TIST
The best friend on earth of man is the tree: when we use the tree respectfully and economically we have one of the greatest resources of the earth. - Frank Lloyd Wright
CHEZHUMAI ©
Action Steps
Planning is an important part of the life of your TIST small group. When all the members in your small group have discussed, created and agreed upon a plan, each person understands the goals your group is seeking to achieve. Action steps make it possible for the group to reach those goals.
An action step is:
- Specific
- Observable (a fly on the wall can see you do it!)
- Measurable
- Has a beginning and an end
Your actions steps need to be specific so that everyone knows exactly what to do. To make an action step specific, your small group needs to ask questions such as: What exactly are we trying to accomplish? How will it be done? Who will do the tasks? Clearly state your action steps.
Action steps need to be observable. That means a fly on the wall could watch you doing the action step. Ask yourselves whether the step is visible to others.
Your group’s action steps need to be measurable. How many trees do you plan to plant? How many hours will your small group work in the nursery in a week?
Each action step should have a beginning and an end. Make sure that it is possible to finish the action step in the time you have planned for it to be done. You can decide when you should begin and when the task must be completed. It is not something that goes on forever!
Here is an example of an action step: “Each of our TIST small group members will plant 100 trees by next Saturday.” This action step is specific (each member will plant 100 trees), observable (a fly can watch you planting the trees), measurable (100 trees planted by each person) and has a beginning and an end (the work starts today and is completed by next Saturday).
Remember, action steps are just what they say they are. You are not just thinking or talking about doing something. You are in action to complete a specific task in your plan.
Summary of Your Group’s Quantification
TIST is always looking for better ways to serve small groups in the TIST program. Starting this month, when they come to visit your small group, the TIST quantifiers will have a new form with them called the Summary of Your Group’s Quantification.
When the quantifiers are counting your small group’s trees and Conservation Farming holes, they will write down the total number of trees, seedlings and CF acres in each of your groves under each grove name. After they are finished quantifying all of your group’s groves they will add up the total trees of all the groves, total seedlings of all the groves and the total CF acres of all the groves written on the report and write the totals on the Summary.
After entering all of the data on the Summary and after doing the totals, the quantifiers will show the Summary of Your Group’s Quantification to the group members who are present during the quantification. They will make sure that the group members are in agreement with the totals on the Summary. The quantifiers will then sign their names on the Summary. They will also ask the group members who are there to sign their names on the Summary.
The Summary will then be given to the group members who are there and they can take it back and put it in a safe place with all the other TIST records their small group is keeping. Your group will have this Summary as the proof of your quantification data. When your group receives its voucher, you can check the total trees on the voucher with the tree data on the Summary. If there is any dispute you can report it to TIST staff at the Nodes.
We hope that this new system will improve the quantification and ability to get vouchers to your small group in a timely way. Please help the quantifiers by taking them to all your small group’s groves and show them all of your trees and Conservation Farming holes.
SindhuKavi Small Group of Chittoor
This Small Group was the first one to become a member with the TIST Program at Chittoor by planting trees in their dry wasteland. The strategies of TIST are well followed by this group, like: 1) regular meeting with their Small Group Members; 2) believing in the idea of Node Meeting; 3) sharing their knowledge with other Small Groups; 4) planting multiple species of trees.
About a year back, to start with, they planted 4,200 Eucalyptus Seedlings. Few months later, they started planting Teak Trees, about 200. All the Members of this Small Group worked very hard in saving their trees during the dry summer. Though there were few casualties during 2004 summer, but still they planted few more new trees and increased their trees. Now they have multiple species of trees & seedlings like, Agathai, Cotton, Neem, Eucalyptus, Teek, and Casuarina,. More interestingly, they have more than 800 Neem Trees, very recently planted. The trees are 10-15 cm in height and planted with good intervals. One of the main strategy of TIST is that, every Small Group should plant variety of species. This Small Group has set an example by planting variety of species and now they have a total of 14,000 seedlings of six varieties and 5,500 trees of three varieties in their groves.
Upheaval of TIST Programme at Kattiampandal
The main two active Small Groups of Mel Kodungular are Salsa & Chandiran. They have 1,34,350 seedlings and 27,620 trees grown for TIST Programme. With the help of few Small Group members of Mel Kodungular, TIST is extending its program at Vinna Mangalam, Sendhakulam and Kattiampandal.
TIST had its recruitment meeting at Kattiampandal Village on 05.09.2004. Remarkably, many villagers (including women) participated in the meeting and completed the formalities of joining TIST by forming Small Groups voluntarily. Seven Small Groups are formed at this village, namely : 1. Vadakoli, 2. KattuKalini Kasi 3. Mojamtookikalini, 4. Kummumodukalini, 5. Sanimoolaikalini, 6. Valluvankalini, 7. ThesurarKollai. TIST extends its gratefulness to R.Rajasekaran, member of Mojamtookikalini Small Group, for his great contribution towards forming the Seven Small Groups at Kattiampandal. Three Small Groups, Valluvankalini, Mojamtookikalini and Vadakoli have immediately started a nursery with more than 41,000 Casuarina Seedlings. They have taken the full advantage of the recent rain. All the other four Small Group Members of this village have assured to start a nursery with atleast 10,000 seedlings. While TIST congratulates the immediate activities of all the seven Small Groups of Kattiampandal, it also emphasizes all of them to grow multiple species of trees, no one kind of tree should be more than 30% of their total trees.
Successful Node Meetings of September 2004
Mel Kodungalur
Singapalli, Ulundhai, Mel Kodungalur & Kattukolli
07.09.2004
No. of Participants (Small Group Members) : 30
Melapulam
Peruvalayam, Melapulam & Mottur
11.09.2004
No. of Participants (Small Group Members) : 13
Molachur
Keranallur, Chittoor, Nandhimedu, Molachur, Singadivakkam, Marudham & Jambhodi
19.09.2004
No. of Participants (Small Group Members) : 25
Molachur
Sokandi & Kandoor
19.09.2004
No. of Participants (Small Group Members) : 11
Vedal
Vedal, Aandiseruvallur, Kottavakkam, Melpadavur, Seruvallur & Seruvallur-Mettucolony
26.09.2004
No. of Participants (Small Group Members) : 35
TIST India
1.Mr. Prabakar Srinivasan, Project Manager
2.Mr. A. Joseph, TIST Coordinator and Correspondent