Collaboration Circle

Purpose

The purpose of the Collaboration Circle is to ensure that coordination and collaboration takes place within The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn whenever it is appropriate.

More specifically its role is:

1. To strengthen the community and its organisations through coordination and collaboration based on an awareness of the purpose and functioning of the whole community.

– For example, through information sharing, supportive advice (when requested) and initiating collaboration, action or joint operations amongst well-defined groups on specific projects or areas. 

1. To strengthen the community by addressing and tending to important whole community issues that individual groups or organisations are not able to handle as well separately.

– In response to these issues, suggest clear directions for the community – whether in the form of visions, directions, statements, policies or working groups and shared platforms for communication and action. 

The focus of the circle is to nurture collaboration and provide leadership when needed. It is not a governance body. The ColCi can thus provide leadership and direction, but cannot make decisions that are binding for its members or the community’s members. The Circle’s recommendations only have authority over its members’ operations if they decide to adopt them as their own policy.

Membership

The circle, which meets for 2 hours every second month, is composed of representatives of the main organisations of the The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn, not of individual community members. Each organisation has one member.

Member organisations include:

• Incorporated organisations that provide goods or services to a significant number of The Findhorn Ecovillage residents
• Associations whose role is to serve and represent the interests of a significant number of ecovillage residents.

If any member of the group misses 3 meetings in a row, they will be asked to appoint an alternative representative, unless the circle decides otherwise.

Other organisations and individuals can take part in working groups and other collaborations held or initiated by the circle. They can also be invited to circle meetings as and when needed.

Applications to join the Collaboration Circle can be submitted to the focalisers through focaliser.colci@findhorn.cc, detailing how the organisation fulfils the membership criteria of the circle and why their inclusion would be helpful. The decision to accept or reject an application is made by the Collaboration Circle at the first subsequent meeting.

If an organisation wants to leave the Collaboration Circle, this is to be communicated in writing to the focalisers through focaliser.colci@findhorn.cc and reported at the subsequent meeting. Membership fees for the current year will not be refunded.