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.
Show notes here: https://health-hats.com/pod234
Everything Health Hats here https://linktr.ee/healthhats
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