June 20th Event: Introduction to Sociocracy

There is so much happening at Prairie Hill right now. With the first eight residents living in our new homes, and more to join us soon, our days are very full. We're opening our doors to the larger community with an opportunity that came along because Jerry Koch-Gonzalez is driving through Iowa City on June 20. We're coming out of the garden to put together an introduction to Sociocracy with Jerry, who is program manager for Sociocracy for All. He lives in a cohousing community in Amherst, Massachusetts and he says, "We are serious about spreading Sociocracy to give everyone the opportunity to share power in a healthy way."

Prairie Hill Cohousing has chosen Sociocracy as our governance system. Transparency, equivalence and effectiveness are valued and decisions are made in circles (committees). All voices are heard and decisions are made when there are no remaining "paramount objections," that is, when there is informed consent from all participants. Objections must be reasoned and based on the ability of the objector to work productively toward the goals of the organization. All policy decisions are made by consent.

Citizen Hive, an NGO in Sweden, uses Sociocracy and describes it is this way: "Sociocracy is a holistic approach for inclusive decision-making, efficient governance, and the ongoing evaluation and improvement of your team, project or organization. It fosters empowerment and an attitude where people feel encouraged to experiment, fail, and learn."

Other benefits of Sociocracy:

• Fosters more trust
• Encourages individuals to be accountable to the group's agreements, relative to available energy and resources.
• Helps users evaluate what they do, identify their strengths and growing edges, and aply what they've learned to future projects and collaborations.
• Focuses on solutions and helps transform potentially painful disagreements into creative opportunities that benefit the whole group.

For information about the June 20th Introduction to Sociocracy or to RSVP, email Michele McNabb, genboss2@yahoo.dk.