East Bay Cohousing (EBCOHO) presents an introduction to the processes that can make a difference in co-creating a group with positive dynamics and a sense of itself. Compare notes on effective workgroups and learn about creating good meetings. Cohousing Coach Betsy Morris brings you the world premiere of:

The ABCs of Cooperative Group Process
Saturday morning, August 14, at The Long Haul, near Ashby BART, in South Berkeley
$20 ($15 if you bring a friend, and just $15 for our Supporting Members. Upgrade your Membership today for the best deals)

• A is for Agreements, Agendas, and Action
  
• B is for Bodies, Breaks, Boundaries and Balance
  
• C is for Connections, Corrections, Circles, Closure and more...

While creating cohousing (and other cooperative communities) require people with skills in finance, real estate, development, and more, none of those elements matter if you don't have a good set of group dynamics that can foster gatherings that work well, help you get the job done, and get members engaged and productive.

This is a workshop to help you think about growing bonds and trust and foundation for consensus-based decision-making, by learning how to create "containers" (structures) that promote the trust necessary for working relationships to grow.

Learn how to move from a group of friends spinning out ideas to sustainable communities for living and working. Discover how you can step into the role of facilitator and read what's going on in a group, and manage the dynamics. We'll discuss these ideas, play some games, and get some hands-on experience that will help you think about the action.

How does a group of people grow into a sustainable community? Tools for shared leadership of cooperative groups! We'll go over a little bit of big picture -- the history of group process methods -- and a little more on specific tools to help you start.

Folks belonging to existing communities, co-ops, etc. are invited to join as well, for a refresher on the basics -- send your new members!

Good group gatherings organized for intentional discussion and decision-making seem to be an essential component of intentional communities for living and working, and of families and other groups organized for mutual care.

Technologies, both ideas and objects that help a group of people in a face to face setting make good use of time and their relationships with each other. Creating good meetings is an essential piece of puzzle to moving your vision forward.

Betsy Morris, EBCOHO's lead organizer, lives at Berkeley Cohousing and has served as research director for Coho/US. She is a long-time community and economic development planning and research consultant, with over twenty years' experience on the east and west coasts. She has developed trainings for grassroots leaders, and created neighborhood housing plans with an emphasis on affordable housing. She has a Masters and Doctorate in City and Regional Planning.

The Long Haul is wheelchair accessible, including the restrooms, but it does have a lot of old books on the walls in case you're sensitive to such things.

Ashby BART is just 2 blocks away; AC transit has bus stops right out front from Oakland and Berkeley. There should be parking available on-street (although a neighbor warns: don't leave anything out in the car if you don't want it broken into).

• Orientation/Introduction and Sharing Circle 8/7 Saturday AM
  
• ABC's of Group Process with Betsy Morris 8/14 Saturday AM
  
• NVC & Permaculture Leader Kit Miller on Transition Movement Heart & Soul call 8/18
  
• Free Ecovillages Slide Show with Diana Leafe Christian in Emeryville 8/19 Thursday evening
  
• Cohousing Bus Tour 8/21 (discounted for EBCOHO Members & Supporting Members)
  
• Two-year Facilitation Intensive Series starting in September

Current opportunities to become part of sustainable communities in the area include:

• Affordable "Instant Cohousing" homes in a 7-unit Victorian mansion in North Oakland's Golden Gate district, near Emeryville
  
• A one-year rental of a 3-bedroom home at Pleasant Hill Cohousing
  
• A rooftop garden apartment in 611 Ecovillage, an Oakland shared house
  
• An end-of-the-year 1.5-month sublet and a near-term roommate opportunity at Temescal Creek cohousing
  
• Openings in Nevada City, Fresno, San Luis Obispo area communities
  
• New communities in Mountain View, Grass Valley, and Auburn with sites
  
• Potential sites in Pacifica, Emeryville, and perhaps even San Francisco