community alternatives

Thanks very much to everyone who attended and participated in the focused conversation on “Non-violent/Compassionate Communication”. It was a wonderful session, and we were glad to hear positive feedback from the members who were able to join in. About half of the members participated. We welcomed a guest facilitator, Alper Caglayan, who gave us an introduction to the subject and encouraged a discussion about communication styles, empathy, and human connections. He introduced us to “Jackal” and “Giraffe” to help us understand the roles we can take when communicating. Jackal language has elements of judgement, criticism, blame and selfishness — which may still not see jackals get what they want. Giraffe language involves compassion, patience, empathy, and listening. Giraffes seek solutions. We further learned about four steps to use the Giraffe language: Observe what is happening and describe the situation without judgement Identify and express your feelings Find the need behind your feelings Formulate a clear, positive, doable request We hope the session helped the members gain an overview of non-violent communication and ways to practice using Giraffe language. You can revisit the slides for the session over here on your project page. Remember that practice groups are an option, either at the co-op or by joining those outside Community Alternatives. Additional resources: Basics of Non-violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg YouTube video: https://youtu.be/nWb2B2uPfMo Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication workbook (images attached) https://www.meenadchi.com/dnvc Contact information for Alper Caglayan, M.Ed., RCC (Registered Clinical Counsellor): alpercaglayan@gmail.com / 778-883-7013 Next steps: Please keep an eye on your emails for potential date options for the next focused conversation. Thanks again for your time and contributions. Here is the feedback survey link for the session https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCQRNZS. Please complete this to help us improve our services. C0-operatively, The ARC team

I hope you all are excited for your first focused conversation session coming up on "Non-Violent/Compassionate Communication" by an external consultant Alper Caglayan. Next week, January 9, we will be learning about compassionate communication style, techniques and models and how does diverse communication patterns impacts our personal and professional lives. We would encourage your maximum participation and involvement. See you soon! Co-operatively, The ARC Team

At our last session "Vision & Challenges" on September 29, 2022, you had a chance to discuss the plans and vision for Community Alternatives, and evaluate the challenges that will come across the way. You also got an opportunity to work in breakout groups and find out the opportunities that will the co-op to reach its vision. Check out the "What we Heard" document to get an idea of what happened at the session. Does it capture your co-op well? Did we miss anything? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  

Thanks again for inviting us to join your co-op! We had a very engaging, insightful, and interactive session - "Vision & Challenges" on September 29, 2022, where you all got a chance to contribute your ideas about what makes you call, Community Alternatives, your home. We also revisited the memories and experiences of the co-op's pre-pandemic culture and engagement activities. Further, the members were divided into breakout groups to discuss the future state of the co-op and plan out a vision for the next 10 years. The members also discussed the opportunities they have in place, to deal with the challenges and barriers that will come across their way to reach the vision. Here are some excerpts from the session below:         

It’s almost time for your first workshop, Vision & Challenges! At this workshop we will be evaluating the core values and vision for the community by understanding the thoughts/ideas and perspectives of members, as to where do they see the co-op in next 10 years. We will also be brainstorming challenges to achieving your vision, and opportunities to address these challenges. Come prepared for an engaging session that will include breakout groups, a variety of facilitation techniques, and dynamic conversations about your community! If you are unable to make it to the workshop please take the time to give your input through either the activities on this website or our dedicated phone line (for phone line instructions see the top of this page). Please save the date Thursday September 29 at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

Thank you for agreeing to become a pilot co-op for the Active Resilient Communities (ARC) Program. We are excited to start the ARC journey with Community Alternatives Housing Co-op! ARC has been under development since June 2021, and we are ready to see how it works for co-ops. The plan is for ARC to serve as a comprehensive program to help co-ops through decision making and planning processes by providing facilitated support and access to topic-matter experts (for more about ARC, see About ARC). Being a pilot co-op means you (and other members of your community) will be among the first people to experience the ARC Program, including both our live workshops, and platforms for you to engage with on your own time (this website and a phone line). We will be asking you along the way to fill out surveys to provide valuable feedback about the program (and process), which will be used to make improvements for future program offerings. Again, thank you for joining us and we look forward to meeting and working with you! ~ The ARC Project Team