Would you pay 10 dollars a month to be part of an aspiegroup

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20 Jan 2013, 7:57 am

Assuming that I would want to attend in the first place, I wouldn't pay $10. However, I would be happy to bring munchies. I sometimes go to a meeting of a local group that relates to one of my special interests. That's the arrangement there and it works very well.

nessa238
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20 Jan 2013, 8:10 am

In my opinion only a very small fee should be charged, just enough to cover stuff like refreshments. Most people attending my group were not working so they couldn't afford a large fee.

The local council was paying for the hire of the meeting room and tea/coffee. Biscuits were initially provided as well but they stopped paying for these after so many meetings so I took biscuits or cakes in myself. When we had our Christmas meeting we all brought stuff in for a buffet and that worked really well. I did a quiz and it was our best meeting.

Verdandi
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20 Jan 2013, 8:22 am

nessa238 wrote:

I suspect people who can't see much difference between interacting on a discussion board and in real life have not suffered being made to feel invisible or not 'good enough' for a group in real life ie they haven't experienced what it's like to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy of the group and how demoralising the experience is.

Part of me wants to argue with this. Not because I think being offline is the same as being online, but that those things can still happen online.

Despite that, I do think you are actually completely correct in this statement. Without online interactions, I don't know what I would be like now. Face-to-face can be harsh.

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20 Jan 2013, 8:26 am

Verdandi wrote:

nessa238 wrote:

I know what you mean - I was thinking it myself when typing. People can still ignore you and try and pull social rank on you on an online forum but it's less hurtful in my opinion as it's about what you are saying and what your social position is on the board, gained by what you've said, not about how you look. Although there again, I often see people who are evidently attractive being smarmed over by others on here and treated as if what they say is more interesting due to the very fact of how they look. So that aspect never goes away completely, even on a discussion board but it's a lot less apparent.

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20 Jan 2013, 8:50 am

Whether I would actually go to a group is here nor there to the question. I think 10 for any group is reasonable - particularly if they print off handouts and that sort of thing. Though, that amounts to $120 dollars per person per year, so I would want to know what the group's expenses are and why they are asking for $ - what will they do with the dues?

I think that if members don't have the means to pay a monthly due of that amount it should be reduced or waived. Or an anonymous collection can for volunteer contributions to printing and such might be a good way to do it. Organizers might have picked something arbitrary that sounded reasonable. I am sure other suggestions can be forwarded and approved if reasonable. I think, here in Canada, that 10 gives you the minimum donation amount to claim on taxes - so, this might be another consideration - if you get receipts, it might help on taxes.

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20 Jan 2013, 11:24 am

AgentPalpatine wrote:

CyborgUprising wrote:

I wouldn't pay a penny. Then again, I wouldn't attend such a group in person to begin with. WP is enough.

Cyborg, may I ask why you would'nt want to meet in person? I mean, we all come to WP to exchange something, even as simple as basic communication. Why would in person be any different?

Simple answer: I wish to have some sort of real-world anonymity in regards to my having AS. I don't want others in our community to be privy to such (potentially damning) information. The Newtown shooting doesn't help either.

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20 Jan 2013, 12:13 pm

nessa238 wrote:

It's ironic that there's been more appreciation of my efforts from a person I've never met than anyone who attended that group!

I do what I can.

nessa238 wrote:

I understand perfectly why people are happy to post on WP but wouldn't want to attend a group in person. Posting on WP does not take people out of their comfort zones. They do not have to go to a strange place and meet strange people, with all the uncertainty surrounding how it will go and whether they will feel accepted by the other people there. Posting on WP allows people to put their ideas across with none of the social anxiety or rejection risk. It also means that the person's thoughts alone are being considered, not how attractive or charismatic they are - things that are usually the main deciders of how much attention a person gets in a group in real life. Discussion forums subvert the normal social hierarchy rules and make the interaction process far more democratic.

I suspect people who can't see much difference between interacting on a discussion board and in real life have not suffered being made to feel invisible or not 'good enough' for a group in real life ie they haven't experienced what it's like to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy of the group and how demoralising the experience is.

Personally I am anyone's equal on a discussion board but in real life in a social group I am invariably sidelined, overlooked and ignored by people and even if I am given attention there's always this background sense that it's grudging attention and that I am not a natural person to be holding the group's attention. That group would basically have been enthralled if someone from the 'X-Factor' was running the group, which basically says it all in terms of how much of a mismatch of intellects was going on!

