Chapter start-up meetings make me nervous. Not because I don’t know what to say, but because you never know how many people will turn up, and whether a chapter will be created by the end of the meeting!
Fredericton’s chapter start-up meeting on May 24th was great! It turns out that it did not get publicity outside of mailouts to members, so those who came out decided that we would hold one other start-up meeting to really get as many people as possible out. Those who were able to come that evening were really great and are committed to having this next meeting.
Staying over to do a non-violent direct action (NVDA) training on Saturday really helped to build the chapter too. Several people who attended the training on Saturday approached me about the chapter, wanting to get involved.
Twenty-five people attended my first solo NVDA training, held at the Saint Mary’s Community and Culture Centre. Everyone was committed to stopping shale gas / fracking, and the passion they have for their communities was evident. They all left the training with a confidence and solidarity that will see the movement through to no shale gas fracking in NB!
