2021 Goals

The goals listed below are the result of countless conversations between members and committees. While Cooperation Denton will certainly do more than these things, we feel that these are goals that especially merit our attention and labor as an organization.

Neighborhood Pods

1. By the end of the year 2021, every member of Cooperation Denton has actively gotten at least 5 other households around them in group communication, the main starting benchmark for starting a neighborhood pod OR for those members who have anxiety or other hindrances to being the ones organizing the pods themselves, they have found a neighbor who is more willing to do that organizing work and that neighbor has attended a pod workshop.

2. By the end of April, we will have gone through all the people who have previously attended pod workshops, organizing group Zoom check-ins (starting with Cooperation Denton members) and sending a google sheet that feeds into a spreadsheet and the Ushahidi map to track where we already have pods.

3. Each point person has attended at least 3 check-ins during 2021. At the check-ins, point persons will update the google sheet with the number of households in their pod and some more qualitative measure (including specific lessons, challenges they are facing- using the add notes section).

4. By the end of the year 2021, we have formed our first pod assembly or decision-making process to bring about the first example of hyperlocal direct democracy in Denton. By the end of the year 2022, 10 pods have actively formed assemblies or some other decision-making process.

Women's, ENBY and Children's Tiny Village

1. Create an exploratory committee to launch Women's and Non-binary village to simultaneously gauge and gather support and assess options.

Vision: To create a self sustaining tiny home village within city with 10-15 tiny homes (manufactured or natural build material) to create a safe haven for women, children and non binary neighbors.

Goal: to have a self sustainable village up and running by the end of 2022, fully expanded by the end of 2023. Built, maintained, decentralized and directly democratic by and for women, non binary and children only. Cooperation Denton Committee Goals for 2021:

Media Committee

1. Bi-annual magazine, initial print-run of about 100 copies to gauge interest

2. Twitch channel for political commentary / discussion

3. Tiktok for accessible soundbites / videos for our messaging

4. Finishing the Cooperation Denton video before the year is up

5. Geo caching: Will complete in June. Place CD outreach material, seed balls, other goodies

Ecological Committee

1. Give monthly foraging workshops starting in March 2021 to all in Cooperation Denton who want to be there with a specific focus on collecting as much wild edible native seed as ethically and physically possible as soon as it becomes available. Other focuses will be observing habitat and where things like to grow, gathering food and experimenting with cooking new dishes with it, etc. We also aim to incorporate sustainable technology and tools that can help decentralize knowledge and accessibility. We want to specifically prioritize foraging lessons for/with our unhoused friends.

2. Work with Media committee to make an accessibility video on how to use the Ushahidi map, tentatively June.

3. We plan to set up a 411 number (Plant Line) via either google voice or just text by the end of the month. With this number we will be offering what can I eat in my yard? tours and consulting about possible species to add that will mean more food, medicine, and other benefits to the people, other living creatures, and the land.

4. We plan to start a small, mobile Denton Seed Bank that would give away seed for free for seed balls, rewilding, and proliferating relationships with wild food sources in local yards.

5. We plan to procure materials for (old yard signs, pallets, tarp, gravel, and burlap coffee bags), build, and harvest from at least 10 wicking beds by the end of April.

Conciliation Committee

1. Committee to be a part of at least 2-3 skill development trainings

2. Host monthly peer support on the last Wednesday of each month for Cooperation Denton members

3. Resource bank to be added to along the education process & trainings will be given to people in the group and also outside of the group with interest in conciliation (especially connected to neighborhood pods)

4. Host regular group facilitator check-ins (including coordination with outside groups like Spring Up) each month starting after facilitators have completed their trainings

Solidarity Economy Committee

1. Give one (1) 0% interest, good-faith loan by the end of 2021 to a cooperative that meets our criteria (to be defined together) of what we are looking for to line up with our values and provides a detailed plan for how they will use it/how they are paying it back.

2. At least 50% of Solidarity Economy committee members (and 15% of Cooperation Denton) work our way through all the Fundamentals of Worker Cooperative Development Course videos (9 videos, $100 total) https://courses.institute.coop/p/development-fundamentals

3. Get at least 3 new cooperative businesses off the ground in the first year

4. Get 10 people to commit to provide tools for a decentralized tool library and have at least 30 tools available to lend by the end of the year.

5. By the Summer of 2021, we plan to have long since launched a Cooperation Denton time bank and have at least 15 active members, who will spurred into activity by very personalized onboarding conversations that really give them a technical, ideological, and practical rundown of how to be active, potlucks and in-person skillshares, and arranged exchanges by Cooperation Denton members that prime the pumps and build legitimacy and safety for the project. By the end of 2021, we aim to have at least 50 active members. Active members are defined as people who exchange at least 3 time credits in a three month period.

But how???

To be able to meet all these goals we are looking to raise at least $250,000. We know we will need all the help from the community and individuals, so please donate generously by using the donation button at the top or think of maybe becoming a sustaining donor! Thank you all very much! We got Us!