Portland, Or: Starting An Intentional Community Workshop

Ma'ikwe Ludwig, the executive director of Dancing Rabbit Inc, the nonprofit arm of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, is bringing her knowledge about community start-ups to Portland! Cooperation is a key element of sustainability, and a sense of community is critical for our well-being as humans. Many people feel drawn to a particular version of community: the residential intentional community. This workshop draws on years of knowledge from community founders, and Ma'ikwe's own 18 years of cooperative living, including three community start-ups, to lay out the most important considerations for making a new community a success. Blending practical advice with opportunities for self-reflection, this workshop can help you set your feet on the right path for your group to thrive. Topics will include: - creating a good vision statement - what successful founders have in common - the relationship between decision-making, conflict resolution, and membership process - 15 spectrums that help define what kind of a community you are creating - social dynamics you need to know about - economic choices and their implication for sustainability and group cohesion - what you should-- and shouldn't-- freak out about - key questions for making your community a sustainable one - balancing holding the vision with attracting new members This workshop is a full-day format starting at 9am and ending at 3:30pm. *** For more information about Ma'ikwe and her offerings please visit http://www.dancingrabbit.org/speakingtour Ma'ikwe Ludwig is a pioneering sustainability educator, who, in addition to her work as Dancing Rabbit Inc.'s Executive Director, is head of Ecovillage Education US, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Fellowship for Intentional Community. Her work integrates ecological, economic, social, political and personal approaches, leading to a strongly holistic view of what it takes to truly be sustainable.