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MAsT Handbook 2007
People come to the Master/slave and Dominant/submissive dynamic from many different backgrounds and with many different focuses. Yet despite this wide diversity, we share many elements in common. The purpose of Masters And slaves Together (MAsT) is to recognize these common elements and their potential to bind us together further, each of us individually and all of us collectively, in our pursuit of satisfying lives as Masters or slaves, Dominants or submissives, while respecting and celebrating our diversity.
The role of each local MAsT chapter in this is essential, whether the chapter is focused on a particular population (like gay men or married couples) or approach to Mastery/slavery or Dominance/submission (like 24/7 total power exchange), or is more open and freeform in its membership. Our chapters aim to provide members with a comfortable, safe place to meet, learn, and grow among like-minded folks while maintaining connection with the Master/slave and D/s community as a larger whole. This handbook is mainly intended to help those who are interested in starting or running a MAsT chapter.
Hereafter, to avoid cumbersome language, we will mostly speak of Mastery/slavery and Masters and slaves, but the organization is meant to serve other types of Dominant/submissive folk as well. In terms of starting or running a chapter, M/s and D/s are equivalent interests.
If you have any further questions, please contact me or one of our regional representatives.
C. Conrad Claus
executive director of MAsT International
mconlv@hotmail.com
702-384-4927 (PST business hours)
Regional representatives1
Northeast: Master Larry (internationalmasterslave2007@gmail.com, 000-000-0000)
Southeast: Ms. Susan (mssuzan999@yahoo.com, 000-000-0000)
Northwest: Master Bob (florentinebob@yahoo.com, 000-000-0000)
Southwest: Sir Ian (yourbdsmSir@earthlink.net, 000-000-0000)
1 phone numbers to be added
The MAsT Chapter
What Is a MAsT Chapter?
A MAsT chapter is a local group of individuals or couples that operates to promote the educational, social, and support purposes of MAsT. While many MAsT chapters are named after the city or region where they meet (like MAsT Phoenix or MAsT Central New Jersey), several chapters with different membership criteria may serve the same geographical area. MAsT chapters are largely personality driven, with each one having a unique flavor based on the individuals most actively involved in that particular chapter — and especially the chapter director who leads it.
Functions of a MAsT Chapter
There are two required functions of a MAsT chapter:
1) It must hold monthly meetings — though not necessarily in every month of the year (MAsT NYC, for instance, meets on the fourth Sunday of the month and therefore does not meet in June, because it would conflict either with LGBT Pride Day or the Folsom Street East fundraiser, and December, because of Christmas). Moreover, the meetings must regularly draw at least six people for the chapter to remain on the “active” list.
2) It must disseminate information to its members from the MAsT regional representatives and MAsT International as well as keeping the International office apprised of its status and activities. Beyond these, a MAsT chapter can serve several other functions, including but not limited to:
1) hosting or sponsoring lifestyle-related events
2) hosting visiting instructors or presenters
3) helping members network and share information through an e-mail list or Yahoo! group
4) organizing social events to enable members to interact informally
5) supporting charity work
6) organizing hands-on workshops
Plus anything else legal and ethical that the members want to do!
Open vs. Focused Chapters
An open MAsT chapter holds “open door” meetings where anyone who’s interested and shows up may participate. We have very few of these, however; most MAsT chapters are focused, meaning that they limit either membership or attendance in one or more ways. In most cases, the rationale is that the chapter holds its meetings and other functions within members’ homes. Obviously, people inviting others into their homes will wish to retain some control over who comes through the door, so many chapters require prospective attendees or members to be prescreened outside the regular meetings. Moreover, some chapters go beyond this screening process to more narrowly focus the membership itself in terms of, say, a particular gender, sexual orientation or identity, or approach to Mastery/slavery. Almost any focus is permissible so long as it’s reasonable, fairly implemented, and made clear in advertising or announcements and on a chapter’s Web site.
MAsT and Democracy
The focused MAsT chapters may seem exclusionary, but keep in mind that a chapter is typically created so that people with similar interests or backgrounds can feel safe and comfortable in sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences face to face. A focused chapter enables them to do so while maintaining connection with a larger, more diverse MAsT community. Also, no MAsT chapter is given an exclusive “lock” on its geographical area, and a chapter director is not responsible for serving everyone in the area who’s interested in the M/s or D/s dynamic but only those who participate in his or her own Chapter. If folks are uncomfortable with the focus of the existing MAsT chapter in their locality, they are encouraged to seek the support of the MAsT regional representative and MAsT International to start a separate but complementary chapter (see “Setting Up a Chapter” below).
Outreach and Reciprocity
Given that chapters are expected to cooperate within the larger MAsT family and to support the lifestyle generally, each one is required to have some procedure in place to facilitate contact with members of other chapters, whether these are in the same locality or elsewhere. The primary goal is for members of a MAsT chapter who are moving to another area to be able to “try out” a chapter in the new area. In other cases, chapter members may simply want to visit a different chapter in their own area or elsewhere to get a different perspective.
Thus, even chapters that are sharply focused in approach, have a cap on their number of members, or are limited to a particular gender or sexual identity/orientation are required to have some level of outreach to members of other chapters. One way this can be accomplished is with reciprocity, that is, by allowing visitors who belong to other MAsT chapters to sit in on one or more meetings. Such visitors could be allowed to visit once a year, a limited number of times, or whenever they request it—the details are up to each chapter. Another way to meet the requirement is for a chapter to hold an annual or periodic open house to which any and all MAsT members are welcome. “Outreach” also covers visits by unaffiliated folks who have not yet joined any chapter, but it’s up to each chapter to determine its preferred way of handling this (for instance, with periodic orientation meetings, individual screenings, and so on).
