levels of participation

In any group of decent size, some people will be more involved than others. For years I learned and taught about communities of practice (CoPs) in public health. The principles I learned have applied to pretty much every group I've worked with since. Social theorist Étienne Wenger studied how people participate in a community of practice. These levels of participation are fluid and move from the outside in:

• Transactional members interact with the community of practice only on occasion. They may dip into a meeting or gathering for help with a problem or to access a community-built resource. Or they may have a specific expertise that they sometimes offer the group.
• Peripheral participants attend gatherings more often than transactional members. They will observe what happens in the group but rarely take part in the proceedings. Their frequent presence gives them familiarity with the group's activities, vocabulary, and norms.
• Active members make up about 15-20% of the group. They contribute during meetings and events. They take part in workgroups or planning meetings. They're reliable support but rarely start new activities.
• The core is where the leaders in the group operate. This is about 10-15% of the total membership. These folks set the group's agenda, organize events, and promote discussion. New ideas or direction often come from influential core members. This group is most responsible for the passion and energy that keeps the group running.
• Much further away are the resistors or skeptics. These are people who aren't supportive of the group's activities or priorities. They often fade away unless their critiques find acceptance within the CoP.

movement is good

These days I'm involved with a local mutual aid group called Long Haul Kitchen. Every Sunday since 2020, our group has distributed 120 free meals to folks in Seattle's SODO and Georgetown neighborhoods. Every Thursday we fill people's propane tanks at no cost. The community shares thousands of dollars a month to pay for the services and supplies we distribute. But mutual aid runs on labor: that money is useless without people to put it to use.

People will engage and disengage from a community of practice for many reasons. Movement between levels of participation is how groups sustain themselves long-term. When we make it easy to move from one level to another, we give folks a chance to step up. Even our core group members have changed over time. Some people move or move on; their lives may change in ways that mean they come around less often. Movement allows a core member to become less involved rather than leave completely. It also allows a transactional or peripheral member to become more active. I've been around long enough that I consider myself to be in the core group. Like in a strong community of practice, we need people to feel free to get more or less involved over time. How do we do that?

creating movement

Find ways for people to stick around. Not everyone wants to move between levels. Some folks like doing the same thing over and over. We can encourage that too. Others are waiting for an opportunity to feel more useful. Either way, we work to create a safe environment where people can feel the direct results of their actions.

Create pathways towards the core. One member might be peripheral during the school year but more active during breaks. I started out in a regular kitchen support role. I helped out a few times before I thought about taking on the lead role. It's a big job—planning the meal, buying ingredients, and getting it all done in 3 hours. That became part of the challenge for me: "can I pull it off?" Talking with other leads I realized that many of them felt stress about the parts of the role that excited me. We have been strategizing ways to lower those barriers to move more folks to the active and core levels.

We've popularized different ways to lead in the kitchen. We've split the time commitment: one person will do the shopping while the other leads. We expanded our list of pre-tested recipes for folks who worried about not making enough food. We've tested a system with two leads on a shift for a person who feels nervous about the responsibility. I look for folks who might be good at a lead role and ask if they've considered it. I learn about the hesitations they may have about stepping up. These solutions haven't led to a rapid or immediate growth of active participators. But I hope that they show a willingness to change our practices if it would better support our community.

Find ways to (temporarily) step away. I'm not describing people that should leave for the health of the group. Instead, I'm concerned with core members who may burn out if they can't disengage. Our mutual aid group is decentralized; nobody must serve a term or season. We come back because we choose to. And there's no pomp and circumstance directed at people who decide to take a less active role. We create a sense of safety by showing core members that the work will continue if they need to take a break. People are essential but not irreplaceable. But roles like the folks who manage our finances and storage space are still hard to replace. Our propane distribution team is there nearly every week. There's still work we can do to make sure those folks can take a break, too.

people at every level

How do we commit to the people, communities, and the groups we're in relation with? Even folks like me, who gravitate towards leadership, aren't leaders in every situation. Sometimes it's nice to be along for the ride without having to take the wheel. I also appreciate spaces that let folks give more when they feel safe and ready to do so.

Long Haul is just one mutual aid network in Seattle. We field about a dozen community members to help out every single week. Even when participation is low, we'll make and distribute a simple meal for folks in our community. I've spoken to folks who lurked on our signal group chat for months before they signed up for their first shift. Our groups may be a community of practice, a mutual aid network, or some other configuration. Whether a member is active or peripheral, transactional or core, we're all part of that community. How we engage is as much up to us as it is to the spaces we inhabit.

If you would like to support The Long Haul Kitchen, you can visit our patreon or send money our way. If you're in the Seattle area and would like to help out, please email me!