Builders join the cohort if they are interested in committing 6-9 months to bring together their neighbors or community members.

Builders will be provided a model to work with, tools to use, and a support structure to help them with each step of the process.

The primary goals for each Builder are;

1. Meet with a few existing connections to share about the project and see who would like to help

2. Hold a first gathering 

3. Plan an outreach campaign to inform the larger community about ongoing gatherings

4. Recruit 20 members

5. Train 5 members to take roles during gatherings

A team of coaches and experienced community builders will lead this cohort from start to finish, providing support in three key ways:

1. Weekly Calls - Builders will attend optional weekly VillageCore calls where trainings, skill workshops, and opportunities to check in are offered.

2. 1:1 Support - each Builder is assigned a Support Team member and will check in with them regularly on their efforts

3. Inspiration & Acknowledgement - the team will provide incentives, fun events and activities, and celebrations of milestones as each builder moves through their goals

Builders will use our VillageCo Village Building Toolkit V1 in a co-learning project to see what works, what needs tweaking, and what we can improve for the next cohort.

A team of researchers will be following the work of the Builders and Support Team to understand the effectiveness of the Village Gathering Model at building connections within a community.  They will also assess modifications and deviations from the model and the impact on outcomes.

Most importantly, the research team will advice VillageCo work teams on how to improve the tools and model for the next cohort.