Welcome to this online study circle guide!  You can use it as a resource to bring focus to the maze of information about Y2K.   Use the study circle process to help you think and feel with others about what the the year 2000 problem means to you.  You will find here inspiration and ideas for building neighborhoods and communities that not only prepared for Y2K, but more sustainable and better places to live. This guide is an offering to support the creation of ways of living with our world that will ensure a future for humans and all our relations.

This guide will be revised and updated periodically, linking or adding new readings, resources and ideas.  Your suggestions and feedback are invited and encouraged!  Contact Doug Mosel at dmosel@igc.org.

What will our post-Y2K world look like?  Will it be a return to "life as usual," only to await the next technological collapse?  Is it possible that we can take advantage of the opportunity presented in this brief moment of vulnerability -- regardless of the severity of Y2K disruption -- to mobilize enough momentum toward sustainability that we will never turn back?

Some say Y2K will be a speed-bump, little more than an inconvenience.  Others predict that it will involve widespread disruptions, but that those problems will be resolved in a period of a few weeks, at most.  At best, in this scenario, government structures would continue functioning and most communities would work well together to surmount problems.  At worst, there may be a few toxic or nuclear accidents, some epidemics and an occasional need for martial law.  Others expect truly catastrophic breakdown, with months or even years of disruption (including widespread starvation, etc.), and major changes in our social structure (ranging from emergency martial law to fascism to local gang control to the rise of resilient communities).  Will Y2K bring the end of the world as we know it -- or the beginning of the world as we want it?
 
Contents

Session 1: What Is Y2K & Why Should We Care?

The "Year 2000 Problem" raises questions for which we have no certain answers and challenges us to look the implications of living in a technology-based society. What could Y2K mean for you, your family, your neighborhood?
 

Session 2: Ecological & Social Implications

Y2K-related technical failures could affect the environment and the social conditions where we live. What could Y2K mean for urban and rural areas what can we do?
 

Session 3: Spiritual/Psychological Issues

At the center of the Year 2000 Problem are fundamental spiritual questions and psychological reactions. What are the potential consequences of denying this problem? How could a shift in consciousness transform Y2K into an opportunity?
 

Session 4: Sustainability-friendly Technology

Y2K is an ironic symbol of the fragility of technological systems and of the deeper effects of technology driving society. What alternatives are available to us?
 

Session 5: Organizing for Sustainable Community

The Year 2000 Problem offers a moment of opportunity to begin building communities that are healthier for humans, the environment and biodiversity. What can we do in our own neighborhoods to make them more sustainable?
 

Session 6: Helping Others Start Study Circles

Study circles are a powerful tool for learning and organizing in our neighborhoods. This session is a tutorial for those who want to assist others with their own study circles.

 
What is a Y2K Study Circle?
 
It's a small, self-organized group interested in learning about the possibilities for sustainable community presented by the "millennium bug." Each session, designed to be 1 1/2 - 2 hours in length, includes: ü Pre-session readings ü A Question to Enter the Conversation ü Questions to Deepen the Study ü Actions that Could be Taken ü Reflection on the Conversation üClosing the Circle or Optional Ritual ü Resources & Links

 
What Do We Have to Do to Prepare?

• Gather a group of 7-12 friends or neighbors who are willing to meet for five sessions/conversations.
• Identify a facilitator for each session ñ a volunteer from the group who assists with the groupís dialogue by calling for the opening, asking the opening and closing circle questions, suggesting additional discussion questions, keeping the conversation focused, ensuring that everyone has opportunity to speak, and act as timekeeper to ensure the session starts and ends at agreed upon times. The facilitator role rotates from meeting to meeting. (See "Guidelines for the Weekly Facilitator".)
• Identify a volunteer to provide an opening for the session. This role also rotates with each meeting.
• If your group elects to include a ritual in each session, a volunteer leader will be needed.
• The focus of each session is personal learning, rather than consensus or problem solving. Exploring differences of opinion, values, feelings or experience in a spirit of inquiry promotes learning. Criticizing a reading or an authorís style of writing will distract from the purpose of the session.

Openings and Rituals

The opening is an important way to mark the beginning of the circle session, by providing a transition into the "space" of the gathered group and to hear from each person as you begin. The intention for an opening is to express appreciation for this time in our world, for nature, for the opportunity offered by the topic, or for the study circle participants.  Openings will usually be simple and brief (a few minutes) and might make use of song, objects, readings, or something from nature.

Rituals can offer a deeper integration of mind, heart, and spirit, and are an option for each session (see "Resources for Rituals" in this section).

Suggested Guidelines for Study Circle Conversation

• Take turns
• One person speaks at a time; consider using an object (stone, shell, feather, etc.) as a "talking stick" -- the person holding the stick speaks with full attention and respect of the group
• Explore differences in a spirit of curiosity, rather than trying to resolve them
• Pay attention to feelings that come up during the conversation
• Listen to your own thinking; pay attention to what you are learning about you
• Speak to the group as a whole rather than to the facilitator or another individual