124 What kinds of missions can a survival group have to retain a positive focus?

Most groups of any kind fail without a clearly established mission. The following four suggested mission statements for a survival group provide a guide to help you and your group or family create a coherent mission statement. Having this sorted out creates a path to security and independence for the group and its members and also establishes responsible goals for community support.

Member Emergency and Preparedness Support

Support members and their families in achieving the capability to survive and recover from common short-term natural and man-made disasters without the support or interference of outside agencies. To this end, provide training, information, equipment, and supplies in affordable and practical programs.

Member Liberation through Self-Reliance

Support members and their families in achieving increased self-reliance and independence from centralized or failing sources of essential needs such as food, water, energy, protection, and medical aid. Work to create a semi-independent lifestyle and economic network that reduces risks, regulation, taxes, and waste, while improving life security and quality.

Strength through Networking and Mutual Support

Recruit and develop new members, while developing networks with other organizations with compatible and like-minded goals. These networked communities of self-reliance will be able to exchange instructors, share resources, combine operations and purchases, and engage in trade and barter for critical supplies and skills in an emergency.

Community Service and Education

Advocate and educate for preparedness and self-reliance through community-based programs including educational seminars, speakers, and fairs. Support government and private community preparedness and emergency response programs wherever practical.

Additionally, to build a successful survival group, stay focused on your mission and set goals and schedules based on that mission. Broaden your leadership base to include as many others as possible. Other helpful tasks include:

• Welcome new members and give them something to be involved in. Attrition is inevitable. People move away, change jobs, or become ill. If you are not constantly bringing in new members your group will evaporate over time.

• Constant and constructive activities are essential. These include meetings, field trips, training, community outreach, and classes. Review of plans, show-and-tell, and disaster drills can all be ways to sustain interest. Don’t overlook non-survival-related activities such as picnics or holiday parties.

• Focus on the quality and compatibility of your group, not the size. Three or four devoted and loyal members is better than dozens of inactive and unreliable ones. A group much larger than fifty persons probably needs to divide and network.

• Setting limited goals can leave your group dead. You are never ready enough or self-reliant enough. There can be no point at which you are done preparing.