THE BASIC RECIPE
1 – Imagine, visualize, envision and feel what is waiting to emerge for, with and through you.
2 – Inspire yourself and those that join you to believe in and to co-create your particular vision.
3 – Use your intuition, insightfullness and entrepreneurial skills to do all you need to do within your estimated budget and time frame. This includes obtaining the land for the community.
4 – Use labor, tools, and energy to create the physical expression of your vision on the chosen property.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
The group will need faith, patience, good communication skills, tenacity and the willingness to acknowledge each other.
Faith – Trust that it´s meant to be, that you are being guided by a higher power. Think of your project as a sacred trust that you are privileged to take on.
Patience – Forming an effective working group, learning good decision-making and group process skills, researching your options, acquiring and if necessary developing property simply take time – from one to several years.
Good communication skills - Your group will not doubt find strength in your member´s diversity, yet that can also be a challenge. You´ll need to learn how to hear and accept perspectives quite different from your own. You may differ widely in your communication styles and in your need for safety, self expression, recognition, and connection. Some members being typically explorers, doers, risk-takers, and entrepreneurs – are likely to be impatient with the nuances of skilled group process or consensus decision-making.
Tenacity – You will need determination and stamina. The ability to hold to a vision and persevere has made all the difference between groups that built their communities and those that felt too discouraged to continue. Keep your eyes on the goal, lean into the wind, and keep traveling.
Willingness to acknowledge others – You will need to thank and acknowledge each other many times for research, ideas, proposals, groundwork, legwork, living room meeting space, planning, facilitation and coordination of events, snacks, tea, patience and childcare. Remember that you are all essentially volunteers – gifting the group with your time and life energy in order to fulfill a vision. You are going to need to feed each other with the basic nourishment that keeps volunteers going – the simple courtesy of heartfelt gratitude and acknowledgement.
COMMUNITY GROWING PROCESS
1 - Research communities and community building skills
2 - Learn decision-making method
3 - Learn good communication skills – on going
4 - Organize the group/ Determine Core Group Members
5 - Create vision documents
6 - Create community agreements – on going
7 - Establish guidelines for group process.
7 - Research possible properties/Set preferences
8 - Learn financial options
9 - Conduct search and choose property
10- Create financial model and responsibilities agreement
11- Develop or renovate property
12- Move into property/community
13- Organize and determine internal community roles, contributions and operation coordination
14- Add members to community
15- Learn to deal with conflict – on going
SELECTING PEOPLE TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Selecting for Emotional Maturity is advised to narrow the door and hopefully avoid many possible conflicts and distractions. Since community living involves getting along well with others, people selected need to demonstrate that they can do this in their lives. Ideally, individuals will have a high degree of emotional maturity and self-esteem. Having a member selection process can also help avoid structural conflict later on.
Who does well in community?
Radiant Life Community and Wellness Center
http://radiantlifecr.weebly.com/
1 – Imagine, visualize, envision and feel what is waiting to emerge for, with and through you.
2 – Inspire yourself and those that join you to believe in and to co-create your particular vision.
3 – Use your intuition, insightfullness and entrepreneurial skills to do all you need to do within your estimated budget and time frame. This includes obtaining the land for the community.
4 – Use labor, tools, and energy to create the physical expression of your vision on the chosen property.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
The group will need faith, patience, good communication skills, tenacity and the willingness to acknowledge each other.
Faith – Trust that it´s meant to be, that you are being guided by a higher power. Think of your project as a sacred trust that you are privileged to take on.
Patience – Forming an effective working group, learning good decision-making and group process skills, researching your options, acquiring and if necessary developing property simply take time – from one to several years.
Good communication skills - Your group will not doubt find strength in your member´s diversity, yet that can also be a challenge. You´ll need to learn how to hear and accept perspectives quite different from your own. You may differ widely in your communication styles and in your need for safety, self expression, recognition, and connection. Some members being typically explorers, doers, risk-takers, and entrepreneurs – are likely to be impatient with the nuances of skilled group process or consensus decision-making.
Tenacity – You will need determination and stamina. The ability to hold to a vision and persevere has made all the difference between groups that built their communities and those that felt too discouraged to continue. Keep your eyes on the goal, lean into the wind, and keep traveling.
Willingness to acknowledge others – You will need to thank and acknowledge each other many times for research, ideas, proposals, groundwork, legwork, living room meeting space, planning, facilitation and coordination of events, snacks, tea, patience and childcare. Remember that you are all essentially volunteers – gifting the group with your time and life energy in order to fulfill a vision. You are going to need to feed each other with the basic nourishment that keeps volunteers going – the simple courtesy of heartfelt gratitude and acknowledgement.
COMMUNITY GROWING PROCESS
1 - Research communities and community building skills
2 - Learn decision-making method
3 - Learn good communication skills – on going
4 - Organize the group/ Determine Core Group Members
5 - Create vision documents
6 - Create community agreements – on going
7 - Establish guidelines for group process.
7 - Research possible properties/Set preferences
8 - Learn financial options
9 - Conduct search and choose property
10- Create financial model and responsibilities agreement
11- Develop or renovate property
12- Move into property/community
13- Organize and determine internal community roles, contributions and operation coordination
14- Add members to community
15- Learn to deal with conflict – on going
SELECTING PEOPLE TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Selecting for Emotional Maturity is advised to narrow the door and hopefully avoid many possible conflicts and distractions. Since community living involves getting along well with others, people selected need to demonstrate that they can do this in their lives. Ideally, individuals will have a high degree of emotional maturity and self-esteem. Having a member selection process can also help avoid structural conflict later on.
Who does well in community?
- Someone who does not need it - People who are somewhat fulfilled and doing well in their lives are more likely to thrive and contribute to community.
- Someone with a healthy sense of self – with emotional maturity and self-esteem, who knows what they want and know their strengths and weaknesses, and who are seeking personal growth for themselves, tend to do well in community.
- Someone with a sense of connection to people and an interest in the well-being of others
- Someone who is open to and able to hear other points of view
- Someone willing to abide by group agreements
- Someone willing to speak up
- Someone willing to be quiet and listen
Radiant Life Community and Wellness Center
http://radiantlifecr.weebly.com/