DNE Vision Council '96

After our community meeting in the first week it became apparent that the subject matter of the proposal needed more time both emotionally and intellectually by our community members. The opinions for DNE's future direction were all over the board by members for what seemed like a five forked crossroad in front of us. It was hoped that a new form of counsel which could foster our collective wisdom while including our hearts would act as a pressure valve and allow the different passions to dialogue. Also, we hoped to gain support and people power for the Search and Coordinating Teams. The following are rough transcripts of the results. I am new on computer's and my spell check isn't loaded so please overlook glaring mistakes. I didn't add everybody's name on each group but if we need to know who is interested in thinking about these subject matters we have that information. Paul F. has the original copies. Thank you. ALisa

		Interest Concentric Circles - Visual Configurations

Who wants to live there?

45 inside (Yes), 20 middle (Maybe), 15 outside (No)

Who envisions living here in ten years time?

no change

3 years?

18 gradual out

1 year?

6 left in inner circle. The rest, gradual out

Work camp next year?

almost everyone (70)

Give 5% of income to buy property?

27 in/ 40 middle (some)/ 4 (maybe)

Give for 3 years?

25 yes Give for 10 years? 18 yes

Rent two years small camp?

10/40/30

With no nude bathing possible on site?

same

With no lake?

10/40/30

Lake is important to you.

65/ 0/ 5

Timeshare ( for future, other administers, National Forest for now)

60/10

Buying underdeveloped land. We rent for next year and have a work camp also going on at the same time elsewhere.

10/ 50/ 10

Work one month

21/40/10

Two week camp absolutely must happen

30/30/10

How many know exactly what our next step is?

1/ 70/ 1

How many know what we need to do next?

3 inner

Note: Process changed to allow these three views to be heard (up to this time silence).
Three viewpoints on next steps:

1. Take a break, work on ourselves, work towards land
2. Restructure organization, define goals and two different groups ( come to camp and have a life, those who want to live this way year round.)
3. Make a decision, buy land and build something and trust the present process (restructuring as we go).

		We break into interest groups and discuss options for thirty minutes.

				Camp No Matter What Discussion Group

• This is a position taken with the idea of continuing our annual dance camp even if we do not have other permanent options available to us.
• This is meant to be taken one year at a time wit hopes of finding better options.

Benefits of C.N.M.W.

• Allows us to stay close knowing that we will still come together as a large group.
• Buys us time as more possivle camp sites may become available to market for sale or lease.
• Allows us more time to work out fundamental challenges such as;
  1. monies and finances needed for other options (ie buying time share etc.)
  2. methods for operating in our next long term options.
• The next camp can be an example of who we are to any outside people or bodies who may be in the position to grant us creative land procurement posiibilities or time share partner organizations (gone or several to aquaint ourselves with).

				Work Camp Discussion Group

One person wants to represent Ca and would fly out east to work.

Consider:

*Pragmatic feat of creating camp. The tensions between who is privileged and who is not.
*Wants to spend more time with people working and it does not matter if it is residential.

Working together is what is most important.

*work and dance camp at the same time would be ok.
*work will manifest the vision. Crisis is a catalyst. and will evolve our structures
*Need to be prepared to do and not just envision
*Could learn skills. Rise above equitability issues. I need to get as well as give. Everyone can learn to give.
*Wants to be a part of the community by doing. Willing to give because we believe in it..
*Working together towards something is bonding.
*Already experiences at Omni as a work camp. Building requires skills, money, resources.

Habitat for DNE

*Let's start with tents and avoid construction pressures. The natives know something about living on the Earth well.
*Go slowly to tune in, create something beautiful, Heal-Work is love in action.
*Tribal model- Drumming while working- in rhythm- we're not just building something physical. Let's have workshops on restructuring community well.

