twenty to thirty something demographic
From: Mark Nichols (infothereallybig.com)
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 10:24:14 -0700 (PDT)
This is a great topic, and it is relevant to most intentional communities.

Last year I presented a community plan to some movers and shakers living on an island called Bainbridge about 30 minutes by ferry from Seattle. In the plan for a working educational community I identified two obvious demographic holes: 1) any sort of ethnically diverse population and 2) The 20 to 30 year olds! Though Bainbridge has a very healthy population up 'til the 18 year old cut off, the kids fly the nest and can't and don't come back. Without going into the details of the plan I will say that we all agreed that the absence of these two groups was sad and an obvious demonstration of not yet ideal community. We identified some basic needs of the 20 to 30 year olds that could met in some part by our plan:

1) A chance to continue education
2) Freedom of expression
3) Mentorship possibilities and apprenticeships
4) The ability to come and go
5) Financial support (mostly having to do with the unreal relativity between their earning power and their elders')
6) Interesting and creative work and play opportunities
7) Other people of the same age
8) A chance to build and own a piece of something tangible
9) A real chance to give back (like Patty's son's computer contributions)

Just a few ideas to ponder,

Mark











----- Original Message ----- From: <pattymara [at] juno.com>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Carrying on the movement


Dear List,
Like Rob, both of our children grew up with our family planning,
building and living in Tierra Nueva Cohousing (central CA coast).  Both
of them profess to *not* be interested in carrying on the cohousing
movement.  Now in their twenties, they live on their own, but guess
what?  They each live in cooperative housing, sharing space with other
twenty-something peers.  In my daughter's co-op house in the bay area,
they share chores and each cook a weekly house dinner for the house
family.  Hmmmm, looks pretty familiar to me.  When she first left home
to attend UC Santa Cruz, she applied many concepts she had learned from
her experience with cohousing, including consensus experience, and
conflict resolution.  Her chosen profession is clinical social work.

My son, who is now ready to graduate from UCDavis in computer
engineering, helped install the LAN lines for our community's shared
internet connection, when he was a young teen, and it served as his
required community service for his high school graduation.  Now when he
returns to visit he regularly repairs and troubleshoots the residents'
computer systems, at a reduced rate.  He is less inclined to profess
community values in his life, but his chosen minor is philosophy, and
has grown into a thoughtful and considerate young man.  And guess what?
One of his pet projects at school is working cooperatively with a team
of peers to design and build a smart vehicle.  And his research project
is writing code for open source programming (also a cooperative venture).

Whether or not our adult children actively work for the intentional
community movement, the influences from living in community at some
time in their lives, permeate who they are and what they bring to the
world.

coheartedly,
PattyMara Gourley,
Tierra Nueva Cohousing, cen. CA coast

"There is one elemental truth...that the moment one definitely commits
oneself, then Providence moves all.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred.  A whole stream of events...which no one could have dreamed
would come his or her way.
Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and
magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe

-- "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous [at] msn.com> wrote:
Both my children have grown up at Sharingwood. One is about to leave for
college, the other just turned 15.  Like everyone else who lives here, I
would say they are not interested much in cohousing movements and have
little interest in other cohousing groups and situations. However, both of
them articulate that they know the "real world" is not at all like where
they grew up and they are aware of some of the very wonderful kinds of
relationships they have living in community. In fact yesterday my youngest
had a surprise party which included several friends who did not know about
this aspect of her life. I was tickled to watch her give them a tour of
"her" community.

So I think there is an ingrained learning, which might very well
springboard
into my kids finding themselves wanting to live in community later in their
life after they explore the world a bit.  They both very much understand
that this is a great place to raise kids and it might not be until such
time
in their lives that they choose to return.


Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
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·..·`·...><((((º>·.. ><((((º>
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-----Original Message-----
From: Dahako [at] aol.com [mailto:Dahako [at] aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 7:04 AM
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: [C-L]_ Carrying on the movement

Hi -

I was talking to my 15-year-old about the conference and she asked why, if
we were so serious about carrying the cohousing movement forward, we 1) did
not  have a plan to help the kids raised in cohousing (our best market) to
be able to  live in cohousing once they leave their parents' homes
(affordability), and 2)  did not have any conference sessions or national
outreach for the teens who had  grown up in cohousing and might want to
help
carry the movement forward?

She and I have talked a bit about this, but I figure you all can help me
answer her. Please.

Maybe she can get her community service learning hours working for the
Mid-Atlantic Chapter answering her own questions?  What say, Ann Z?

Also, is anyone else having the experience that the kids raised in
cohousing, who cannot remember anything else, expect to live in cohousing
when  they are grown?  Or are other kids rebelling?

-Jessie Handforth Kome
Silver Spring, Maryland
"Where I'm still finishing my condo's floors in the second year  after move
in.  The Rembrandt concrete stain is gorgeous and holding up  very well
except under the chair with rolling wheels at the computer.  And  I think
this will be our first and last stone tile floor (stuff is *heavy*!)  once
we get the entry hall done."


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