Re: Using Professionals to Help Define Decision-Making Processes
From: pattymara (pattymarajuno.com)
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 08:44:01 -0700 (MST)
On Sun, 3 Feb 2002 12:18:23 -0700 (MST) Maggi Rohde <maggi [at] intranet.org>
writes:
> I think life would be so much easier if we were taught group 
> facilitation
> and conflict resolution as teenagers.  =)
> 
> -Maggi

Dear List,
Because my daughter Lauren was 10 when we first started attending
meetings with the Tierra Nueva core group, and age 18 when we finally
moved into our cohousing home (Tierra Nueva, central CA coast), she was
steeped in group facilitation information, as well as conflict
resolution.  In addition, she was listened to, respected by the group and
had a "thumb" (voting here uses a thumb up for approval, thumb sideways
for "I have a question or concern", thumb down for block).  

Now a senior in college, Lauren has made a huge impact on her college
community, and shared her facilitation and conflict resolution skills
with the students, faculty and staff with whom she interacts in her many
activities.  She is currently writing the orientation handbook for all
incoming students, graduating in June with a degree in psychology and
applying to grad schools to get her MSW.  

Okay okay, I'm bragging, but my point is:  in the long term, we *are*
teaching group facilitation and conflict resolution to our children, just
by being in the river of community life.  They are immersed in it, in a
way that we haven't been, but are learning as we go.  This is the deep
blessing of building community:  our children and the skills they absorb
and take into the world.  The ripple effect.  

We were trained in consensus and group life by our process mentors Kay
and Floyd Tift who learned from their seven years of living in the
Findhorn Community.  They attended our business meetings once a month for
over five years, "charging" us $100 a month.  They requested we place
their fee in a Process Fund to be used for retreat expenses, child care
and anything qualifying as promoting expertise or group interaction,
including PLAYing together.   

The year before move-in, they decided to buy a home here.  We are gifted
with their presence every day now.

life is good,
Patty Mara Gourley
Tierra Nueva, central CA coast
Where we still have our bumps in the road, especially in dealing with
"colorful" personalities in the group. 











mmmm 
_______________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list
Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/cohousing-l

  • (no other messages in thread)

Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.