Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: How much $ allotted in annual budget for ongoing community training & education?

[Mac Thomson (macthomson]

Diana,

We have several ways that we support ongoing community education and training. 
Actually, some of it is more related to actual process functions, but I’ll 
mention them anyway.

We have two reserves that our Process & Communication team can use:
Retreat Outside Facilitation $3800 - We have an annual retreat, which we 
facilitate internally most years, but about once every three years we bring in 
a paid outside facilitator.
Mediation $1000 - For when we want some outside help to resolve an 
interpersonal conflict.

More to your question, we have an Eduction Agreement that reads 
(https://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/education.html):

> Because we recognize that we have a lot to learn about living in community, 
> as well as other areas, we will be generous in our support of educational 
> activities which directly benefit the community.
> 
> Community Education
> We will hire trainers or buy books or other materials to teach us the 
> community skills that we need. These could include communication, 
> facilitation, permaculture, etc.
> 
> Individual Education – Community Initiated
> When we ask a member to receive some training for the direct benefit of the 
> community, we will pay the tuition. The member is expected to type up a 
> summary of the course within 3 weeks afterwards.
> 
> Individual Education – Member Initiated
> If a member would like to receive some training which is of direct benefit to 
> the community, but is not really necessary, we will pay for 50% of a member’s 
> tuition. In order to be reimbursed for the tuition, the member must have the 
> course approved beforehand by the appropriate team and must type up a summary 
> of the course within 3 weeks afterwards.
> 
> We also recognize that certain responsibilities within the community require 
> specific training. We will therefore require those who wish to hold those 
> responsibilities to receive the appropriate training.



-- 
Mac Thomson

Heartwood Cohousing
Southwest Colorado
http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com


"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
        - Marilyn Monroe
**********************************************************

> On Mar 12, 2024, at 2:54 PM, Diana Leafe Christian <diana [at] ic.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> My second request is, first, does your community has an annual line item in 
> your Operations Budget for ongoing community education and training? For 
> example, further training and review of your governance and decision-making 
> method (like classic, traditional consensus, the N St. Consensus Method, or 
> Sociocracy), Nonviolent Communication, Permaculture Design, conflict 
> reduction strategies and mediation methods, Restorative Circles (a really 
> effective conflict-healing method), and so on?
>     And second, if so, how much does your community allot for this training 
> in your annual budget each year? 
>     I know some communities do budget for such trainings (which I think is 
> great!), and others don't, perhaps because it hasn't occurred to those 
> communities how helpful such yearly or biyearly community education and 
> trainings can be.
>    I'm asking because I've just finished teaching an online class, "Working 
> Effectively with Three Kinds of Community Conflict: Interpersonal, 
> Structural, and 'Especially Challenging Behaviors'," the latter being the 
> subject of my 8-article series in Communities magazine on this topic. The 
> class was packed and we had to turn people away, so we're offering it again 
> in September (Sundays, Sept 1- 29, 10am-12:30pm Pacific;  1:00-3:30pm, 
> Eastern.)
>    In the class, and in this video below, I highly recommend communities DO 
> include such an annual budget line item to continue enhancing community 
> effectiveness and well-being. Since living together harmoniously and 
> effectively in community is something new communities, and we community 
> members, all need to learn, right? 
>   Several people in the class asked what communities typically allot as an 
> ongoing training and education budget line item, and I said I'd ask you good 
> folks. 
>   Thank you in advance for sharing what your community typically allots for 
> this budget item.
>   All good wishes,
>   Diana
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