CANADIAN COHOUSING CONFERENCE
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conference schedule

SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018
SFU Segal Building, 500 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

Click here to download a printable schedule
(Please note that attendees will receive a full printed program in their registration package.)

9:00- 9:45 am
Conference registration packages available

Please note that seating capacity for the Sunday conference sessions is limited by room size; however, if your first choice is full, we're sure you'll learn something interesting in the other options at that time!

9:45- 10:45 am
Welcome and opening remarks at 9:45, immediately followed by first session
aging well in community
Aging Well in Community
Presented by Margaret Critchlow and Michael Tacon

Harbourside Cohousing is a senior-focused community in Sooke, completed in January 2016. Central to our vision of aging well together is a program of voluntary neighbourly mutual support that we call Community Care, or Co-Care for short. While informal mutual support is characteristic of cohousing in general, ours is the first intentional co-care program that we know of in Canada. Our presentation focuses on how we recognize and support interdependence as a key to flourishing as we age.  We will share stories to illustrate how co-care provides supportive ways to respond to the challenges of aging in cohousing. We will also invite audience participation to suggest solutions to some co-care challenges we have experienced.
Breaking Bread
Breaking Bread: Approaches to Common Meals
Facilitated by Terri Field and Mackenzie Stonehocker

Common meals are an important tool for building connection amongst group members, but different cohousing communities take varied and unique approaches to the number of meals per week, dividing the work of cooking and clean-up, and accounting for the costs of shared meals.  Dive into the details of how Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing, Windsong Cohousing and Vancouver Cohousing manage their common meals in this session.
Cohousing 101
Cohousing 101
Presented by Kathy McGrenera and Lysa Dixon

What is cohousing? How is it different from other types of intentional communities or typical market-driven housing? Learn how cohousing residents participate in the planning, design and ongoing management of their community.  Find out how each community’s personality is formed by that group’s members, values and processes. This is your first glimpse into what it takes to build cohousing.

11:00- 11:45 am
Lost & Found in Translation
Lost & Found in Translation: Cohousing in Denmark
Presented by Barb Whittington and Tracy Mills

What aspects of cohousing are translatable from Denmark to North America? This presentation will include a snapshot of two Danish cohousing communities that Barb Whittington visited in 2017.  Tracy Mills, Danish by background, will add her understanding of the practicalities, philosophy and culture, as these two members of Ravens Crossing Cohousing discuss what North Americans can learn from cohousing developments in Denmark.
Systems that work
Systems that Work: Keeping the Energy Alive
Small groups facilitated by Kathy McGrenera and Mackenzie Stonehocker

What happens once you move in?  Every community creates systems for managing the day-to-day details of living in community.  Do you have a system that works well? Are you looking for new approaches from other communities?  Join this facilitated small group session to dive into the nitty-gritty of organizing work bees, integrating new members, managing common laundry, sharing storage, and other topics suggested by attendees.
Burning souls
Burning Souls: The Fire to Start Cohousing
Moderated by Lysa Dixon
​
Cohousing has a non-hierarchical structure, but most groups have one or two “burning souls” -- people so dedicated to building a cohousing community that their energy and commitment helps the initial idea become a reality.  In this panel discussion, hear about the highs and lows of building community from people who drove the creation of Quayside Village Cohousing, Vancouver Cohousing and Roberts Creek Cohousing.

11:45- 1:15pm
Lunch (provided) with time to continue your conversations in one of our breakout areas!

1:15- 2:00 pm
2:15- 3:00pm
Growing up in cohousing
Growing Up in Cohousing
Panelists Elise, Ethan, Evan and Saeth; moderated by Paul Cottle

Growing up in cohousing offers many great opportunities for children.  But in addition to having access to a wider range of playmates and adult neighbours, there are complicated situations to work out -- for example, kids in cohousing inevitably have practice working out differences with their neighbours.  Join this session to hear from young adults and teenagers who have grown up -- and are still growing up -- in cohousing!
Disability in Cohousing
Disability in Cohousing: Strengthening Community through Accommodation
Presented by Marta Carlucci, Daisie Huang and Maureen Butler. Moderated by Paul Cottle

Many cohousing communities are interested in improving and expanding accessibility for their members.  It is easy to see this as a transaction that costs the community time and money, while benefiting only a few, but there is another way to see it.  Join us for a collaborative exploration (including a group exercise) of creative ideas for accommodations that serve to benefit all community members.
1:15- 3:00pm
Conflict resolution
Conflict Handout
File Size: 115 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Conflict: Fight, Flight or Opportunity?
Presented by Laird Schaub

Double length session (90 min + break)
Occasional upset is part of the human condition -- if you think your group doesn’t experience conflict you're either in denial or not paying attention!  The challenge is not reducing the incidence of conflict; it’s learning how to respond to it constructively and to avoid being paralyzed by the drama. In this workshop we’ll establish the primacy of acknowledging feelings and how to harness them as a source of information and energy. We’ll discuss why, when, and how to work with conflict in the group -- and make it clear why there are times when you cannot afford not to.

3:15- 4:00 pm
4:15- 5:00 pm
Tomo house + cohousing "lite"
Tomo House + Cohousing "Lite": A new model for cohousing
Presented by Kathy Sayers, Leslie Shieh, Mark Sheih

Creating  a cohousing community can be a challenge. Cohousers must build community, find and finance land and hire professionals to build their projects.  Cohousing consultant Chuck Durett estimates that 70-80% of communities do not succeed. Can a new kind of partnership like the one between an innovative developer (Tomo Spaces) and a cohousing community (Our Urban Village) streamline the process?  Learn how the right developer and a flexible community might make your cohousing process easier, faster and less risky.
Next Steps for new groups
Next Steps Handout
File Size: 125 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Next Steps for New Groups: Now What?
Facilitated by James Chamberlain and Mackenzie Stonehocker
Curious about forming a new cohousing group? Join Our Urban Village co-founder James Chamberlain and Driftwood Village Cohousing founder Mackenzie Stonehocker to ask questions about their early days, learn what your group should do to build a strong foundation, find out about newly forming groups, or even join forces with people interested in forming a group in your area.

3:15- 5:00pm
Participation
Participation Handout
File Size: 138 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Participation: Working a Hairball
Presented by Laird Schaub

Double length session (90 min + break)
Many groups struggle with how to develop a fair yet flexible understanding of what non-monetary participation is expected from members for the maintenance and well-being of the group. While all groups rely on such contributions, many find it a constant source of irritation that everyone doesn't contribute equally. In this workshop, we’ll lay out all the questions that need to be addressed to develop a robust culture in this regard. We’ll look at the pros and cons of high structure versus low structure solutions, and touch the third rail of accountability.

Breakout spaces will be available until 4:30pm for continued conversations, connections and community!
SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018

SFU Segal Building, ​500 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

​Check out the Speakers page for more information on conference presenters
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Transit routes to SFU Segal Building

Skytrain - ​Canada Line - Two blocks from Vancouver City Centre Station along Granville Street
Skytrain - Expo Line - One block from Granville Station
​Bus - Many routes travel along either Granville or Pender/Hastings
Parking - All-day parking is available but expensive in parkades in downtown Vancouver 
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