				Restructuring (four sub-groups)

Group # 1 Focus on Participation:

* If people truly felt they had a participation connection to the degree they wanted to , then finding people to do various tasks will happen. This is a rich but fractionated community. Through participation, the richness will come out.
* Learning and enriching to be involved with DNE What are the structures that provide opportunity to participate?
*Training individually groups in how to participate positive experience is healing. More facilitation- facilitation team focus more on process.
* Doing service work is a way to connect, care and love for community. Need more ways to communicate and be connected with training, orientation and dinner circle.
*refocusing on what is important on a daily basis at camp, support and pro-active ways to encourage individuals assuming leadership roles, mentoring
*how to structure to include large numbers but not more than 400 lottery or limit repeats or number of days.
*Stop paying teachers.
*Healing consumption and classism are blocks to participation.
*Delicate balance between two types of people:

1. values= DNE is an alternative to "regular life".
2. values = DNE is my life.

If the Home Place group (1) make decisions, it may alienate group (2) and/or win group (3) over. When things go well, participation is lower. In crisis, participation is high. Do we really need crisis for participation? We need high participation all the time. We need each other, group 1 and 2.
*Size issue:

• limit size, not a festival
• be inclusive
• integrate new people

Group #2 Restructuring

*Way that thowe who don't live at homeplace are included. Room for everytbody and not just those who live there. No power struggle.
*Cambridge example, house where many Dance Friday people live. Community structures exist here. Connection with individual cities.
* Lay out all choices for structure. Look at other models. Be realistic.
* Look at what is already working and what is not. Is consensus appropriate all the time? Are people comfortable with reps making important decisions?
*Connection between DNE, the outside world. We need to share what we know and do.
*As we become more instuituional, how to preserve our magic as "temporary" camp.
*Need to minimize "rules" and focus on respect.
* Systems are important, infrastructure is important
* There is a difference between rules and infrastructure that holds it together and frees us.
* There is bigger "potential for disaster" when we buy land, invest, etc.
* Year round participation for people, not at homeplace.
* Homeplace to have space year round for non-residents.
* Be conscious of image to outside world to help create safe container.
* Need to decide how visible we want to be to outside world.
* Don't want to become an Omega Institute.
* Let's not make decisions based on money clout rather than community.
* Some people consider this an "arts" camp, some a community.
* Money is the reality check- we need default plans so we don't get financially committed to things we don't want.

Group #3 Organizational Restructuring

*Strongly need to address the conflict resolution strategy. Conscensus MUST be understood with addressing the emotional aspect.that arise in this process. In order for people to have clarity and power necessary for effective decision-making, there must be a sense of the established members who have demonstrated their passion in the matters at hand.
* I have written about the viewpoint of DNE as a "Partnership Society" and would love to be part of a team putting together a booklet for the members to understand the principles of what this is. As well, the concensus viewpoint and procedures could clearly be outlined.
* Need to think in this in terms of expansion. Need to focus on the decision making process. The issue of membership: who is and who isn't. What are the responsibilities of the members. Inappropriate for some one to have the ability to block who does not understand who we are, and concensus.
*Who we are is changing. Reps do not necessarily really serve who we are at present. We need to redefine what the represenatives is. Would strongly support taking the necessary time for these core elements, more than having a place.
*Needing workshops in consensus. Working your way up. Need a clear gradual evolution of understanding the concensus process.
*Finding that our system, as is with the reps, is not necessarily really representing the larger groups views. It is more a coordinating group as is .

Proposal:A specific group design. Instead of camp as the core of where we come together. It is just a piece of a larger picture. Let's expand our structure to contain the coorinators of camp as a piece of the larger DNE.

