Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Voluntary Community Participation?

[Samantha Embrey (samantha]

At Emerson Commons we started out assigning hours to jobs and
requiring that people choose jobs adding up to a certain minimum
number of hours.  After 2 or 3 years, we weren't happy with that 
system for several reasons, and in 2022 we switched to a
system in which our circles (committees) are responsible for 
finding the best way to accomplish their goals.  Everyone is asked
to join at least one circle and participate in the work of that circle.

In essence, we decided we would rather be happy than equal. 

Here are the underlying premises of the system: 

*  Residents of Emerson Common understand that the community's well-being
and even its continuing existence as a cohousing community depend on
their personal contributions of time, skill, and energy to its
management and maintenance. 

* Residents' participation in the management and maintenance of the
community can and should strengthen their connection to the community.

* Each of us can contribute service to the community, but the extent of
the feasible contribution varies from person to person and from time to
time, depending on the circumstances of our lives. Rather than aiming
for equal participation by everyone, we ask that residents contribute
what is feasible given their circumstances. 

* Ideally, everyone will participate in each of these three ways: 
   1.  Membership in one or more circles or child-circles 
   2.  Regular work roles (dedicated responsibilities), as decided by the
resident and circle 
   3.  Flexible work roles (labor pool), as needed by the community 

* Each circle will set priorities and delegate tasks to accomplish the
necessary goals within their domain. A circle will ask for help from
the community if it isn't able to accomplish those goals. 

As leader of the Landscape Circle, which requires the largest number of work 
hours, I can say that the system generally works well and that, in any case, it 
works much better than our earlier system.  The fact is that almost everyone 
contributes in a meaningful and substantial way to the community, and about 3/4 
of the residents contributed to the work of the Landscape Circle in 2022, 
outside of a community workday.  Not only did we get an amazing amount of work 
done, but I think more people now take pride in the landscape here.

Samantha Embrey
Emerson Commons
Crozet, VA

 -------Original Message-------
 From: Joyce Cheney <jcheneyjc [at] gmail.com>
 To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
 Cc: Ed Sutton <ed440 [at] me.com>
 Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Voluntary Community Participation?
 Sent: Jan 04 '23 12:46

 The wonderful, dedicated idealists who started our community created,
a structure where work is not REQUIRED. They created a structure where
work was not even EXPECTED in an "unwritten-rule way." Work
participation WAS ASSUMED in the sense that everybody would just want
to work together wouldn't they??
 20 years later, we HOPE that people will work to support and be part
of the community, but there's still has no requirement or even
expectation. We invite and encourage people to participate; that's it.
 We understand that condo associations can't require work legally, but
some of us (not all!) believe that not even having an expectation of
work is a major flaw in our cohousing design. From @55 madult
residents, the same 15 people do most everything. Several adults'
participation is zero.
 We read of some cohousing communities that require 4-10 hrs of work
per month - or hefty amounts of pay per hr ($35-40) - and wonder how
they can do that legally, and wonder who the collection police are!
 Beyond those tough logistics, that sounds
 Fair.
 Note: I am speaking for myself, not for the cohousing Community, in
which I live.
 Our community move-in was 20 years ago; I've been here six.. Jc

 Sent from my iPhone

 > On Jan 4, 2023, at 7:41 AM, Kathleen Lowry
<kathleenlowrylpcclmft [at] gmail.com> wrote:
 >
 > Hi Ed and others: To repeat my lost email and comment: (My
apologies.)
 >
 > I am a deeply and broadly trained couples and family therapist who
follows in part the work of Alfred Adler (equal in importance to Freud
and Jung). Adler's emphasis was on community, families and parenting.
He said teaching cooperation and social interest is the primary
parenting role, and primary predictors of mental health.
 >
 > Adler also famously said: " There is harmony only among equals. "
 >
 > We aren't in my view born "sinful"but most of us have to be
carefully taught by caregivers or others to cooperate and pitch in.
 >
 > Equality of time and effort is considered essential to a happy
partnership and healthy families, that is, equality of play time,
self-care time etc. and contribution time. For example, kids
contribute by doing what they are capable of, (by age 4 or younger
they can load the clothes washer) and grandparents might contribute by
representing the family as a reading tutor in a school setting.
 >
 > Adler also said "spoiled children grow into angry adults" so even
those not expected to contribute equally become resentful (and
inevitably less respected) as well. (Very possibly not consciously.)
 >
 > This is rich ground for growth in couples and families.
 >
 > For example, food coops have been good examples of the Little Red
Hen philosophy.
 >
 > I'd love to hear what various communities are doing in this regard
(sense of equality) and how it's working-how it affects the community
spirit and experience of trust and joy in community.
 >
 > For all I know the above re Adler doesn't apply to communities at
all. Thanks.
 > Kathleen
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >> On Jan 4, 2023, at 6:11 AM, Ed Sutton via Cohousing-L
<cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
 >>
 >> Eno Commons' founding principles include "voluntary
participation," i.e. no one is required to participate in the work of
caring for the community, and there is no penalty for
non-participation.
 >>
 >> Our low HOA dues were established with an assumption of a high
level of resident care work.The small group of neighbors who are
struggling to care for common property are questioning the wisdom of
continuing this arrangement.
 >>
 >> Are there any other co-housing communities successfully operating
after 25 years of laissez-faire resident participation?
 >>
 >> Ed Sutton
 >> Eno Commons
 >> _________________________________________________________________
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 >>
 >>
 >>
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 >
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 >
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