The North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council’s Capacity Building Subcommittee today held the second of a two-part workshop on parliamentary procedure at the Sankofa House, located at 4041 West Roosevelt Road. The first session was held a week earlier.
“It is very important that we develop our leadership within the organization and the community”, said Annetta Wilson, the chairperson of the NLCCC Capacity Building Subcommittee. “One of the greatest areas of impact is in running meetings, and establishing order. You can get so much more accomplished when you understand how to run a meeting, and there’s a whole lot more to that than getting a b bunch of people in a room together”, Wilson said.
The workshop was facilitated by Elaine L. Johnson, the Vice President of the Illinois Association of Parliamentarians, and President of the Mattie Lampkins Parliamentary Unit here in Chicago. The curriculum for the first week covered the governing documents, Robert’s Rules of Order, and the various types of business meetings an organization could have. The curriculum for the second meeting went into more detail concerning the composition of the bylaws, the types of motions one makes to keep meetings on track and the importance of meeting minutes.
“I have been in a position in which I have had to use parliamentary procedure for a significant portion of my life, and I still learned something”, said Charlie Wilson, the President of Men Making a Difference, and a member of IBEW.
Learning parliamentary procedure could be useful in a number of settings, including block club meetings, church auxiliaries, corporate and nonprofit boards, elementary and high school clubs, et cetera.
To learn more about the National Association of Parliamentarians, the Illinois Association of Parliamentarians, the Mattie Lampkins Parliamentary Unit, or their upcoming meetings or events, contact Elaine Johns at eljohnson8@juno.com or 708-336.0058.