Shared values, above all, are what bring people together in a co-housing community. The following values provide the basis for our community: conviviality, mutual support, respect for the person and the environment, authenticity, diversity, simplicity, a healthy lifestyle and openness to the world.
Conviviality
Caractère chaleureux des relations entre les personnes au sein d’un groupe.
We want to live in an environment that fosters neighbourliness, exchange, communication, trust and the development of lasting and warm relationships among its members. This means:
Mutual support
Aide qu’on se porte mutuellement.
Nous désirons vivre dans un environnement physique et humain qui favorise l’entraide et le soutien mutuel entre ses membres en :
- helping out those in need;
- pooling resources and skills;
- sharing and taking a balanced approach to community tasks.
Respect for the individual
Treating each other with dignity.
We wish to create an environment where attitudes and behaviour reflect mutual respect and foster harmony, doing so by:
- promoting non-violence;
- prioritizing conflict resolution;
- emphasizing emotional responsibility;
- respecting the balance between private and community life;
- recognizing the importance of each person's participation in decision-making;
- respecting the participatory process;
- adopting clear and mutually agreed-upon operating rules.
Authenticity
Qui, au-delà des apparences, manifeste l’être le plus vrai, le plus profond, qui reflète la personnalité profonde d’un individu.
We want to live in an environment that encourages honest, sincere and responsible exchanges and behaviour, by:
- establishing spaces that foster trust and openness;
- encouraging the development of members’ communication skills.
Respect de l’environnement
Valuing and protecting what the planet provides.
We wish to demonstrate our respect for the environment through ecological and responsible spaces and behaviour, thinking globally and acting locally to reduce our ecological footprint. This means:
- favouring the use of green technologies;
- using or reusing quality (environmental) materials;
- favouring local and/or group purchases;
- providing recycling and composting facilities;
- organizing transportation efficiently;
- promoting smart and efficient construction;
- reducing individual car use as much as possible.
Diversity
Welcoming different points of view, people, circumstances and interests
We want to live in an environment that welcomes social and cultural diversity by:
- fostering intergenerational diversity;
- welcoming social diversity;
- encouraging cultural expression within the community;
- encouraging spaces that are adapted to the needs of the group;
- welcoming difference.
Healthy lifestyle
The community wishes to live in an environment that fosters attitudes and behaviour associated with a healthy lifestyle in both body and mind by:
- promoting healthy eating at communal meals;
- encouraging physical activity;
- ensuring that the running of the community allows space for rest time;
- adopting a prevention-oriented attitude;
- developing aesthetically-pleasing spaces and infrastructure.
Simplicity
Façon d’être naturelle et spontanée, sans affectation ni prétention; caractère de celui qui a des goûts simples, sans excès de luxe, de raffinement.
We want to apply the principle of simplicity to our operating rules, our choices, and layout and design. This means:
Openness to the world
Facilité de comprendre, de s’intéresser aux choses, au monde.
We want to be open to the world around us by:
- being involved in the wider community;
- sharing our experiences and welcoming those of others.