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2008, Living Mandala
creative services by: 360 Degrees

Including

SPEAKERS, WORKSHOPS, EVENTS

COOPERATIVE LAND OWNERSHIP

GOVERNANCE & DECISION-MAKING

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

FINANCING COMMUNITIES

VILLAGE & URBAN PLANNING

300+ COMMUNITY MINDED PEOPLE

JOINING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES

AND MUCH MORE!

Hosted by

Fellowship for Intentional Community

Presenters & Facilitators

An Amazing Line-Up

of Speakers, Facilitators

& Workshop Leaders!

With Visiting Ecovillage & Intentional

Community Representatives from

Across the World!

Scroll Down to Read More...

Description

On the weekend of Sept. 21-23, Art of Community is once again being hosted in the beautiful coastal redwoods of Occidental, CA. A unique conference experience, AoC offers a wealth of opportunities for building and practicing skills of a cooperative culture and for sharing ideas and knowledge about creating and living in intentional communities.

Inspiring people to purposefully engage in place-making is central to this year’s AoC vision. Featured speaker Mark Lakeman of City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon will share wisdom and stories about his involvement in strengthening one’s sense of community via projects which connect people to place. For 15 years City Repair has worked to transform Portland neighborhoods in accordance with locally cultivated vision of creativity, community, and sustainability.

A wide range of talented and inspiring facilitators gather to offer workshops in good group process skills such as conflict resolution and decision making models, cooperative games, cooperative land ownership, regional community organizing, and much more. Scroll down for a listing of workshops and presenters.

Casual and facilitated networking sessions will be available for helping each other plan and strategize for growing the Communities Movement and strengthening collaborative connections.

Theme: People, Place, and Purpose

This year’s theme is People, Place, and Purpose, representing three intertwining threads that will be woven throughout program content, categorized as follows:

1. •PEOPLE: Group process and dynamics, cooperative skill building, decision making models, social sustainability.
   

2. •PLACE: Ecological sustainability and local economies, understanding of and connection to our physical environment, nuts-n-bolts of cooperative ownership of buildings/land, and forming/joining intentional communities/cooperative networks where you live.
   

3. •PURPOSE: Focused networking sessions, regional organizing, creating community with intention, and the Communities Movement.
   

The weekend program includes a wide variety of interactive workshops and inspiring presentations by well known facilitators from the Fellowship for Intentional Community as well as the Bay Area and beyond.

Program: Workshop Topics Include:

1. •Overview of the Intentional Communities Movement
   

2. •Starting or Joining an Intentional Community
   

3. •Legalities and Financing of Communities
   

4. •Conflict Resolution Strategies and Skills
   

5. •Cooperative Land Ownership
   

6. •Ecovillage and Urban Community Planning
   

7. •Decision Making and Governance
   

8. •Regional Community Organizing
   

9. •Building Skills of a Cooperative Culture
   

This year’s lineup of speakers and facilitators is sure to inspire!

Click on their picture or name to read about them and their program offerings:

Testimonials from Art of Community 2011

“Many people attend an Art of Community event for a specific reason: a workshop, a speaker, seeking a community, etc. What they usually find is that the experience is far deeper and broader than they expected. They come away more informed, more excited, and more inspired than they thought possible.”

- Harvey Baker, Co-Founder, Dunmire Hollow Community

“Art of Community is a great opportunity for anyone interested in starting a community. My community would never have made it where we are today without connecting with the communities movement at FIC events. The knowledge and expertise we were able to draw on was instrumental in getting our budding community on a path to success.”

- Tony Sirna, Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage co-founder

“I attended both the 2006 and 2011 FIC Art of Community conferences. The quality, quantity, and value of the event was awesome. Both the plenaries and breakout sessions were excellent, the community and professional exhibits were both interesting and useful, and the FIC bookstore has THE BEST selection of  cohousing and community  books. I strongly recommend that you attend the conference – and maybe I’ll see you there!”

– Craig Ragland, Retired Executive Director, Cohousing Association of the United States

“That AofC event opened my eyes to the myriad of possibilities of life in intentional communities. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of communities. And it was so much fun, too!”

1. -Elke Lerman
   

“The opportunity to connect to such wonderful people, be in the bigger community of communities, to network, and get re-inspired was fabulous!!!”

“I felt connected to the movement, the people, and the spirit of community. I made great new friends and alliances. I learned. I taught. It was awesome!”

“I loved being surrounded by others who share my passion for community, and see community living as a step towards helping the world move in a positive direction.”

Finding Community

Intentional Communities have for many centuries been places where idealists have come together to create a better world. Although there are thousands of intentional communities in existence today, and many others in the formative stages, most people are unaware of them or the roots from which they spring. The Fellowship is increasing public awareness of existing and newly forming communities. We offer information and referrals for those who are actively seeking, or simply curious about, alternate lifestyles for themselves and their families.

Circles of Cooperation

Communities come in all shapes and sizes, and share many similar challenges -- such as defining membership, succeeding financially, distributing resources, making decisions, raising children, dividing work equitably, and choosing a standard of living. Many wrestle with questions about right livelihood, spiritual expression, land use, and the role of service in our lives. At the same time, there is limited awareness of what others are doing to meet these challenges -- and much to gain through sharing information and experiences with others exploring similar paths. The Fellowship documents the visions and experiences of life in community, and actively promotes dialogue and cooperation among communities.

