Pod People, Participatory Governance during COVID
These families created a pandemic pod with clear rules & shared childcare. While adults navigated anxiety, their kids called it “the best time of their lives.” Summary Bevin Croft and David Weintraub talk about their experience forming a “pod” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Hats introduces participatory governance – a concept I’ve studied throughout my life in various contexts, including families, communities, organizations, and healthcare. My history with governance spans from 1968, through college activism, homeschooling my children, living in an intentional community, and working in corporate settings. The main segment features a conversation with Bevin and David, who formed a COVID-19 support group, or pod, with other families to help one another during the pandemic. They discuss: They spontaneously decided to form the pod in May 2020 Creating formal rules and a written agreement to manage risks and expectations The challenges of prioritizing the pod over extended family relationships The practical arrangements include shared meals, childcare, and rotating responsibilities Their collective approach to virtual schooling for their children The difficulties David experienced as a teacher during hybrid learning How their children viewed the pod experience as “the best time of their lives” despite adults’ pandemic anxiety The lasting bonds their “family of friends” developed and maintained The pod used tools from Bevin’s work in person-centered practices to create its governance structure. They made decisions based on consensus, with particular attention to accommodate the most cautious member’s concerns. Their experience strengthened existing friendships and created lasting bonds between the families. Click here to view the printable newsletter with images. More readable than a transcript, which can also be found below. Contents Please comment and ask questions: at the comment section at the bottom of the show notes on LinkedIn via email YouTube channel DM on Instagram , TikTok to @healthhats Production Team You know who you are. I’m grateful. Podcast episode on YouTube Inspired by and Grateful to Jan Oldenburg, Nakela Cook, Russ Howerton Links and references World Health Network National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems Episode Proem My advocacy revolves around participatory governance in everything that contributes to a decent quality of life. Participatory governance entails broad involvement, accessible information, transparency, and accountability, leading to trust in decision-making. I’m a lifelong student of governance, having studied it in families, communities, teams, organizations, healthcare, research, and various other settings. Podcast intro Welcome to Health Hats, the Podcast. I’m Danny van Leeuwen, a two-legged cisgender old white man of privilege who knows a little bit about a lot of healthcare and a lot about very little. We will listen and learn about what it takes to adjust to life’s realities in the awesome circus of healthcare. Let’s make some sense of all of this. My Life with Participatory Governance I’ve watched and participated in governance since 1968, when I was 16, dealing with the Vietnam War draft. I learned that the plumbing of the draft contained laws, written regulations, and unwritten rules, with people making decisions, people moving paper, and massive numbers of kids like me processing through. I wanted to prepare myself, so I went to a church for draft counseling. My counselor invited me to become a counselor, helping men learn the process, make life decisions, and execute those decisions. I went to college and lived in several group settings. We had to decide how the chores would get done, meals made, bills paid, and transportation arranged. While protesting the Vietnam War, I learned how activists organized rallies, and how the University was run. I gained insights from my professor friends about how change happens. While raising kids and homeschooling, my w