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Divisional Plan - 3

III. How the Divisional Plan Works. (An example)

Blue City Council was setup 14 years ago in a large industrial city with a sprawling central city and three large suburbs.  During the past ten years, Negro families have moved in all directions.

The Council has 50 members.  Twenty five live in Main City area; ten live in Squirrel Hill; five live on Frustration Heights and ten live in Mortgage Ridge.  The Blue City Council held a meeting on the Division Plan.  They felt that fifty council members were not a representative showing for their city.  Interest in the council program was sporadic, and attendance at meetings were poor.  They faced the fact that although twleve of the units of the national affiliates all have flourishing groups in the city, there was little participation.

The Blue City Council decided to try a year's experiment with the Divisional Plan.  A special meeting was called.  The plan was presented and thoroughly discussed.  Votes were taken authorizing the adoption of the plan for a year and creating a Division Board.

Thereafter, the Board (4 members, one from each area and one representing the city-wide membership of each affiliate) met and made a membership survey.  Women in each area formed a Division.  Each Board member met with a Division and planned for a Division Council party around "Women Unite", the new film strip.  Using the film strip the Board members sparked a spirited discussion on community interests and needs.  Members were asked to suggest what part of the program they wanted to see work in their neighborhood.  Dates and places for meetings were discussed.

Two weeks after the parties, the Board met and compared findings.

SQUIRREL HILL women were concerned about neighborhood blight.  They wanted to put on a neighborhood pride campaign.  They felt afternoon meetings were best and selected a room in the neighborhood library for council meetings.

FRUSTRATION HEIGHTS women wanted an intercultural program to lessen tensions of integration in their neighborhood.  They felt weekend meetings were best and succeeded in getting a neighborhood church to let them use a room on Friday evening, once a month.  They wanted to sponsor an Art Show and Musicale at the cooperating church.

MAIN CITY women were concerned with Citizenship.  They wanted a Registration Campaign and a mass meeting at which local candidates would get to meet the Council women, and be interviewed on important local concerns.

MORTGAGE RIDGE wanted a Youth Program built around youth's needs in the local community.  They wanted to sponsor an amateur theatre presenting a series of plays written by youth about the local community.  The women arranged for use of a room in one of the local schools from 2:00 - 5:00 P. M. on Thursdays.  "Youth looks at the Schools" was to be their first discussion play.

Every 60 days all-city meetings for all council members were held.