Consent-based decision-making as an alternative to violence

Having been a few days since I've posted, I'm not quite sure what to talk about. A lot has been happening, and most recently it is Sociocracy that has been to the forefront of my mind. The reason for this is because decison-making in Northern Ireland has largely been based on the threat of violence - both physical and mental. And Sociocracy provides an alternative based on consent. We introduced this consent-based decision making process with the young people on our cross community project. For our groups, the issue they were facing was that not everyone could come to the project on the originally agreed nights - Monday and Tuesday. Instead of just saying, "that's tough!" we decided to use the consent-based or 'circle' meeting process to explore a 'third-way' solution. Within twenty minutes the group had agreed that Mondays would be for personal development, and tuesday for working on their film. In this way everyone got to work on the film. And for those who wanted, they could use Monday for pesonal development i.e. increasing confidence, developing communication skills, creativity, teamwork, decision-making, etc. The groups really taken to it, and feedback so far is that it is inclusive, gives everyone a voice, ensures that people listen, and helps them to reach a decision in a way that is an alternative to violence. And the wonderful thing is that you can learn this method in practise. I have also used this approach to decision making in businesses and with the board of the charity I work with - The Educational Shakespeare Company. In every case it has provide a result far greater than anyone initially imagined.