Newsletter September 2024
Building a community that brings a more equitable society, better quality of life, and a harmonious life with nature.
Summer is coming to an end and Fall is approaching. We’ve been busy, busy bees as you can see in the updates below. Things are really coming together.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, Sept 19th noon-1pm AND 9-10pm - Online Info Sessions A short presentation followed by time to ask questions and get to know each other. Open to everyone. Email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com for the zoom link and let us know which session you will attend.
Sunday, Sept. 22nd 3:30-6:30pm - Potluck at the Herzog House (email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com for address). Open to everyone, very family friendly. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
If you can't make it to these events and you want to connect, email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com. We’d be happy to connect in person or online.
We’ve Filed as a 308B Cooperative!
Twin Cities Family Cooperative has filed our paperwork as a legal cooperative! This allows us to open a bank account, hire people such as lawyers and architects, and purchase property as the community.
Property Update
We’re still working toward making an offer on the 325 Dayton property in St. Paul. We had 3 architects come out to the property to consult on what possibilities there are for building additional buildings on the property. They all agreed that the property is a great property and that we have great possibilities for developing our community there. One of them gave us contacts at 2 of the financial institutions that we are hoping will be able to help us with financing so that we can make an offer. We had a conversation with one so far and it looks promising. We still plan to reach out to the other one as well.
Bylaws
AND WE ARE DONE!!! After spending the summer drafting and redrafting the bylaws, a small group of us met almost nightly for 3 weeks to make the final edits to our bylaws. We are ready to send them to a lawyer for review! The process in and of itself was a good one, if not always easy. Where there was disagreement, we had a chance to get to the root of the issue and see it from different perspectives. Each time, we were able to come to agreement on what to write and generally felt that the final product was better than what we had started with. This way of approaching decisions and conflict is an important part of our community.
Cooperative Culture - What is it?
This is the second in our series of “Cooperative Culture - What Is It?” In terms of decision-making Yana Ludwig talks about “Majority, Manager, Owner Rules” (Mainstream Culture), “Consensus With No Boundaries,” (Counterculture), and “Consensus With Healthy Boundaries” (Cooperative Culture) in her book “The Cooperative Culture Handbook: A Social Change Manual to Dismantle Toxic Culture and Build Connection.” This month we will share TCFC’s model of “Consensus With Healthy Boundaries.”
CONSENSUS DECISION-MAKING
There are many forms of making decisions, and a variety of consensus decision-making processes. TCFC will be using a consensus process that allows each person to share their thoughts and opinions during what we call a “go-around” process, and to come to understand what is in the best interest of the whole community. And from that to form a proposal that is agreed to by consensus.
To start the “go-around” process, each person gives their personal input, insight, desires and listens deeply to the wisdom of each speaker. Once everyone has shared, each person again shares their thoughts, but this time, integrates into their thinking what they heard from others, with a focus not on the individual but on the community. This can continue, along with open discussion, if needed, until a proposal emerges and the group moves into the decision-making phase. The proposal is articulated, and each person has the opportunity to agree or to disagree and offer an alternative proposal. Someone cannot simply disagree, an alternative must be stated. This ensures the active involvement of each person in the outcome. When an alternative proposal has been offered, that then becomes the proposal on the table and everyone agrees or disagrees with that proposal. This continues until there is a proposal to which everyone agrees. If the go-around process has done its work, this does not need to be a long process. One other option is permitted. If someone can see that this proposal is in the best interest of the community, but cannot for personal reasons agree to it, that person may “stand aside” due to their own personal needs, not agreeing but not blocking the process from moving forward.
When done well, this consensus process allows the group to craft well informed proposals that take everyone’s ideas into account and does not result in “parking lots conversations” where someone who disagrees with an action airs their grievances. Because it was agreed to by the whole community, there are not people trying to block implementation of decisions. And it moves the group from the individual to what is best for the whole community, while taking into account each individual’s needs. Shared power, self-disclosure, and empathy are a byproduct of this process and the community gains deeper trust in each other and the whole.
Our Vision
We are an intergenerational community, raising families together: committed to connection with each other, environmental sustainability, and living in harmonious relationship with the land. We share governance and work by consensus decision-making. We are queer-affirming, gender-inclusive, multicultural, and multigenerational individuals, couples, and families. We value the spectrums of the human experience and each individual’s diverse abilities. We strive to live out of a place of abundance, working to dismantle the systems of racism and oppression in our society.
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