RASC Hamilton - Members Only RASC (Hamilton) Seasons Greetings

[Andy Blanchard]

At this time of year, we often partake in the seasons celebrations. As your newly elected President I want to wish you all a safe and festive seasons greetings to you and your loved ones. 

The club is quickly waking up from the long covid sleep, and you can expect many exciting astronomy moments in 2023. One of the really good changes is the implementation of our long overdue respect policies. 

Hamilton RASC has always been a club that fosters great friendships and healthy relationships and drives us to reach our shared goals. It means treating all people with dignity and appreciation. Treating your fellow club members with respect, is in my opinion paramount in achieving a healthy club. 
  
One of my important responsibilities is to ensure our club keeps pace with the needs of our members, and to ensure given the long covid shutdown that we implement policies to reflect current times. So I have asked a few of our members to create a committee which will dedicate themselves to creating a set of policies that will keep our Hamilton RASC Members safe and feeling respected.
 
Please click on this link to see what Toronto RASC has in place, as we will use their policies as a template to create our own policy.
 
https://www.rasc.ca/sites/default/files/RASC%20Policy%20Manual%202021%20Ver%208.0%20%5Brevised%202021-02-15%29_0.pdf#page48
 
Creating our policies is long overdue, and will help in moving our club in the right direction.
 
In the meantime, I copied an article to explain how to show respect, and how treating people respectfully is important. I hope you will enjoy this little refresher as much as I have.
 
1.   Respect the personal space of others
Each individual has their own level of comfortability when it comes to personal touch and allowing people into their personal space. It is important to ask others what their level of comfortability is before you give them a handshake or a hug. If an individual seems uncomfortable with you being in their space, or they do not extend their hand to reciprocate a handshake, do not take offense and give that person space. Personal space is real, and it's not to be taken lightly.
2. Listen when people speak
Show respect by listening actively to the opinions of others, and acknowledging their values. For example, allow a fellow club member to speak instead of interrupting, to show you value their opinion about a project or topic.
3. Pay attention to nonverbal communication
Aside from what you say, be attentive to your nonverbal communication cues, such as your body language. Your club members typically have different personalities, and you can show respect and support without talking. For example, return a smile when you notice a member makes eye contact during a presentation, and nod to show you're actively listening when they speak.
4. Be transparent
Another way to show respect is to trust your fellow club members with information and be sincere about situations. You can be transparent by sending project updates that explain why you took certain actions. Also, you can show respect by taking responsibility for an error you made and looking for ways to correct it.
5. Acknowledge others’ strengths and accomplishments
Praising people for their skills, strengths, and accomplishments shows that you respect them. For example, congratulate them if they earn an award and celebrate their milestones. Acknowledging your fellow club members’ strengths, and celebrating their accomplishments, is a great motivator and makes people feel valued and respected.
6. Value others’ contributions
Compliment and use recognition to treat others with respect. For example, you may stop by a club member to say, "Great work in the meeting today!".  Other gestures like emailing or writing a thank-you note can make a member feel respected.
7. Practice politeness and professionalism
Being polite and professional always, is also key. It shows that you respect your club and are unbiased about the decisions you make. You can show common courtesy by maintaining a calming tone when you speak, and nicely asking for a member to do the same.
8. Help your fellow members
Respect extends beyond your skills, core values, and achievements. By helping people who are struggling, or if you are unsure about an issue, you can also show respect. Ideally, they provide the same assistance when you need it.
9. Include concerned team members in meetings and discussions
Meetings and discussions help to foster team bonds and having the right people in attendance is important. By inviting concerned team members to meetings, you can provide an avenue for people to talk about their issues and concerns. While at meetings, discussions, and celebrations, ensure you build healthy relationships with everyone there.
10. Adhere to the club’s policies and procedures
Show your commitment to being honest and ethical by following your club’s rules. You demonstrate that respect by maintaining confidentiality agreements. Being respectful also includes following acceptable codes of conduct and using club resources. Prove yourself to be respectful and trustworthy.
11. Emulate the actions of people you consider respectful
In your club life, acknowledge club member’s behaviour you admire. If you have a relationship with the person, reach out to ask how they developed the character trait and how it positively influenced their behaviour
12. Be empathetic about everyone's life situation
Showing empathy is another way to prove that you value and respect someone. Empathy is the ability to understand someone's emotions by imagining yourself in their situation. Practice empathy by approaching problems from an objective perspective, asking questions to learn more about a person's viewpoint, and helping to determine a preferred solution.
13. Improve your ability to interact with others
Developing your social skills makes interacting with others easier. Some skills to work on improving include conflict resolution and relationship management skills:
· Show interest in others: Getting to know your fellow club members personally and professionally helps to build healthy relationships.
· Create social goals: Having social goals is an excellent way to build your social skills, which helps you treat others with more respect.
· Request feedback: By practicing constructive criticism, you can show others that you respect their views, actions, and opinions.
· Stay current with developments: Keeping up with current events can help start small talk about current trends, news stories, and other events.
· Seek resources for development: Research books, courses, videos, and articles on developing social skills. Using them can also give you more ideas on how to apply your social skills respectfully.
 
Ultimately every person in our club needs to feel safe and free to participate in all aspects of our hobby. That all begins with respect. So not to sound like a lecture, please respect others wishes, words and feelings, so we can have fun and enjoy our valuable time
 
Have a great day
 
Andrew (Andy) Blanchard President RASC Hamilton
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