On September 1, there was a meeting for people who wanted to discuss the new draft “values” booklet, which Michele Berardi presented to audiences at Crosslands and Kendal on August 22. (We’ll call that “the August 22 draft”.)

The September 1 meeting started 1 p.m. and lasted almost two hours. It began in the Kendal lounge but, as the numbers grew, it moved to the auditorium. Over 40 people participated. This blog post is intended as a report on the main themes of that meeting.

Because many residents were not able to attend the meeting, Jan and I agreed to write a summary of the discussion. That summary was then reviewed by several of those who had attended the September 1 meeting, and their suggestions were incorporated. Below, you will find the summary of the main topics discussed. Much of this material was also sent to the board of the Kendal Residents Association (KRA) with copies to Michele Berardi, who led the effort to develop the statement, and CEO Lisa Marsilio.

In the discussion, appreciation was expressed multiple times for the work that Michele Berardi (and perhaps others) had put into the creation of the draft, which contains much that is useful.

At the close of the meeting, it was suggested that as many people as possible communicate their thoughts on the August 22 draft to Michele, including the need for more time and a more inclusive process.  In addition, it was suggested that we emphasize that anything derived from the August 22 draft, if it does get published, should be considered an “interim” document pending more community involvement.

Another important outcome of the meeting was a consensus that the KRA board needed to be made aware of the group’s dissatisfaction with some aspects of the August 22 draft and the need for the KRA, in turn, to make sure that the administration is aware of this dissatisfaction. A key function of the KRA is, we believe, to facilitate communication both to the administration and to the broader resident community.

 A slightly longer-term potential next step was a program about “values” that might be held in the auditorium. One idea was that a panel on values, like the one in 2017, could be sponsored by Kendal Friends Meeting. Another was that a program derived from the one that Harry Hammond and Barbara Parsons put on for newcomers on May 25, 2022, could be presented for the whole community.

The following are some of the main areas of discussion at the September 1 meeting.

 The August 22 draft vs the existing Values and Practices

●       Among those who had read the existing Kendal Corporation Values and Practices booklet (available on the Kendal Corporation website) and the shorter, somewhat different KCC list of values (available in the Resident Handbook on page 58), as well as the August 22 draft, there was a general sense that the both the existing Kendal Corporation Values and Practices and the current short, KCC board approved earlier version represent KCC values very well.  It was suggested we explore whether these could be the basis for a new Values Statement if we removed references to the Kendal Corporation.       

●       A group of residents volunteered to go through the existing Kendal Corporation Values and Practices, removing all references to “Kendal Corporation”, “affiliates”, and other wording that implies a connection with Kendal Corporation. The resulting document could serve as an interim statement of values for KCC until a better one could be devised with full community participation. Since KCC has worked out an agreement with Kendal Corporation for the joint use of the name “Kendal”, it was suggested that it might well be possible to work out an agreement for joint use of much of the text of the existing Values and Practices.

Community discussion and decision making

●       The process that resulted in the August 22 draft had very limited resident involvement. Residents in focus groups helped to select key words related to values, but key words are not values statements, and no one in the Sept. 1 meeting knew how the values statements in the August 22 draft came to be written. 

●       Many of those present had the sense that the August 22 draft was viewed by the administration as “almost final” and nearly ready to be presented to the board. That was not how it was viewed by the residents in the meeting.

●       There was discussion of decision making at KCC in general, and the hope was expressed that the upcoming forum on that topic will help us arrive at a better process.

●       The Kendal tradition of allowing all residents the opportunity to participate in shared community discussion so that they feel heard seems to have been missing from this process.        

Quakerism and religious language

●       Participants voiced concerns about the place given to Quakerism in the August 22 draft, for several reasons. It is good to acknowledge the role that Quakers have played and continue to play, but it needs to be done appropriately. These concerns were voiced by both Quakers and non-Quakers.

●       The role of Quakerism was felt to be overstated in the August 22 draft. It is important historically and in the values passed down by the founders that are still practiced today, but it should not have the prominence it is given in the draft. Most residents are not Quakers, and “Kendal values” are not identical with Quaker values. 

●       The SPICES acronym, created as a useful teaching tool for young Quaker grade-schoolers, provides only a crude approximation of some Quaker values. Several Quakers in the group suggested that the term SPICES should have a minimal role, if any, in this document.

●       The repeated use of “inner light” (and especially the assertion that “KCC commits to the belief that the Inner Light exists in all of us”) is inappropriate and out of context in this document. 

●       There is the danger, given the overly religious tone of the August 22 draft, that potential residents might have concerns about a possible cult-like culture at KCC.

●       It is important to distinguish “beliefs” from “values”. Quakers reject the concept of “dogma” and required beliefs. To the extent that the draft appears to list beliefs shared by all residents, it is at odds with Quakerism. Shared values, however, are a central feature of Quakerism.

●       Quaker values are generally expressed in combination with the practices that follow from them. For example, each Yearly Meeting (regional Quaker body) publishes a book of “Faith and Practice”. Values, in the absence of actions, can become mere abstract concepts. This issue was also brought up outside the context of Quakerism (see “Practices, not just values”, below).

Transparency

●       Transparency is not mentioned in the August 22 draft, but we agreed that it is an essential element in achieving mutual trust and was meant to be practiced by all constituencies of our community.

●       Transparency is required throughout the process of consideration of a major issue, not just in explaining a decision already made.

Practices, not just values

●       Several speakers mentioned the need to be more specific about the actions that result from our values. This is important because it is often our actions, more than the values we espouse, that set us apart from other communities.

●       The very high level of volunteerism and resident-initiated activities are extraordinary features of KCC. This does not come through in the August 22 draft.

Mission and Vision

●       The Mission and Vision of KCC, as given in the August 22 draft, are not the same as the ones posted in the Kendal Conference Room and provided in the Resident Handbook (these are reaffirmed by the KCC Board each year).

●       Has the KCC board approved the new mission and vision described in the August 22 draft? If so, why were residents not made aware and not involved in the process?

The issues listed above are probably the main ones most commented upon at this particular meeting. But many other topics were mentioned as very important, including: the centrality of wellness and healthcare services, the importance of our natural surroundings, the emphasis on diversity (including economic diversity), and the importance of our “village” character.