I realize there is a practical difference and I am very aware of the demoralising nature of the bolded sentence. I also realize that we have to start somewhere, and people, including Aspies, are wired to want face to face communication. Aspies probably have a different set of non-verbal communication styles, but I don't see how that's a difference in an in person Aspie meeting.

I would'nt be too upset that the "X-Factor" stars would be more of a stage presence, they are famous after all. That's more a popular culture thing, since it gives a super-frame of reference (there's a word I can't remember there).

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20 Jan 2013, 12:19 pm

Logicalmom wrote:

Truth be told, $120 USD (OP is Canadian, but the exchange rate and PPP is close for our purposes) is'nt as much as some of the numbers I've heard.

If you have 50 members, $6,000/year would be enough for regular food, gas, supplies, renting space at parks, maybe a dinner hall, etc., but no one's geting rich on it.

If you have 20 members....$200/mo does'nt go too far. Too big for most people's residences to accomidate, and too small to rent a larger location.

Some organizations may pay the facilitator/coordinator a stipend above expenses...I'm not sure how I feel about that.

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20 Jan 2013, 12:26 pm

Yeah, if it was enjoyable. I mean, I'd certainly try it at $10 a month, and if I didn't like it for whatever reason, I'd just not go. I believe the groups around here cost more anyway.

volkerjaan
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20 Jan 2013, 3:55 pm

I do not understand, some guy have thrown a thema and really nobody know what he have in mind, was it a spam or something similar, and you're leading seen under those circumstances a very abstract discussion

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20 Jan 2013, 4:03 pm

volkerjaan wrote:

I must admit that I'm not understanding what you typed.

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21 Jan 2013, 2:01 pm

1000Knives wrote:

Yeah, if it was enjoyable. I mean, I'd certainly try it at $10 a month, and if I didn't like it for whatever reason, I'd just not go. I believe the groups around here cost more anyway.

$10 would be low by the numbers I've heard. That said, it's not much more than the cost of a movie at the theater, and less than the (TV) Cable bill.

I personally consider the concept a mix of "meet people" and "social interaction". Social interaction is one of those things that gets harder if you don't do it, and easier if you do it* regularly. If someone does'nt want to go to what might be the safest social interaction out there, a job interview is going to be rough.

* Without taking into account "recharge time", I'm drained after long periods of interaction as well, but it's usually worht it.

nessa238
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21 Jan 2013, 3:15 pm

AgentPalpatine wrote:

1000Knives wrote:

Yeah, if it was enjoyable. I mean, I'd certainly try it at $10 a month, and if I didn't like it for whatever reason, I'd just not go. I believe the groups around here cost more anyway.

I prefer more structured social interaction. I'm a member of a mental health support group that has 'working' sub-groups that are looking at different topics relevant to improving mental health services. We also attend a Patient Reference Group at my local Doctor's surgery. Me and the person I live with also went to a Focus Group at the weekend to give our opinions for a consultation on Urgent Care, and got a £20 'I Love To Shop' voucher each for attending! That's my kind of social interaction as it's structured, I'm there to give my opinion and learn stuff from listening to other opinions and off the people running the focus group and I get paid for it!

MathGirl
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21 Jan 2013, 5:48 pm

I think that when aspie groups charge, it's mostly for food and for any other expenses. My colleagues are running a monthly ASD social group for the same price. I don't think this is a lot to charge for a group at all.

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22 Jan 2013, 8:17 am

Stoek wrote:

Would you pay 10 dollars a month to be part of an aspiegroup

Most aspie groups meet once a month, so paying $10 for one meeting is too much.
Also, as other posters noted, the fee usually goes towards buying coke, coffee, cookies, etc.
At our local aspie group, attendance is free. Cookies/coffee/coke etc. are voluntarily brought by members of the group. Almost everyone brings something, and there is always too much food and drinks at our meetings.

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22 Jan 2013, 8:31 am

KenG wrote:

It might be a cultural difference, the US/Canadian prefernce might be to pay for the meeting/food and not have to bring anything. If you treat the $10 as a formalized reimbursement of expenses, then it makes sense.

Also, if you have a larger gathering, $10/mo is'nt go to be enough for larger meeting locations, or you have to arrange to meet at private residences with limited parking, room, etc.

Parking might also be a cultural difference, you need lots of parking in the US/Canada.

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