Introducing Fellowship Stewards
It takes a lot to run a community, from the planning of events, to the moderation of online communities, to working towards common goals. These duties have been primarily in the care of the Fellowship Leaders within the Fellowship of Northern Traditions. While we are happy at how far we have come in such a short time, we also recognize its time to make an addition to our leadership structure. Today we want to share with you a new opportunity for members of the community to get more involved with FoNT: The Fellowship Stewards.
What is a Steward?
A Steward will be someone who assists the Fellowship Leaders within our events around the world, and also acts as a representative of FoNT within their local communities. They will also assist in providing safe and drama-free spaces both in-person and online. Fellowship Stewards will not be on the board of directors, and will not have to attend board meetings. They will also not have to plan events, meaning they will not have to search, book, and prepare properties for our events. Here is some more information about Stewards that you may want to know:
Will need to apply via the link below.
Applications are reviewed once every six months (once at the start of the year, and again at mid-year)
Applicants must have attended a FoNT event in the past.
If accepted Stewards will serve the community for one year before needing to re-apply.
Stewards will be “go-to” people at events, and will be asked to carry out various tasks by the Fellowship Leader in charge of events.
Stewards are required to use Discord, as it is our primary hub for communication within the leadership (an invite can be sent upon acceptance.)
Stewards are expected to help moderate the online community.
Stewards can be both in the USA and abroad.
Here are some examples of what may be asked of a Steward at one of our events:
Assist in ritual preparation.
Be given a chance to lead their own rituals (this is something open to regular members as well, however Stewards will have a chance to have a more active role in rituals and the ritual planning process).
Assisting in the facilitation of communal duties at events (such as meal prep, cleanliness)
Keep an eye out for safety concerns.
Stewards may be asked not to partake of alcohol during certain nights of the event, or during the course of the entire event.
Maintaining an environment safe for people to let loose and drink, while also maintaining a respectful environment is always a challenge.
Make store runs if needed.
Overall the goal of the Fellowship Leaders has been to always put the community, and the Gods above themselves at the events FoNT facilitates. The Fellowship Stewards will be expected to join in putting these things above themselves, and maintaining this feeling within our events.
While selfless giving can certainly make us feel good inside, you may be wondering if there are any added benefits to be a Fellowship Stewards:
As previously mentioned, Fellowship Stewards will be more involved with the ritual planning and preparation.
Stewards will be the first to know about upcoming events.
Once or twice a year the Fellowship Leaders have a leadership retreat (currently US only). Stewards will have the possibility of joining some of these events.
In general the Steward position is a great way to get more involved with the community, and have more of a hand in its development!
Acknowledgment of Concern
When discussing the addition of the Fellowship Stewards to the leadership structure of the community we discussed many possible concerns that we wish to acknowledge so that we may work together to insure they do not happen.
The Steward position in a “giving” position not a “taking” one. Meaning that those interested in being a Fellowship Steward know that this position does not exist for bragging rights, ego boosts, or ways to feel superior above other members of the community. Both the Fellowship Leaders and the Stewards are here to serve the community, and honor the Gods.
To be a Fellowship Steward and represent this community means that you need to live our community’s values everyday. To participate in unbecoming behavior that goes against our community guidelines and ethics will not be tolerated. Just as is expected of our Fellowship Leaders, any negligence that would go against our values either online, or in-person, could result in removal as Fellowship Steward; and depending on severity of the incident could lead to removal from the community entirely.
The Fellowship of Northern Traditions is committed to creating safe and inclusive spaces where the Gods, Spirits, and Ancestors are put above ourselves. This is what we work so hard to protect, and we welcome anyone that wishes to join us in this in achieving/maintaining this goal!
How to apply
If you are interested in being a Fellowship Steward, please follow the link below to a Google Form where you will be asked a series of questions. Fellowship Leaders will review applications twice per year, and will only accept a few individuals based on needs of individual regions. Please understand we cannot accept all that apply, and that we will do our best to choose based on fair determination and discussion.
If selected to be a Fellowship Steward you will receive a document of “Steward Guidelines and Expectations” - after signing this document you will be considered officially a Fellowship Steward and will be given access to the Steward section of the Discord community.
