A TEAM is made up of one or more persons that have decided to organize and host a festive earthen building event so that the community can come together to help build a functional structure where unfired earth is the primary building material.
The Goals of the TEAM are to:
- strengthen community spirit and develop teambuilding skills
- raise funds/assets/resources necessary
- develop leadership and community organizing skills
- learn about community unfired earthen building techniques
- complete the construction of a functional earthen structure/s.
- create a document that serves as a blueprint that can be used to replicate the process for future projects.
The Festive Earthen Building Event provides the team with an event that can attract support from a wide range. Since it is an all inclusive event dedicated to make a positive difference in your community there will be a greater propensity for individuals and organizations to want to contribute and participate.
A large portion of what is required for building the structure happens at the main building event. There are other activities before and after the event that the team needs to do in order to complete the construction of the chosen structure by the date they set as the goal.
The overall task or activity of completing the construction of an earthen structure is made up of several smaller tasks or activities. Some of the tasks/activities (aka tasktivities) may work easier with large groups than others. The team leaders can take this information into account when planning the event and when planning the overall goal of completing the construction of the structure.
Forming a Team
A Team is simply formed by a self appointed Team Leader who takes on the responsibility for organizing and hosting the event/s, completing the construction of the chosen structure, raising the necessary funds and setting things up for the next project. Using the FEBE Earthen Building Manual as a guide, the Team Leader introduced his or her community to the festive earthen building concept to build a small structure that introduces, explores and showcases all of the main elements of this technology to everyone. This can be done anywhere such as a backyard or public location. The event/s bring people to the table and provide a unique community bonding experience while contributing significantly to the construction of the chosen structure. There are also other tasks before and after the event to complete the construction of the structure. As the team builds and the community gets more skilled at the festive earthen building technology they will gain more confidence to take on larger projects.
In addition to learning about unfired earthen construction technology, organizing a festive earthen building event can become an opportunity for using and developing skills in key areas such as Hospitality, Catering, Documentation, Promotions or Outreach, Logistics or Project /Time Management, Creative and Artistic Design, Finance and Assets Management, Teamwork and Education.
The roles and responsibilities for successfully organizing a festive earthen building event, can be divided up into key areas handled by team members. In the beginning, individuals can take on multiple roles if necessary and ultimately each role can be expanded and handled by a small team. (see Roles and Responsibilities of a Team)
Below is a formal process for selecting individuals to take on each of the key area officer positions. This process can be fun. Firstly there are nominations, then the selections are made followed by the inauguration.
- Nominations: The team leader organizes a simple nomination and election process whereby individuals nominate other individuals to hold any one of the key area officer positions. Individuals who are nominated become candidates. The person who nominated the candidate becomes the spokesperson for the candidate. The spokesperson gathers information from the candidate they nominated and then presents to the rest of the group as to why they feel that candidate is well suited to serve the team in that specific officer capacity.
- Selection: Next the group is asked to vote by raising their hand or using a secret ballot and if the majority of the people agree then the candidate becomes the officer and is sworn into their officer position at a subsequent Officer Inauguration Ceremony.
- Inauguration: The Officer Inauguration Ceremony led by the team leader takes place during a team meeting. The new officers tell the rest of the group about their roles and responsibilities and share their feelings, thoughts and plans for fulfilling their new role.