Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing Best Practices seminar in CO - registration now open

[Raines Cohen (rc2-coho-L]

Please share this information with anyone potentially interested in 
cohousing in the CO region... and note that inexpensive air and train 
fares to Denver are available from all over.

This is really exciting for me as it provides a model for how we can take 
advantage of the maturation of the cohousing movement to collaborate and 
share information regionally and by topic, so we don't have to "go it 
alone" or work "from scratch" as we work within our communities. I'll be 
going to study and learn how to replicate this effort in the bay area.

Raines

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The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) is pleased to 
announce that registration is now open for its first Best Practices 
workshop.

Harvesting The Value Of Community: 
What We've Learned in 15 Years Creating Cohousing Communities in the U.S. 
April 23-25, Hearthstone Cohousing, Denver, CO

This workshop is sponsored by Coho/US, and features presentations by 
Wonderland Hill Development Company and the members of Colorado cohousing 
communities 

Website:

http://www.cohousing.org/news/harvesting.html

Location: 
Hearthstone Cohousing Community's Common House, Denver, CO

Dates: 

Friday evening, April 23, 2004
  ** nearly free slide show - ideal for potential cohousing creators in 
the area or those on a limited budget **

Saturday, April 24, 2004
  ** the main stuff - a 1-day workshop - peer-to-peer between communities 
**

Sunday morning, April 25, 2004 ** follow-up seminar with facilitation 
pro's


Weekend Overview 

Living in "community" offers residents many joys, challenges, adventures 
and opportunities for personal and interpersonal growth. This weekend 
will be the first time Coho/US has offered this informative workshop, 
full of time-tested ideas and practices that really work, brought to you 
by experienced cohousing residents and professionals. The varied sessions 
presented over the weekend promise to enlighten and educate seasoned 
cohousing residents as well as folks considering living in or creating a 
community residential environment. All participants will leave the 
workshop armed with tools, ideas and inspiration, drawn from those who 
choose community for their lifestyle and/or livelihood. 

6:30 - 8:30 pm Friday, April 23: 
Start your weekend at 6:30 pm getting to know and sharing dessert with 
other workshop participants. From 7 until 8:30 pm, Jim Leach, president 
of Wonderland Hill Development Company, will present a slide show on 
"Harvesting the Value of Cohousing." An overview of a dozen U.S. 
cohousing communities will summarize what we've learned that creates 
value for people living among these close-knit communities of neighbors. 
Jim's presentation is beautifully illustrated with slides of actual 
communities and residents. There will be time for questions and 
discussion following the formal presentation. The charge for the evening 
is $5, or admission is free if you register for either the Saturday or 
Sunday sessions. 

9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, April 24 
On Saturday, come to a full-day workshop titled "Harvesting the Value of 
Community." This workshop expands upon many of the features of community 
covered in Friday night's presentation and is for anyone interested in 
creating a vibrant, exciting community, whether you are living in 
cohousing or considering living in community for the first time. 

The format of the day includes large- and small-group presentations and 
engaging activities for learning. Topics will include: 

*       "The Sweet Spot: How the good life, a sense of place and a sense of 
purpose combine to create value in cohousing." Presented by Jim Leach and 
Annie Russell 

*       "Stages of Community Development: How to identify your community's 
stage and keep your community growing." Presented by Shari Leach. 

*       "Best Practices in Cohousing - a series of real-life experiences." 
Experienced cohousing residents will present community practices that 
have produced real value for their communities. Break-out sessions will 
cover topics such as the following: 

*       "The Heart of the Community: Common Meals." Learn from the pros who 
have been producing delicious meals for their communities for years. 
Leave with winning recipes, scheduling ideas, tricks and tips and learn 
how the process and art of creating meals also creates community. 

*       "Building Community through Decision Making." Keep your community 
humming along by creating streamlined processes for decision making 
without losing the community buy-in that consensus decision-making 
brings. 

