Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Suggestions, advice, greetings, I might give UK cohousers

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hello Diana!

I've been following the cohousing movement via the coho-L all these years.  
It's very exciting to see how it's taking root.  Martie Weatherly and II 
visited Great Britain just after 9/11 when the first tendrils of cohousing were 
appearing.  We had the great pleasure of meeting Maria Brenton and speaking w/ 
her group.  They were fascinated that there was such a thing as "developer 
driven" cohousing and how quickly it could be built.  Maria has been tireless 
in helping this niche of older women create a cohousing community.

There was another young man Martie and I met in GB who, I believe, has the 
distinction of building the very first cohousing community in that country.  
Sadly, sadly ... I've lost contact with him.  I would like to be in touch w/ 
him again if anyone knows who he is.  His community was almost completed in 
2001 -- so that's very early on.

Of course i remember Mark and Sarah very well.  Congrats on their success!  
Many of you may also remember Jo Williams from London who attended the Berkeley 
conference back in ____.

Buona fortuna, Diana.  And buon viaggio, too!  Please let us know all about 
your trip and your adventures and your work while there.

My message to our friends across The Pond:  We're ALL coming to visit ...  :-)

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church VA
703-688-2646

On May 14, 2013, at 8:34 AM, Diana Leafe Christian wrote:

> 
> Hello,
> 
> I have the honor of being the speaker for the annual gathering of the  
> UK Cohousing Network this coming weekend, May 17-19. It's being held  
> at Threshold Centre, a cohousing community and sustainable education  
> center in Dorset. I'm also the presenter for a day-long workshop  
> there. Participants from 17 different cohousing groups will attend the  
> conference, from both existing and developing projects.
> 
>       As you probably know, cohousing is a more recent phenomenon in the UK  
> than in North America, Australia, and Northern Europe. However, there  
> are now12 existing cohousing  and about 37 developing projects in  
> England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Exciting!
>       
>        My  talk will be about governance and decision-making and the  
> difference between them, and what seems to work well and not as well.  
> The Saturday workshop will focus on various aspects of community life  
> including the requested topics of labor requirements, labor-credit  
> systems, sweat equity, and what I call "founders' perks." I'm also  
> planning to recommend NVC to help reduce any interpersonal conflict  
> and Restorative Circles (derived from NVC) as an effective conflict  
> resolution method.
> 
>       Some conference participants have lived in cohousing for several  
> years; others are in newly forming groups or those in the construction- 
> phase.
>       I'll be doing workshops in the following weeks for three cohousing  
> groups; one about a decade old, and two that have nearly completed  
> move-in.
> 
>       I wondered whether some readers of the Coho-L list might write, "Be  
> sure to tell them . . . ," or "Don't forget to let them know  
> that . . ." or "What our group learned really works well is . . . ."    
> Advice I can carry to these newer cohousers from those with lots of  
> experience!
> 
>       So I thought I'd ask. Does anyone on this list have tips or  
> suggestions you'd like me to pass along?
> 
>       Diana
> 
>       P.S. Remember the Cohousing Summit in Seattle several years ago  
> where  UK cohousers first attended? They were Sarah Berger from  
> Laughton Lodge in southeast England, Maria from Older Women's  
> Cohousing (now about to buy its property), and Mark Westcombe from  
> Lancaster Cohousing (now called Forge Bank Cohousing, with move-in  
> almost completed). I'll be seeing Mark and will say hello!
> 
>       
> 
> 
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