Cobb Hill Exploration Process


Exploring Membership Exploration Process Participation Rental Sales


Definition


Exploration is Cobb Hill’s term for the time from inquiry about membership through a mutual decision that interested persons will purchase a home at Cobb Hill, become long-term renters, or be added to our waiting list. The spirit of exploration will be one of honest speaking. We recognize that our community will be changed by the addition of new member(s) and that we learn from one another.


Goals of the Exploration Process


  1. •Persons interested in Cobb Hill membership will:

  2. •Make efforts to get acquainted with current members

  3. •Gain an understanding of Cobb Hill principles and processes

  4. •Learn about the diversity of views at Cobb Hill and resulting opportunities and challenges

  5. •Understand opportunities and limitations of life in community and on shared land

  6. •Have awareness of expectations regarding

  7. •Participation in community work

  8. •Social contract to respect and support one another

  9. •Sustainable practice


Cobb Hill members will:


  1. •Gain an understanding and appreciation of interested parties’

  2. •Journeys, hopes, life paths

  3. •Motivation/interest in Cobb Hill

  4. •Reexamine and revitalize their own visions and commitments

  5. •Consider opportunities and challenges of interested parties’ personalities in relation to their own


Steps in Exploration Process


The Exploration process can be flexible. The usual process is that, after an orientation visit of several hours and the distribution of a brief personal history (bio.) to the listserve, interested persons take time to get to know Cobb Hill members and our practices by participating in community workdays, meals, meetings and special occasions. In unusual circumstances of timing and/or travel distance, members may be invited to meet informally with interested parties to become better acquainted.


Generally, a final step in the Exploration process is a formal meeting of interested parties with as many members of the community as possible to consider mutual readiness for membership or waiting list status. A time is then specified in which to reach a decision.