Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing Conference-Work Participation

[Elizabeth Stevenson (tamgoddess]

We have a "nudgenik" (it's supposed to be "nudnik", but it got bastardized
in a meeting and it stuck), an office that is sometimes filled, sometimes
not. The person who fills this position, usually at times of low ebb in
participation, talks to people who need to participate more and facilitates
it in a nonjudgmental way. More like a coach than anything. If one person is
talking to you, it's less intimidating than the whole group talking about it
at a meeting or in committee.

-- 
Liz Stevenson
Southside Park Cohousing
Sacramento, California
tamgoddess [at] comcast.net

> From: pattymara [at] juno.com
>
> Thank you Becky! 
> I very much enjoyed reading about the conference and your thoughts that
> emerged about work participation.  I walked into our Tierra Nueva common house
> a few days ago and saw our two common house co-managers mulling over their
> lists of tasks, wondering how to "nudge" those who aren't contributing much
> energy to the flow.  It is a real issue for all of us living in community.
> 
> One aspect of this issue that we have learned just recently is to be crystal
> clear about the expectations of work tasks to prospective buyers and renters,
> *before* they open escrow or sign a lease. This expectation includes committee
> work, meals and maintenance tasks.   Our hope is that faced with the reality
> of how much work is expected, a prospective resident might self-select
> themselves out.  Of course, this may not happen, but at least we will be clear
> from the beginning about our agreements.
> 
> We have been living here in Tierra Nueva for five years this summer...and the
> rhythm of participation in community work seems to be about the same now as it
> was during our development and construction phases.  There is a core group of
> folk who contribute time and energy with joy and passion.  They cycle in and
> out as life changes and other stressors come and go.  Then there is a loyal
> circle of helpers who do the work fairly regularly, with measured enjoyment,
> or maybe even some discomfort, but they do Show Up.  And you know the rest:  a
> small sample of folks who are invisible.  They rarely attend meals or
> meetings, don't serve on a committee and pretty much skate around the edges of
> community life.  We seem to have accepted this as part of the reality of group
> life, but we keep trying to find new ways to nudge, appreciate and motivate.
> 
> To all of you who attended: how about more posts about the conference?
> 
> Patty Mara, Tierra Nueva, central CA coast

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