IPA Visioning
by Linda Ellinor
In February 2003, the Board of Directors undertook a visioning process. In the first exercise, we looked at what brought us back to the IPA conventions. In the next exercise we imagined ourselves in the year 2023 explaining how we had created such a successful organization. The summary of what we envisioned is presented below.
Summary of 2003 Visioning Process
1) What keeps us coming back to the IPA annual conventions and retreats?
- Ability to be all of who we are at the convention - full acceptance
- Family atmosphere
- Opportunities to do personal work in a safe environment
- Vacation-like quality of the convention
- Creative opportunities, such as Cabaret and some of the workshops
- Openness of the members
- Being able to talk about primal process with others
- Opportunities for safe touch
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Community
- Friendship
- Being part of something that might make a difference in the world
2) How did the IPA become the large and successful organization that it is in 2023?
The following ideas were those mentioned by more than one board member:
- Workbook/video for peer primalling
(#1 idea of the exercise)
- Large fundraising efforts (#2)
- A primal residential facility (#3)
- Giving talks about primal in local areas
- Therapist training program and certification improvements
- Expanding regionally
3) Other ideas that the board had included:
- Creation of a more sophisticated
structure:
- Publishing wing
- Training and certification wing
- Educational wing
- Events wing
- Personal support wing
- Professional wing
- International co-coordination wing
- Media wing
- Community/institute
- Getting endorsements of the primal process by influential people
- Making connections within the holistic health arena
- Taking out ads in national newspapers and television commercials
- Publishing multiple books on the primal process
- Promoting birthing practices that are more humane
This article appeared in the Fall 2003 IPA Newsletter.
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