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GATEWAY - A Black Rose Outreach Project |
Presenters: Harvey J. McGeorge and Rose Vergara |
Background
- Black Rose was formed in 1987
- By 1992 all presenters and many attendees were relatively experienced players
- The weekly number of first time attendees remained high but the number who chose to remain with the group seemed to be dropping
- This disturbing trend was noticed and an effort was initiated to identify the cause and take corrective action
The apparent problem
- Attendees were, in part, reluctant to ask for the information they most wanted. When this need remained unfilled they chose to seek answers elsewhere.
Why?
- Fear of appearing uninformed and thereby risking embarrassment
- Fear of large groups (30-50 attendees at a typical BR meeting in those days)
- Reluctance to reveal personal information to a large group of strangers
Related issues
- "Old" members tended to prey on newcomers
- Group’s primary focus must be on meeting existing members needs
Solution
- Gateway concept was developed and monthly meetings initiated in Nov. 1995
- Focus on people new either to BDSM or to Black Rose
- Limit attendance to new folks and two experienced facilitators
- Boardroom rather than lecture hall seating to promote informality
- Two hour (8 – 10 PM) guided discussion format
- Simple topic of general interest is used to stimulate questions and discussion
- Facilitators stress Q&A over topic
Topics that work well
- Defining Yourself (BDSM roles, activities and related concepts)
- BDSM and Your Family, Friends and Co-Workers
- Scene Etiquette
- The Many Variations of What We Do (focus on range of play activities)
- BDSM vs. Abuse
- Overview of BDSM
Results
- Gateway had been presented every 2nd Thursday since Nov. 1995
- Over 50 meeting to date
- Typical meeting has 6 – 12 attendees
- Approximately 550 attendees to date
- Approximately 1/3 of Black Rose members attended Gateway at their first activity
For more information
- Jack McGeorge at Jack@br.org
- Rose Vergara at Rose@br.org
- Gateway@br.org
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