These families created a pandemic pod with clear rules & shared childcare. While adults navigated anxiety, their kids called it "the best time of their lives."
Summary
Bevin Croft and David Weintraub talk about their experience forming a "pod" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Hats introduces participatory governance - a concept I’ve studied throughout my life in various contexts, including families, communities, organizations, and healthcare. My history with governance spans from 1968, through college activism, homeschooling my children, living in an intentional community, and working in corporate settings.
The main segment features a conversation with Bevin and David, who formed a COVID-19 support group, or pod, with other families to help one another during the pandemic. They discuss:
They spontaneously decided to form the pod in May 2020
Creating formal rules and a written agreement to manage risks and expectations
The challenges of prioritizing the pod over extended family relationships
The practical arrangements include shared meals, childcare, and rotating responsibilities
Their collective approach to virtual schooling for their children
The difficulties David experienced as a teacher during hybrid learning
How their children viewed the pod experience as "the best time of their lives" despite adults' pandemic anxiety
The lasting bonds their "family of friends" developed and maintained
The pod used tools from Bevin's work in person-centered practices to create its governance structure. They made decisions based on consensus, with particular attention to accommodate the most cautious member's concerns. Their experience strengthened existing friendships and created lasting bonds between the families.
Click here to view the printable newsletter with images. More readable than a transcript, which can also be found below.
Contents
Table of Contents
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EpisodeProemPodcast introMy Life with Participatory GovernanceForming a PodRulesNot easyPrioritiesRules, Contract, RisksTools for AgreementAccountabilityHow are You Different?MealsChildcareTraveling TogetherSchool and WorkingTough Times as a TeacherKids Loved ItBelated Introductions Call to actionReflectionPodcast OutroRelated episodes from Health Hats
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Production Team
You know who you are. I'm grateful.
Podcast episode on YouTube
Inspired by and Grateful to
Jan Oldenburg, Nakela Cook, Russ Howerton
Links and references
World Health Network
National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems
Episode
Proem
My advocacy revolves around participatory governance in everything that contributes to a decent quality of life. Participatory governance entails broad involvement, accessible information, transparency, and accountability, leading to trust in decision-making. I’m a lifelong student of governance, having studied it in families, communities, teams, organizations, healthcare, research, and various other settings.
Podcast intro
Welcome to Health Hats, the Podcast. I'm Danny van Leeuwen, a two-legged cisgender old white man of privilege who knows a little bit about a lot of healthcare and a lot about very little. We will listen and learn about what it takes to adjust to life's realities in the awesome circus of healthcare. Let's make some sense of all of this.
My Life with Participatory Governance
I’ve watched and participated in governance since 1968, when I was 16, dealing with the Vietnam War draft. I learned that the plumbing of the draft contained laws, written regulations, and unwritten rules, with people making decisions, people moving paper, and massive numbers of kids like me processing through. I wanted to prepare myself,