Once the sale of the Tivoli Housing Co-op was complete in 2014, the Common Fire Foundation shifted its focus dramatically, limiting itself to providing basic support for the Beacon Co-Housing community. The Foundation previously had a much more expansive vision of helping to support the creation of numerous intentional communities nationwide that shared our values related to communities as a foundation for personal and collective transformation. The information on this page represents our PREVIOUS more expansive vision and is provided here in the hopes that it may help to support or inspire other people’s efforts in this field.
Living in community can be tremendously rewarding, but it can come with its challenges as well. We strive to ensure that everyone living in the Tivoli community has the best experience possible and avoids some of the comon pitfalls of community living. Just what support and trainings we provide each other and receive from the Common Fire Foundation is constantly evolving, but currently it looks like this. Everyone living in the community participates in the following:
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A weekly house gathering for a few hours in the evening to hear from each other about what's going on in our lives, to address any issues that may have arisen in the previous week, and to manage any common business related to the house and the co-op such as selecting new residents.
- One half day training in the spring and another in the fall on conflict resolution. We try to schedule these as best we can given everyone's schedules, and everyone is expected to make an effort to participate. We've found these really do make a difference and are well worth the small inveestment of time for keeping the house healthy and joyful!
- One full day training each year on Identity and Oppression. Everyone is likewise expected to do their best to be part of this.
- A review every spring and another every winter on the fundamentals of consensus decision-making. This is part of the weekly meeting, it's not a separate meeting or training.
- Every three months we dedicate an extended weekly meeting to reviewing the Be Present Empowerment Model and doing extended check-ins. This model has proven to be fundamental in promoting healthy interperonsal relaqtionships in Common Fire's communities, and the growth that people have experienced as a result is often cited as one of the most rewarding benefits they received from living in community. It's a model that promotes deep self-awareness, effective dialogue, and respect and understanding, particularly among a diversity of people. It seeks to replace "silence with information, assumptions with a diversity of insights, and powerlessness with a sense of personal responsibility."
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- Who It's For
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Support & Trainings