Our Values

As the Bloomington Cohousing Community, we value:

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Connection 

While our houses are privately owned, we are building a community home together where we share a sense of rootedness and belonging. Our residents commit to and cooperate in caring for the life of the community. At the same time, we respect privacy, autonomy, and individual differences. 

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Intentionality 

We are an intentional, purposeful community, as we actively collaborate to make decisions related to our shared community life. Using the principles of dynamic governance, which is based on thoughtful listening and engaged consent in decision-making, we are open to hearing all voices and opinions.

 

We are patient with process and flexible in making choices that affect us all. This includes being sensitive to changes in community membership and perspective and recognizing the need to periodically evaluate our principles and values, so we can keep policy guidelines relevant and useful. In these ways, we intentionally seek to cultivate a safe, responsible, and respectful community. 

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Sustainability 

We believe in the purposeful use of all resources, including the resources of money, time, the natural world, physical structures, and personal energies. We are mindful of the impact of how we live, focusing on sustainability and care for the environment. We strive for efficiency and balance. 

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Accessibility 

There is open and transparent access for all to physical structures, social events, communication, and information. We value diversity and inclusion, meeting and accepting each person where they are, recognizing our shared humanity.

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Respect 

The foundation of any healthy and thriving community is an unwavering belief in the dignity and worth of all its members. We put this into practice by the ways we value the varied and multi-faceted contributions of each community member. Respect also begins with a presumption of goodwill (others have good intentions) and a commitment to handle any and all disagreements with kindness and candor.

 

Participation 

In order to create and sustain our community, we invite and support participation by each member of the community. Individuals and the group as a whole explore and determine the different ways in which members can contribute, and the different ways in which contributions can be acknowledged and supported. We also know that it is important to understand and express our own limitations and boundaries as a group. We respect the need to evaluate and take action when differences or disagreements about participation arise. We place our confidence in each other and maintain a stance that all community members will participate in and work across a range of projects and initiatives to the best of their availability and abilities. 

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Trust 

Given the size and scope of the community, we recognize that each of us cannot be directly involved in all decisions affecting the community. This is why we value and uphold the decision-making by smaller groups (or circles) that takes place within and across a range of projects and initiatives.