagandist for all Y.C.W, services and functions.
This booklet should be read closely by every Y.C.W. leader. The outstanding need, before teams can be satisfactorily attempted, is for a clear understanding of the purpose and advantages of teams. Personal prejudices must be stood aside, and the leader must accept the Y.C.W. policy.
Before closing, it is emphasized that the formation of teams will be difficult and bring many disappointments. Not every leader will be able to say in twelve months that he has a regular team meeting in his parish, and that he has an informal team outside the parish, but the Y.C.W. expects that every leader, in twelve months’ time, will be able to say: I have really tried to have a formal team in the parish and an informal one outside the parish.