				Buying  Discussion Group

*Buy a piece of land, workcamp for a year or two, eventually a homeplace.
*Start doing "it" to help us make a decision. Re: the future: with buildings, low-end camp (reasonable price) that we can build upon.
* Have enough creativity and skill to make it work.
* Have a place to practice our vision, build a sustainable place.
* Important to get a place we can call our own; the form of the land isn't that important since we'll create what we need.
*Buying doesn't have to go from scratch to a huge camp in one year.
* Shouldn't let our fear and resistance keep us from buying.
* Buying shouldn't necessarily be synonomous with a homeplace.
* More settled existence than a nomadic existence - a sense of permanence, knowing there is one place to go.
* Buying is okay even if it's not ideal, need to begin to make our mistakes- might only be for a year or two.
* Make the biggest choice we can go for the dream.
* An investment no matter what! Renting is throwing money away, ie: can be down-payment for property. Also, much easier to use our energy to go for it with one place.
* We need a place that is safe, enough privacy, freedom to be who we are.
* Preliminary check on zoning and how zoning will effect usage
*Look for a place that has flexibility in its use.
*Many of the spaces are accessible (not all- still want understanding of how we will use the space, i.e., loud music at night, number of people.
* Erosion- land use.
*Get the experience of those who have done co-housing and those building intentional communities.
Brainstorm paying for land:
*Membership issues of DNE
*If everyone gave $100, we would have alot of money.
* Maximize of resources - who is land person, environmentalist, lawyer, builder, etc.
* Build into the by-laws that camp would not be foresaken for emphasis on the homeplace- protect the fact the fact that camp will always happen.
* Keep the option open to rent out to other groups.
* Buying land that has less buildings gives us more flexibility to create options.
* Equity loans.
* Pressure to buy land- need to have standards in which to buy.

				Investment Group

* Coop equity
*Government Grants
* Product
* Loan out
* money from members
* invent in a business network
* Financing partner - not coop bank (long term financing) - strong set of values
* important to have strategy or lots of anxiety
* not put all money on property - leave some out to play with
* initial conversation with bank now
* How do people who don't have cash make their contribution to the community? (Added note from ALisa: without automatically becoming the "workers" in a unconscious class pattern? As with diversity issues are we willing to do the work of classism?)

				Time Share Group

* Many dance spaces are needed- we can only afford if sharing.
* Fun to bring in new group to our vision and a new energy is helpful.
* Financial operations, ongoing growth - COST will all be easier.
* Best next step as we learn how to make big decisions.
* Homeplace is too different from what we do now- too big a leap
* Conference center could be money- making venture to help transition to/
* Residential area could grow later onto land.
* Sharing could cut slogging work to make conference center happen may not come out of this community- not enough energy - other already established centers may need us.
* Coop with other dance groups, contra groups, etc.
* Do what is practical for next year.
* Is there a wealthy camp member who already has a place we could buy or be given a share in? Or an organization we need to learn about through a camper?

			Residential Home Base Place Group
	(notes difficult to read - individuals speak of their own commitment)

* Future homeplace. A vision you could commit. Many people have been in DNE 15 years or more. Let's have one place all year round.
* Path of community. Problem to find the people. DNE is it! See communities magazine - winter issue "96
* Completely and passionately committed - the time is now- people and resources are here- work can be accomplished - many more people interested strongly in Ca as we approach the year 2000.
* Pooling resources desires- energy to create the reality.
* Earthdance is as close as we have to model of Homeplace- works, functions as conference center- W. Ma (recently changed ownership)
* A number of groups are getting on land and runing conferences/ workshops on the way to becoming "full" community.
* Home Bear (Tom) builds community, manages projects and is open and free to contribute for spiritual center. Belongs to Friends and Lover's Community in W. Ma where there is one hundred adults and children who come together three long weekends a year for over fourteen years.
* Important for us to honor the Earth. Discussions of specific region- W. Ma is a strong possibility, also Catskills.
* philanthropist/land trust supporting the community- not owned but sourcing - held in trust.

		Passions (other than those listed in Vision Council)
				(random concerns)

* Any options are fine details and often determine participation. Unattached to having camp next year but wants to consiously examine community values (i.e. safety, caretaking of each other)
* Geography options- taking considerations into northern New England winters. For growing food, habitating, etc.
* Against any form that doesn't give trust between faith and belief - the known and the unknown, letting go of beliefs (some of what we think we know)
* concerned about being asked to contribute without tangible return
* geography again - important to be centrally located - employment concerns
* changing values. Becoming more involved with survival and "family" than play
* certain "family values" are creeping into DNE with more sexual conservatism
*Are we going into production company mode? What part of alternative are we willing to keep?

Last modified: November 29, 1996

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