Belonging to Multiple Chapters
Given that many MAsT chapters have a focus and that some areas have multiple chapters, MAsT members are encouraged to participate in more than one chapter. Those who do will typically have a “home chapter” that they primarily attend, while attending meetings of other chapters less regularly. One of the few criteria MAsT chapters are specifically not allowed to include in their focus is a requirement of exclusivity in membership or participation. In other words, MAsT members are entitled to participate in however many chapters they desire (and are eligible for, given focus restrictions).
Meeting Guidelines and Procedures
MAsT International does not, by design, exert much influence on the procedures and internal workings of the various MAsT chapters. So long as the MAsT values are agreed to and certain basic requirements are met, a chapter is free to govern itself in whatever manner its members deem best. Minimally, a MAsT chapter is required to have both a director and an alternate contact person, and to provide e-mail and street addresses and phones for each one. Both will be signed onto the MAsT_Chapters Yahoo! group, an e-list that’s designed to keep chapter directors and concerned others informed and in touch. (This is distinct from the MAsT_Open group, which anyone may join.) Monthly meetings (as a rule) are also required, but the structure and procedure within those meetings are not prescribed. Whatever any given MAsT chapter finds successful for meeting the needs of its members is encouraged. There is, however, a set of recommended guidelines and procedures that chapters should at least consider:
• Confidentiality. Participants agree to hold confidential any personal information revealed or discussed at the meetings. General ideas and information may, of course, be shared—but statements should not be attributed to specific individuals without their permission.
• Protocol between Masters and slaves other than their own is suspended so that all may speak their minds on equal footing. Masters attending with their slaves may enforce their own rules but are encouraged to allow the slaves to participate fully.
• Service. Masters and Dominants should not expect or require any slaves other than their own to serve them during the meeting, unless an unattached slave offers such service freely.
• Separate caucuses. During part of each meeting the Masters and slaves/subs may meet separately, then report back to the full group on the relevant highlights of their discussion. If so, some things may be kept confidential to each respective gathering, and Masters and Dominants may not require even their own slaves to reveal information about the slaves’ discussion beyond what the slave representative has shared with the whole group.
Setting Up a Chapter
Here is the series of steps anyone must go through to form a new MAsT chapter:
1 MAsT Values. Each and every chapter must agree to adhere to MAsT’s Statement of Values. Please look over that
statement carefully (groups.yahoo.com/group/MAsT_Open/files; you must already be a member of the MAsT_Open
group) and think about how it complements or conflicts with your personal values before deciding to form a chapter.
2 Contact MAsT. Contact both the MAsT representative for your region (see page 1), who will aid you in formulating your proposal, as well as the MAsT International executive director (Conrad Claus, mconlv@hotmail.com, 702-384- 4927 during PST business hours) or the director of operations (his slave Cat, slave2_mconlv@hotmail.com, 702-384- 4927), who will open a dossier for the formation process.
3 Gather a core group. Locate at least five other people who are interested and support formation of the new chapter They should themselves be involved in the Master/slave or Dominant/submissive dynamic to some degree (including seeking a first-time partner), and they must also accept the MAsT Statement of Values. Select individuals you believe will be reasonably regular in attendance at the monthly meeting and strong in support of your chapter to be sure it can meet the requirement of regular attendance by at least six people.
4 Hold a meeting to gauge interest that anyone who wishes to may attend, or else everyone who meets whatever focus criteria your core group agrees on (if any). Advertise it on local e-groups and with other local M/s or D/s lifestyle or kink organizations. At this first meeting, share the MAsT Statement of Values, discuss the focus for the chapter (if any), and then determine where future meetings will be held. For most chapters, a member’s home is the optimal choice, but some chapters meet in a leather bar, a kink club, or an LGBT community center.
5 Chapter agreement. Collectively fill out a MAsT Charter Agreement, which will designate a chapter director and an alternate contact (who may or may not wield any authority within the chapter), provide e-mail and street addresses and phones for both, and indicate what your chapter’s focus will be (if any). State the preferred name for the chapter, the intended day and time for your meetings (such as, first Wednesday of the month at 7 pm), and describe how you will provide outreach/reciprocity to other MAsT chapters. The director, alternate, and all others who wish to be charter members of the new chapter sign the form, which is then mailed to MAsT International at the address provided.
6 Provisional status. After the agreement is received, the chapter director will be contacted by MAsT International and the regional representative. The chapter will be granted provisional status, and the chapter director and alternate will be signed on to the MAsT_Chapters Yahoo! group. Someone must be responsible for reporting on chapter meetings and any other functions you hold via e-mail to MAsT_Chapters. The report for a meeting must include the number of people who attended; the place, date, and time; the discussion topic (if any); and what other business (if any) was discussed. A meeting report can be brief as long as it includes all of this information. After six months in provisional status, if the chapter has met these requirements, it will be moved up to full status as a MAsT chapter.
7 Losing chapter status. As stated above, MAsT International does not exercise internal control of any chapter, but it does reserve the right to revoke the charter of any chapter that is engaging in attacks on any segment of our community or denigrating any other MAsT chapter. We are all one happy family—or at least should act as such. In other words, no “politics” in the nasty sense! A charter may also be revoked if a chapter consistently fails to meet other requirements, such as regular meetings with at least six people and regular reports to MAsT_Chapters.