Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: co-housing - Ukraine

[pattymara (pattymara]

Dear Yuliya Begma and coho list,
I read your post with awe.  At the cohousing conference in Berkeley this
summer, much was said about the growth of cohousing in the past decade. 
The closing session's theme was about visions for the future of
cohousing...and many shared their dreams.  Your letter brought those
visions into a real focus for me.  Thank you.  It showed me that what we
are doing in our common houses really does reach out around the world.  

In the following segment of the letter there is a request for
information, legal provisions and copies of "statute of ...a collective
house".  I am hoping that someone on the Cohousing Network board can
direct Yuliya to the cohousing archives of legal documents, though I am
not sure what may apply.  

On Mon, 14 Jan 2002 05:09:38 -0800 (PST) Yuliya Begma <ybegma [at] yahoo.com>
writes:
> Thus, I would be very grateful if you could, if
> possible, direct me to the sources of information or
> provide information or publications covering the
> approaches to community development and co-hosing
> initiative as one of them.  Any information describing
> the legal provisions for neighbourhood development and
> participation and co-housing issue would be really
> precious as we as a research institute are trying to
> influence the legislation in this country and make it
> favourable for the involvement of the neighbourhoods
> in development and do not have sufficient example at
> hand. Of course, I would dream to have a look at the
> statute of a neighbourhood association and of
> collective house and I would really much appreciate
> such a copy.

On a very simple and local level, Tierra Nueva has a document called
"Statement of Community Principles".  I'm pretty sure these are not the
legal documents Yuliya is interested in receiving, more a collection of
agreements among our community members about day to day living together. 
But if you are interested, Yuliya, I will forward them to you.

> It is about a month since I subscribed to the
> co-housing digest and I must admit I envy you pretty
> much as it seems it would take another 20-30 years
> before we will be celebrating a community house
> housewarming or discuss the issues like the proper
> size of the dinner table or a decent table cloth at a
> good price.

This makes me smile, Yuliya.  You are not alone.  It is that very same
yearning that all of us felt at one time, and continue to feel, that
fuels our passion to build and sustain community.    

I would like to close with a simple story that reveals again how we are
connected.  Two summers ago I attended a retreat led by Joanna Macy where
she taught us a dance she learned in the Soviet Union. If I am
remembering correctly, it is a folk dance from the Ukraine, and is called
the Elm Dance.  She teaches it to all who attend her workshops.  It is a
dance of healing for the forests which are still toxic from the damages
of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster.  By extension, it is also a
dance of personal, community and global healing.  

Touched by its simplicity and tenderness, I brought it back to my
community, Tierra Nueva Cohousing, on the central California coast.  I
taught it to the group in October 2001 when we dedicated our meditation
garden and "Peace Plaza".   We were a circle of about 25 people, young
children up to age 90, dancing in a circle, swaying like the elm trees,
holding in our hearts a prayer for healing, for peace.  

Now, whenever we do the Elm Dance, I will think of you, Yuliya, across
the world.

coheartedly,
Patty Mara Gourley
Tierra Nueva, cen CA coast    

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