Finding Common Ground one member at a time

Political divisions are getting wider, ICE is still in the state, gasoline is nearing $5 a gallon, inflation is at a three-year high, and times are not as simple as they once seemed.   

What happens after the crisis ends…and we’re still exhausted? 

That is the question that led Local 1901 President Christi Berry and Region 19 Negotiations Representative Jovae Priebe to develop Common Ground, a new Compassion Fatigue/Burnout series. The space is designed to meet you exactly where you are – whether you’re running on fumes, holding it together or just not sure what you’re looking for yet.  

Priebe is a social work specialist at the forensic mental health program formerly known as St. Peter Regional Treatment Center. Berry is a clincal therapist at the same facility.  

“Christi and I felt very helpless about all of life’s recent stressors. We thought everyone has struggles, perhaps different ones, but a struggle, nonetheless. And we wanted a place where people can go to feel safe sitting in the mess,” Priebe said. 

The group was launched Jan. 27 and, six meetings of Common Ground have been held so far. “In a perfect world, we’d have enough support to do it weekly. Right now, we’re able to guarantee monthly meetings,” Priebe said.  

Anywhere from 10 to 56 people from across the state have attended each of the half-dozen  meetings. “We’ve been asking people to tell others and that’s how we’ve gotten more members to show up. Literally just word of mouth and trusting that the right people that need to be there will show up every time,” Priebe added. 

“It can be seen as a therapy session, or a support group, we all have a lot of challenges that are amorphous but not defined. A lot of people are burned out and not at their best. Everyone is struggling to keep up with things and just decompress. If you’re experiencing trouble with MAPE work, or not work, most people are either having the same problems or having similar problems,” Local 101 President Keylor Andrews said.  

He recommends the meetings to his Local leadership and admits, “I don’t always make every meeting, but when I do, it is always worthwhile.”  

Topics have included compassion fatigue and how do we come out of it OK, being comfortable setting boundaries while maintaining them, feedback and others. Future topics will include acknowledging what is good and building off that and not focusing on the negative or what’s not going well. Participants have been encouraged to keep a gratitude journal along with giving themselves permission not to do everything on their own and strategically collaborate with others.  

Local 201 Interim President and Steward Charles Dixon says he has heard positive feedback from members about having a space to share, “People feel they can be heard and not necessarily be penalized or judged for their thoughts.” 

He attributes much of the success of the group to Priebe making herself available to people in general, including himself. “You see people do it on a surface level and Jovae is genuine and that is appreciated because you don’t see a lot of genuine people today. Having a space like this where people can speak about their thoughts and feelings and still feel a connection to the union and not feel pushed out because of whatever their beliefs are is so important.” 

Region 20 Negotiations Representative Gabe Perkins participated in the latest meeting on feedback and boundaries. “I went to support my colleague Jovae – she does a great job with this program. When you’re looking at things with some issues like ICE when some thought MAPE was coming across as anti-law enforcement. We’re all Americans and we can disagree. But it has to be respectful. I like to be a consensus builder when I can,” he added.  

Priebe admits that she has gotten more out of facilitating these meetings than members have. “Never in a million years did I think it would take off like this. But when we had 20 people at the first meeting, I thought, ‘Oh, wow. Maybe we’re on to something,” she joked. 

But she was serious when she spoke about how much she has learned from the Common Ground meetings, “I learned how much I have in common with so many people that I didn’t realize I did. I met other great single mothers that I’ve been able to lean on when life seems too heavy.”