This month’s SLT meeting was all over the place, and had a very positive vibe to it. It may have been the pizza that Castaway brought, it could have been the post Valentine’s Day bliss, but I suspect that the vibe came from 9 of our 11 members being there in person (no one was on Zoom). Bringing together this many HIMs in the evening is not an easy task, and the dynamics of all in person was amazing. I appreciate the commitment that every SLT member has made to this region, to our group, and to each of you. If you see a member of the SLT please give them a pat on the back.

The hot topic this month was the CPR training that Light-Weight, Right Swipe, Spam, and TPS Reports have helped coordinate. As of the meeting we’ve had at least 30 PAX and at least 4 plus ones get trained. The next opportunity for training will be March 6 in Carrboro, at the South Orange Rescue Squad. This is a certification class, so there is a $26 fee. Please sign up at the link below. Given the importance of this for our demographic, and the crazy things we do in the morning, we are going to do this on an annual basis in the month of February. The 1st Fs are also going to add that CPR training, in some form or another, will be a recommendation for all AOQs. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zYGLR4HmyxJt4Q-yf0FqTKvWQJh9o7f4rpw0VfDsdI4/edit?usp=sharing

If you recall a couple months ago we introduced using PAX Miner, a Slack Add In that helped give us data on PAX and how often they posted. Unfortunately we ran into some issues with it, and we aren’t going to continue using it. However, Deep Dish, Bump Draft and Maraschino heard about PAX Mate while posting with the CARPEX guys during the start of Green Level. PAX Mate is similar to Miner, but it has been created by the fellas over in CARPEX, and seems to work better for what we are looking for. Castaway, our extraordinary Commz Q is going to take the lead on this, with Nightshift backing him up.

One of the initiatives that we wanted to implement this year kicked off in January. Nightshift and I led a QPoint/2nd F discussion on one of the most important topics in our lives, the “M”. We had 7 PAX show up for lunch, on short notice to talk about the Q point, and then share stories, both good and bad from things that have worked well for us, what has put us in the dog house, and how to meet beyond the middle with your M. The conversation was diverse, with some tongue in cheek anecdotes, to some solid advice doled out from experience. Be on the look out in March for a second edition of the Qsource/2nd F, likely on the topic of Ms again, or on 2.0s. We’ll shoot for an evening at a place where both beer and other n/a drinks are served.

Another exciting initiative from the SLT was to create an AOQ symposium. Maraschino and Bump Draft are coordinating at least three AOQ symposiums that will be scheduled in April. The prevailing thought right now is a two hour meeting (or less) that covers the AOQ responsibilities, discusses safety, and allows AOQs the opportunity to provide feedback about what they’re seeing on a daily basis, where we can improve, and how we can continue to make Churham better for our PAX. At least three different dates will be offered in order to accommodate the entire region.

Mark your calendars for the first Wednesday in May. We have tentatively penciled that date in to open up our SLT meeting to all PAX who would like to see what it's all about. We’ll follow the meeting up with some good ol’ 2nd F and will look forward to questions you may have about the SLT or what we do. Many of us will be transitioning off the SLT in December, so May is a good time to see how the sausage is made.

We rounded out the meeting with some quick reports out:
– The Cloudbuster Ruck is at 25 rosters, and there is still time to join. Check the link out here: https://cloudbuster.maxgiving.events/tickets
– Porterhouse is doing well in Bloomington, IN, where he is working on starting his own F3 region. If you’re headed to the midwest hit him up and take a Q!
– Check out the /f3volunteertracker function in Slack. Type that into any text area, and you’ll be provided a link to track any hours that at least three PAX have spent volunteering together, how many pounds of stuff you’ve moved while helping others, and/or any funds that you’d like counted on behalf of the region. Brotox and Moore, our 3rd F Qs have been working on tracking this information so we can show how much of an impact our region has in our area.
– March’s monthly challenge is going the be the AO Clean Up challenge. Be on the look out for more information in the coming days.

We’ll be back at it again soon, with our next meeting on 3/1. Thank you to the SLT members for their work and dedication. I appreciate the work that guys like Light Weight, Right Swipe, Spam, TPS Reports and Deep Dish have put in over the past month. Since the SLT met, the PAX of Hillsborough hosted the 2023 edition of The Wolf. Thank you for your hospitality in the Northern Province. As we wrap up the month of love, don’t be afraid to get a little closer during COT, lean on a brother in the gloom, reach out to a missing PAX. However you do it, pick up your 6 and show them some love.
Please reach out to me or any member of the SLT if you have any questions or concerns.

SYITG.