We were excited to have Laird back for our first returning WebChat presenter. He took on the topic of participation, which is, as he says, the single most common challenge facing intentional communities he works with. Participation refers to the non-monetary contributions people make to communities and it tends to get messy.

Laird shared a series of questions communities should ask themselves so that they have clearly defined participation expectations and procedures. For the most part what you decide is less important than that you decided is a community and record it for future reference. Many different approaches can work, the essential thing is to agree together as a community about what will work for you.

Following the question, Laird guided us through best practices for implementing and maintaining a successful participation program.

Video is available at https://youtu.be/7ZHQUQ9tYiQ

We will add Laird’s Handout to the WebChat page of our website at www.cohousing.org