Visitors, Volunteers & Interns
Visitors, Volunteers, & Interns are classes of people who are staying in the Community but are not members (yet). All of them have only one responsibility to the Community, which is to pay the actual (so intentionally low, not-for-profit) cost of their upkeep (room and board) to stay there. Typically this is set by the Community as a close estimate of actual cost and periodically adjusted.
There are two purposes to the Volunteer / Intern program:
Each Visitor / Volunteer / Intern must be Hosted by someone who is an Active, Full Member of the Community. In the case of Volunteers / Interns, this person would be referred to as their Mentor. The Mentor is responsible for helping them find their way within the Community, access the Skills they came to learn and (if they decide they wish to join the Community), provide guidance towards attaining the knowledge and skills that they would need to do so successfully. This might include information on the Community's Governance Process, Values, and any special skills (such as communication or listening skills) that their particular Community highly prioritizes.
Visitors, Volunteers and Interns can stay as long as they like, or individual Community's may choose to limit their maximum duration of stay and/or provide exceptions for any limitations they have established - the Self-governance process is very flexible. However, if things are not working out, they can be asked to leave at any time. Typically such a Communication would be delivered through their Mentor/Host.
A Volunteer or Intern who has been living on the Community for at least 3 months may apply to join the Community by Petitioning for Provisional Membership. Provisional Membership is granted when at least 1/3 of the Active, Full Members sign their Provisional Membership Petition.
- Visitors are typically friends, family, or other non-members who are there to visit but do not expect to stay very long.
- Volunteers are people have come to the Community to learn specific skills related to the Community's purpose.
- Interns are Volunteers who have arranged with their College to receive educational credit for the skills they are learning.
There are two purposes to the Volunteer / Intern program:
- To help the Volunteer acquire whatever skills they came to learn
- To allow for a long "getting to know you" period for prospective members of the Community.
Each Visitor / Volunteer / Intern must be Hosted by someone who is an Active, Full Member of the Community. In the case of Volunteers / Interns, this person would be referred to as their Mentor. The Mentor is responsible for helping them find their way within the Community, access the Skills they came to learn and (if they decide they wish to join the Community), provide guidance towards attaining the knowledge and skills that they would need to do so successfully. This might include information on the Community's Governance Process, Values, and any special skills (such as communication or listening skills) that their particular Community highly prioritizes.
Visitors, Volunteers and Interns can stay as long as they like, or individual Community's may choose to limit their maximum duration of stay and/or provide exceptions for any limitations they have established - the Self-governance process is very flexible. However, if things are not working out, they can be asked to leave at any time. Typically such a Communication would be delivered through their Mentor/Host.
A Volunteer or Intern who has been living on the Community for at least 3 months may apply to join the Community by Petitioning for Provisional Membership. Provisional Membership is granted when at least 1/3 of the Active, Full Members sign their Provisional Membership Petition.
