Introduction to Cohousing: Launching your Community

What is Cohousing, why it is meaningful, and how do you go about creating your own community? This 10-hour course will use discussion, presentation, participatory activities, and reflection to help you answer these questions. The course will give you the foundational knowledge of cohousing design, development, and living to get you on your way to making your ideas and dreams into reality.

COURSE SYLLABUS:

All the classes are held on Wednesdays, at 5:30pm MT from 01/14 to 02/04 and 11:00am MT on 02/11 & 02/18.  

1. Introduction, learning goals and cohousing motivations
   • January 14^{th @} 5:30 pm MT (1hr)
2. Cohousing Patterns & Practices. Site Search
   • January 21^{th @} 5:30 pm MT (2hr)
3. Marketing your project, Decision Making and Membership process
   • January 28^{th @} 5:30 pm MT (2hr)
4. Critical Path, Legal Structure, Financing
   • February 4^{th @} 5:30 pm MT (2hr)
5. Affordability & Design matters
   • February 11^{th @} 11:00 am MT (2hr)
6. Conclusion
   • February 18^{th @} 11:00 am MT (1hr)

Participants will be able to:

• Plan and launch the development process for their own cohousing community.
• Understand the social and physical characteristics that make cohousing successful.
• Implement a proven roadmap to get where you want to go with your project.
• Explore how cohousing deepens personal relationships and enhances sustainability.+

Cohousing is about community, so participants will be invited to engage with the content, course-leaders, and other participants in a variety of formats. Participants will also be invited to expand their learning with out-of-class activities. We recognize there are diverse learning styles so participants will choose how they wish to engage.