Newsletter January 2026
Building a community that enjoys a rich quality of life for all ages, brings a more equitable society, and a harmonious and responsible relationship with the natural world.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! We made such progress last year and we’re excited to look ahead to 2026! We plan to continue holding monthly events and building new and deeper relationships.
Upcoming Events
In an attempt to not fill your inbox with unwanted emails, we don’t send out reminders throughout the month. If you would like to receive email reminders before each event, email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com and say “sign me up for reminders.” You can specify if you only want reminders about online events and not in-person events.
Virtual Tour - Wednesday, January 14 12:00-1:00pm
Curious about life in our community? Join us for this online event. See below for more details. Use this link to RSVP.
January Potluck - Sunday, January 25 4:00-7:00pm
Join us for good food and good company! We’ll provide a vegetarian main dish, drinks, and dishes. Bring your kids, bring your friends, we can’t wait to see you! Use this link to register.
February Potluck - Sunday, February 22 4:00-7:00pm
Online Drop-In - Wednesday, February 11 12:00-12:45pm
A time to drop in and ask a question or just say hi. Life can be busy but this is an easy, informal opportunity to connect. No need to register ahead of time, just put this link on your calendar and show up.
Check our website or facebook page for events in the coming months. 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.
Virtual Tour of Twin Cities Family Cooperative
Want to learn more about life in our community? Join us for this online event from noon-1pm on January 14th! We’ll take you on a virtual tour of our current community property, a 7-unit apartment building, and share our future plans to double the size of our building. We’ll talk about who we are, what life is like in our urban family-focused and intergenerational community, and what to do if you are interested in joining our community. We’ll also have plenty of time for questions. Use this link to register.
Goals for 2026!
Since we met our goals for last year, it’s time to make more (and we have a few). Here are our goals for the coming year!
Fill our current building
Design our garden and outdoor space
Build phase 1 of our new building - a garage
Get the boiler and radiator system working effectively and efficiently
File our bylaws
Turn ownership of the property over to the community
Complete the next round of repairs on the building
Expand our marketing reach
Cooperative Culture: Understanding and Effective Action
This month Nancie reflects on “Understanding and Effective Action,” one of the Cooperative Culture keys in Yana Ludwig’s and Karen Gimnig’s book “The Cooperative Culture Handbook.”
In this key, the authors’ talk about “understanding” as clarity about what the needs of the individual are, while “effective action” is about implementing the Community’s mission and vision. And it is important to know how both the needs and implementing the vision are congruent with each other or divergent.
With an individualistic focus, much of mainstream culture implements meeting one’s needs by taking advantage of others. This is sometimes done in subtle ways rather than overtly. Because this does not build understanding and cohesion, it will often result in undermining the group’s ability to be effective when brought into the Community.
When one’s needs are not met in mainstream culture ways, people may gather and attempt a counterculture way of being together, where they strive to meet each other’s needs. This can be effective if healthy attention is given to each member. But if one or more members dominate and demand more attention, it can detract from the Community’s ability to effectively implement its mission.
Cooperative culture seeks to balance understanding the individuals’ needs and implementing its mission. One or the other may be dominant at any given time, but over time, deliberately attending to both can provide a way for both needs to be met and the mission to be implemented. And if the individuals’ needs are met through implementation of the Community’s mission, both are strengthened.
Our Vision
We are an intergenerational community of individuals, couples, and families. We are queer-affirming, gender-inclusive, and multicultural. We value the spectrums of the human experience and each individual’s diverse abilities. We support each other in raising children and throughout all stages of life.
We strive to live out of a place of abundance. We develop internal economic policies that actively push back against capitalist expectations.
We are committed to nonviolence and environmental sustainability. We believe in the potential for radical transformation of society and see communal living as an element of that change. We strive to make meaningful contributions to society, engaged in dismantling the systems of racism and oppression in our society.
If you would like to learn more about Twin Cities Family Cooperative, please watch a virtual tour of our community, visit our website and facebook page, attend our events (online and in-person), or fill out our Interest Form to connect. All past newsletters can be found here. If you would like to be removed from our email list, please email us and let us know.
