Our Survey Gathering [Bklyn] - November Project

Last Thursday evening, we gathered virtually to discuss recent survey results. Here is a recap, in case you couldn’t make it or want to review–

OPENING

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

Purpose of Gathering

We start with the Maya Angelou quote because in the absence of the right words, how people feel when they show up to our community/workouts/gatherings is vital. Thus, when planning for this meeting, we hope that people leave with this sentiment– “I choose to show up, because I can feel seen & heard.”

We recognize the importance of getting a pulse check on our members, as there’s nothing to lead if we do not understand our community.

Logistics

Leaving all participants unmuted, as we typically do for virtual workouts
Choosing our display names to leave out our roles (Maggie MayKei & Jessica Francis)
This is a shared survey with NP_NYC, check out their survey blog here.

WHAT TOOK SO LONG

June 10th survey release
June 17th survey close
August 20th community gathering

It took two months to get back to you. Within a week of the survey close, each city met on its own before coming together to discuss. Subsequently, we spent time on the joint Juneteenth & Pride workouts, and the Global HQ workout. If we zoom out on a broader scale, all coleaders participated in a meeting to discuss 1) the dimensions of leadership, 2) the future of November Project.

There are 86 survey responses, and we wanted to comb through them thoroughly before circling back to you all.

IDENTIFIERS & DEMOGRAPHICS

These are screenshots of the survey results. Please note the italicized commentary for each chart.

Pie Charts

7% of responses are from individuals that no longer attend workouts. We were keen in going through those responses, as it provides an opportunity to understand potentially unwelcoming behaviors that we engage in.
*There were 0 responses for the 0-3month category. Someone suggested we expand that to 0-6months.*

Even with the option to remain anonymous, only 40 out of 86 individuals felt comfortable including their names. A member informed us that even with the option to remain anonymous, they did not feel comfortable sharing their feelings honestly in the survey. For us, that’s a stark indication we can listen better to our members.

Bar Graphs

Again, these are screenshots. We didn’t clean up the data, intentionally. We were interested to see how members identify (free-form versus multiple-choice)

*We noted specific identifiers like “CIS M” or “Female – she/her”, as a more nuanced self-awareness from our members. Someone suggested that we include gender identity for a future survey.*

The majority of responses are some variation of “White”, which is not a surprise. When asked if we noticed any trends, we replied that November Project (whether global or Brooklyn) tends to be more attractive for White individuals in their 20s. Members who fit this demographic also tend to have fewer exclusive moments. We are fortunate to have responses from members who bring Minoritized & Marginalized identities. For those responses, we are taking care in understanding what has made them feel included and excluded.

INCLUSIVE & EXCLUSIVE MOMENTS

When was a time you felt included?

When you were involved in some capacity of workout planning (ex. co-leading, asked to lead a bounce, spearheading a cheer station for a race, etc.)
Team settings (especially when split by differences or similarities), when put into groups that are not self-selected
First workout
Receiving the Positivity Award or Positivity Crown

When was a time you felt excluded?

NYC Marathon workout
First workout
Personal Record (PR) Day
Social events, post-race hangouts
Summit
Sense of cliqueness; a lot of people described it as something to have to work through/break through

What motivates you to keep showing up?

The people, similarly-minded people
The sense of community
The accountability
The workout

OPEN DISCUSSION

Here are some points that were brought up, and that we can act upon–

Introducing traverbals at the beginning of the workout, or at the same time as the newcomers
Foregoing assumptions
Providing more opportunities for guest leaders
Presenting modifications for exercises

WHAT NEXT?

“Connection happens when you remind people we all have many sides. And, those sides may even be in tension with each other.” -Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering

We recognize there is privilege in those who choose to speak up. While we can make an anonymous feature on our surveys or an open discussion on Zoom, not everyone will feel safe to share. Should you feel brave enough to provide feedback on how we can do better, here’s how–

Contacting the Co-Leaders