“Ok, now find someone you didn’t come with and thank them from coming with a high-5 or an optional hug…and then have a great day! BOOM! 💥”
I said the statement above today after I finished taking the group photo, encouraging you to thank those around you for showing up and running hills this morning. It’s intentional and purposeful, an invitation for you to recognize one another for making the choice to get out of bed and move your body.
In fact, that statement is said each morning after the group photo is taken as we “dismiss” our community and wish you each a great day. Depending on how long you’ve been coming to November Project you may have noticed that the phrasing has changed over the years. We have moved away from asking you to thank each other with a hips-in-hug and instead invited you to share a high-5 or an optional hug. As we have grown and evolved as a community and global movement we have also become more aware of our responsibility to our community and it’s members for their wellness and safety – physical and emotional. While I would say that we’ve always put the safety of our community first (even though we joke about #safetythird) we may not have always been as cognizant of people’s comfort level with the hugging that was a foundation of NP culture.
Blog posts have been written in the past around the shift NP has taken related to hugging culture so I won’t go into detail here but please reference them if you are curious. Here’s one written by Laura Green, a former leader in San Francisco and now part of the team leading the global November Project movement: A Culture Shift Reminder,
As we continue to reflect on the Community Agreements please read through the one related to respecting one another’s individual boundaries:
RESPECT…
- Individual Boundaries
- We prohibit and do not tolerate sexual harassment, misconduct or assault at the workplace, during the workout, or at any other NP-related activity (M.O.M., NPSUMMIT, social events, etc). The definition of Sexual Harassment can be found at RAINN website.
- Physical contact is a part of November Project culture, via hugs, high fives, and partner exercises. We expect leaders and members to always respect one another’s personal space, especially those who are not comfortable and choose not to partake.
Please keep in front of mind that our invitation to high-5 or embrace one another is just that, an invitation. It then requires a mutual agreement between the two people to hug if they choose to. We need to be aware that not all people are comfortable with physical contact to the same level and we want to be respectful of that, without any judgment.
#justshowup 6 AM
- Monday – Roger’s Place – North side of the arena
- Wednesday – Royal Glenora Stairs 28:19 DAY
- Friday – Walterdale Hill
Until next time…SMILE! J
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