*       "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Community Parenting." See the 
advantages of community parenting for the children, the parents and the 
community. This discussion will focus on holding your values while 
dealing with different parenting styles, creating a strong support system 
among neighboring families, using common language for encouraging 
positive behavior, creating rhythms in daily community life, and 
celebrating life passages and holidays in an intergenerational, extended 
family with "adopted" aunts, uncles and grandparents. 
*       "Sustaining a Vital Community: Challenges and Rewards of Good 
Communication." Understand how good communication contributes to a strong 
community and results in personal growth for community members. 


The charge for the Saturday workshop is $125. Pay before April 10 and 
receive the early-bird discount rate of $100. The registration fee 
includes lunch and a complementary copy of a newly published 
community-building handbook titled "Head, Heart and Hands - A Workbook 
for Building Community" by Shari Leach. This clearly-written, 
straightforward handbook is filled with engaging exercises for your 
community and practical examples from communities around the country. 

9 a.m. until noon Sunday, April 25 
Expand your skill set and attend a half-day workshop on Sunday titled 
"Facilitation: Ten Things You Need to Know to Keep Your Community Running 
Smoothly" presented by Shari Leach and Annie Russell. This session will 
draw heavily from Shari's newly published book, Head, Heart, and Hands - 
A Workbook for Building Community and will help new and experienced 
facilitators learn ways to enhance community meetings that promote 
getting work done, having fun and building community. You will learn 
skills such as the following: 

*       Three key practices that promote healthy community involvement 
*       How carefully set agendas can improve your meetings 
*       Team-building activities that build community 
*       Decision-making options - when to use alternatives to consensus 
*       When to use a feather and when to use a hammer 
*       How to work yourself out of a job 
*       When and how to stop a discussion - and what to do next 
*       Why you should expand your facilitator team 
*       How to use humor to diffuse tension 
*       How to capitalize on member diversity in your meetings 


The charge for this Sunday workshop is $50. 

If you need overnight accommodations, several hotels are nearby. 
Hearthstone is close to downtown Denver, so you also have the opportunity 
to choose among many other hotels in the area. 

If you have any questions about this exciting weekend or need help with 
logistics or reservations, please call Linda Rathbun at 303.449.3232 ext. 
115. 

Bios of Presenters 

Jim Leach is a registered professional engineer with more than 30 years 
of experience in environmentally progressive building and development. 
Jim has led the Wonderland Hill Development Company in successfully 
completing 11 cohousing communities and coordinates all new project 
development. 

Annie Russell has been working with teams and groups for the past 20 
years and now brings her wisdom about groups and community to cohousing. 
She is a member of the Wild Sage Community in Boulder, Colo., and was the 
conference manager for the National Cohousing Conference in 2003. Annie 
is helping Wonderland create Silver Sage, a new cohousing community for 
active adults in Boulder. 

Shari Leach has been a professional community builder for many years and 
has worked with more than 15 cohousing communities. She is past president 
of the Cohousing Association of the United States and author of "Head, 
Heart and Hands - A Workbook for Building Community." Her skillful, yet 
light humorous touch has endeared her to all who know her. 

See you at Hearthstone in late April! 

Details:

http://www.cohousing.org/news/harvesting.html




Raines Cohen <my initials,2,dash,coho,dash,L at my first name .com>

  Member, Swan's Market Coho [Oakland, CA] <http://www.swansway.com/>
Temporarily renting my unit to an attorney from San Jose... Costa Rica, 
that is!

  Secretary, Berkeley [CA] Cohousing
Continuing to evalute workshop, shed and bike-parking alternatives.

  Supporter, East Bay Cohousing <http://www.ebcoho.org/>
Meeting this Sat. 4/3 at Temescal branch of Oakland public library, 2:45 
PM

  Boardmember, Coho/US <http://www.cohousing.org/>
Speaking at the NICA gathering in Seattle this weekend at Songaia, then 
Portland Mon. eve, Corvallis for breakfast Tues., Tree in Eugene for lunch

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