Intentional communities are often aware of themselves as different from mainstream culture, and many choose to highlight these differences. Yet, virtually all communities share a common root value of cooperation. The Fellowship facilitates the extension of cooperation beyond membership boundaries and common values, understanding that differences can be a cause for celebration, and an occasion for enrichment and growth. The Fellowship is helping draw the circles of cooperation ever larger, and assisting with the personal stretching that this requires In that spirit, FIC membership is open to everyone.

Registration & Pricing

You can participate in the Art of Community if a variety of ways, from a full Weekend Pass with lodging, to individual days.

* Post Weekend Workshop Intensives and the Social Change Summit are add-on ticket items.

To Register Click Here.

Dates & Times

The main Art of Community Gathering: An Immersive Conference about Living In Community - is over the weekend of Sept. 21-23. Please plan to arrive at the site between 2 and 4 pm. Directly following the weekend on Sept. 24-25

is The Social Change Summit & Additional Workshop Intensives, which are optional additional add-on ticket items.

Rideshare, Directions, & Transportation

For a map and driving directions to Westminster Woods Click here.

We are helping to coordinate rideshares to and from the event. If you would like to carpool to the event, you can sign up as offering a ride or looking for a ride specifically for Art of Community by clicking on this link.

If there is enough interest, we will set up a shuttle to pick people up from the San Francisco and Oakland airports and other locales for a small fee. To inquire about shuttles please contact: molly.reed@ic.org

Food

Veggie options will be provided at all meals. If you have special dietary restrictions please bring supplemental food if you are concerned. A small amount of refrigerator space is available, please let us know if you are bringing items that need refrigeration. If you have extreme (medical emergency level) food allergies please let us know when you register where we ask about medical issues of which we should be aware in case of emergency. Westminster Woods does its best to source local and organic food when possible and affordable, including from their own gardens.

Childcare

Art of Community is kid-friendly! Loving and responsible supervision will be provided for all children ages 4-12 during workshop hours. We would be grateful if parents could bring toys / activities to share.

Please email: molly.reed@<at>ic<dot>org with “KIDS” in the subject line with any questions for us.

What to Bring & What Not To Bring

To download a list of items to bring to Art of Community, what not to bring, as well as what to leave at home, Click Here.

Lodging

The overnight accommodations options are all priced the same regardless of choice. If you plan to stay overnight at the site you must choose the ticket types which includes this. Options are:

1. •Camping Space- bring your own tent
   

2. •Group Tent (we provide): Reserved for groups of 4-6 upon request
   

3. •Cabins: These are COMMUNAL, and we offer the option of co-ed or gender specific. You must bring your own bedding!- only the mattresses are provided. If you can bring an extra sleeping bag, pillow, and/or comforter, please email us so we can provide for folks flying in who aren’t able to bring bedding. Thanks!
   

Why Attend?

Art of Community is an incredible opportunity to learn about the intentional communities movement, to meet representatives from a wide variety of communities and cooperative groups, to connect with community minded folks, to network for a more sustainable world based on cooperative values, to learn skills that are applicable to any group dynamic in which you are involved, and to celebrate living “in community” with intention.

Site Details - Westminster Woods

We are excited to be holding Art of Community at Westminster Woods in Occidental, CA! Westminster Woods (The Woods) is a unique camp, conference and retreat center nestled in the Sonoma County Coastal Redwoods, north of San Francisco, near the Pacific Ocean.   Located on historic Dutch Bill Creek, we offer over 200 acres for learning, recreation, relaxation and renewal.  We are renowned for our dynamic Summer Camp program for children and youth, our innovative Environmental Education program for schools, and our state-of-the-art Challenge Course.  With a variety of cabins and deluxe housing, The Woods’ charming, year-round facility welcomes groups of all ages for retreats, family camps, and meetings.

In addition to the beautiful grounds and redwoods setting, there are plenty of hiking trails, an amphitheater, a pool, volleyball and basketball courts, campfire circles, indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, and more!

Enjoy organic coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and fresh fruit 24 hours a day, and much of the produce served from their wonderful kitchen staff is from local farms! Wifi  is available in the dining hall.

To download Westminster Woods Site Map Click Here.

For driving directions to Westminster Woods Click Here.

The Fellowship for Intentional Community

The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) nurtures connections and cooperation among communitarians and their friends. We provide publications, referrals, support services, and sharing opportunities for a wide range of intentional communities, cohousing groups, ecovillages, community networks, support organizations, and people seeking a home in community.

FIC Vision:

We envision a world where community is available, understood, appreciated and supported for all people who desire it and where the skills, structures and wisdom of community are recognized as basic building blocks of a just and sustainable culture.

FIC Mission:

1. Openly provide accurate and comprehensive information about living in intentional communities.

2. Promote dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between existing communities and related organizations.

3. Make the realities, options, and lessons of intentional communities readily accessible to the wider culture.

4. Provide moral, financial, and technical support to forming and established communities in nee

Questions & More Information

For general inquiries:

Phone: 313-444-CMTY (2689)

Email: events(at)ic(dot)org

If you are interested in becoming an Art of Community Sponsor and/or being an exhibitor/vendor, please contact our Outreach Director Oz Ragland at oz(@)ic(dot)org or call 206-818-0001.

For press releases and other publicity-related info, please direct all press and promotional inquiries to Susan Frank: sooz(@)ic(dot)org  or call 313-444-2689.

To inquire about volunteer and work exchange opportunities, please email Molly Reed: molly.reed(@)ic(dot)org

For all other questions, please email our Event Coordinator Susan Frank: sooz(@)ic(dot)org  or call 313-444-2689.

To Register Click Here.