Thinking about TLSARL as It is and as It Could Be 2
by Elizabeth CampbellThose of you who are not members of TLSARL but have been reading the last few entries might be forming some opinions about us as an organisation. I kind of hope that members who are reading are also thinking a bit more about who we are and where we are headed.
On the down side of the Reunion this year, I noticed that there didn’t seem to be as many people there as there were last one. I may be wrong, but I seem to see fewer people each year now, and certainly fewer than there were attending when I was young(er). They seemed a lot more crowded when I attended as a child, teen and university student years ago. Yes – I was one of the youngsters that was engaged as a child, but mostly because my heritage was lived in my home; my parents found ways to interest me from day one, and the Annual Reunion was a big trip into the city for us, too – an EVENT.
We aren’t alone in facing the problem of diminishing membership. Actually, our membership is staying pretty constant. Consider who we are, though, and you see the problem. The number of descendants increases every generation. Instead of being an organisation that is increasingly irrelevant to the next generation, we actually have MORE people in each generation to whom we should be very relevant indeed. So why doesn’t our membership increase, at least proportionately?
That’s an interesting question with a multitude of answers (feel free to supply a few).
I’ve been thinking that TLSARL is a wee (that’s my Scottish heritage kicking in as it does from time to time) a wee bit introverted. We were set up to be that way: membership is limited to actual descendants and their spouses. I don’t have a problem with that, exactly, and I know there are members who feel very strongly about maintaining that standard – I’ve heard you! And I respect your point of view. Who has a better interest, after all, in preserving our history, and in making certain that the Settlers’ stories are told? Who best to guard and grow our heritage – indeed, who else is capable of the latter in particular?
BUT… There are a lot of people out there who are interested in our history because it’s… well… interesting! And who are we to keep them from it? I don’t think we’re trying to, in fact, if you asked any of us I’m sure you would find we’d be delighted to foster your interest, non-members! But (again, because it’s a ‘but’ worth emphasising) that introverted aspect of our Association may be hurting us here, members. We really are focussing on us right now, rather than on sharing our heritage with others who are interested. And not just in sharing it with them because they are interested, but in engaging them in it because they want to help us preserve that heritage, or because it touches on their own in some way.
So, how does a ‘closed’ society like ours engage ‘outsiders’?
Yes, folks. I think we might be wise to think about this issue a bit more, too, if we want our organisation to grow.
Tags: Annual General Meeting, Annual Reunion, engaging non-decendants in our history, planning, Planning Ahead
