INTRODUCTION TO THE “THEN AND NOW” SERIES
Visitors touring CoHo sometimes ask how our expectations for community prior to move-in differ from our current day-to-day reality.
Comparing “then and now” is the framework for this series of blog postings. The source of historical perspective is the CoHo newsletters published in 2006 and 2007 (they are still available on our website). This was an intensive time, with the primary focus on actively building the community (both in terms of actual construction of buildings and the collection of folks who would be our neighbors).
What were our dreams in 2006? What is our daily life like now in 2014?
First, read the original newsletter (link below), then return to this posting for current perspectives
THEN…
AND NOW…
Facilitation Team
The Facilitation Team includes some long-time facilitators as well as some recent recruits (who benefit from an extended mentoring program).
Facilitators now work with the Steering Council to set business meeting agendas.
The order of topics has shifted somewhat. To encourage on-time starts, the announcements (a popular agenda item) have been shifted to the beginning of the meetings. An Appreciations section is at the end. Those two sections alone would tell visitors a great deal about our community.
The simple thumbs up-sideways-down system has replaced the use of colored cards.
Facilitators still wear a hat (which is “removed” when a facilitator is “moved” to make a personal comment).
Facilitators sometimes huddle during a meeting to quickly resolve an issue. They are also known for their stand-up debriefs after the meeting (a tactic designed to keep the debriefs short).
And our meetings usually end on time, thanks to expert facilitation (and scheduling–we are all very hungry by the time business meetings end at 6:30pm).
Neighborhood of Neighborly Neighbors
The pleasant neighborly interactions forecast in this photo display are one of the most appealing parts of living in community. Many of these activities are regular happenings at CoHo–exchanging cooking tips, making the annual Thanksgiving squash “turkey”, working on puzzles, knitting, relaxing.
Other activities and interactions have just naturally developed over time. Check out the This ‘N That photo albums for each year to see photos of some of those special moments.
CoHoots played with an Earth Ball at the fall retreat.
P.S. OSU Baseball
Oregon State won the NCAA baseball championship in 2006 AND 2007. They reached the College World Series 5 times, most recently in 2013.