How We Work

Conflict Resolution

Odonata uses a model called Non Violent Communication. Each Community meeting takes time to work together honing these skills. Learn More…

Partnerships

Odonata Partnerships are working groups that help bring our goals into fruition. Choosing Partnerships that best suit our interest and talents, we work together to form creative relationships and build the foundations of our ecovillage. Learn More…

Meeting Facilitation

There are basically two types of Odonata Meetings (Partnership Meetings and Community “Circle” Meetings). Learn More…

Consensus Process

Making decisions as a community requires honesty, clarity, cooperation, trust and skill. We have researched information from other communities, including the Winslow Cohousing Group and Fellowship for Intentional Community, publishers of “Building United Judgement”, a handbook for consensus decision-making. As a community we have adopted Winslow’s colored card system for use in group process which provides an organized way for different aspects of discussion and decision-making to be addressed.

Unlike majority-rule voting, consensus decisions incorporate each individual’s input, concerns, and solutions into a “hybrid” that all members can agree upon. Under certain circumstances, individual members may feel the need to “block” what is otherwise a unanimous decision. The community then works (often in “committee” with the person who has blocked) to refine the decision until that member is in agreement or is willing to stand aside and allow a decision to move forward. The decisions that come out of such a process create harmony and build trust within the community. Learn More…