Cooperation Vermont is a sister organization of Cooperation Jackson, based in Marshfield, Vermont, and is the sponsor of the Marshfield Cooperative at the Marshfield Village Store. Cooperation Vermont is also one of the anchor organizations of the People’s Network for Land and Liberation, which consists of Cooperation Jackson, Community Movement Builders, and INCITE Focus.
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Description of the opportunity:
Goddard College is currently in a state of crisis, facing many of the challenges common to small liberal arts colleges across the country, and some of course that are unique. Over the last two years since the hiring of the current president (whose instatement was vehemently protested by students, faculty, staff and the alumni association) Goddard has been on a steady track for being sold or merged with whatever remains of the academic program. Most recently, a decision was made to cancel residency for the upcoming academic year, cancel all short term and event rentals, close the campus, and lay off all campus related staff as of April 1. Cooperation Vermont is actively working in solidarity with a group of students, faculty, staff and alums who are both trying to resist what are seen as draconian changes and have simultaneously formed a Cooperative College Collaborative to envision Goddard moving towards a democratic organizational structure.
On a parallel track, with solidarity support from this collaborative working group, Cooperation Vermont and the Cooperation Vermont Community Land Trust are looking to acquire the physical plant (campus, land, buildings) before other market forces do and permanently decommodify it as part of the CVT CLT. With the campus, CVT envisions the creation of a Just Transition Campus as a place of transformational learning, experimentation and community resilience. In addition to continuing relationships with Goddard – hopefully a Goddard that is a Cooperative College – to bring back their residency program, we would continue the leases with important community institutions that will have no place to go when their lease expire including:
Maple Hill School
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism
WGDR Central Vermont Radio and
Goddard Cafe
With the Just Transition Campus we would encourage and invite other organizations and organizing efforts that are also working on Just Transition related projects to join us in the space, work autonomously, but intentionally collaborate to start to weave together the various threads into a tapestry of community resilience and relocalization.
Cooperation Vermont itself would use the site to create a Community Production Center including a green fabrication lab, woodworking, metal working, etc. as a way of relocalizing production and creating the means to build affordable housing both on campus and throughout the state of Vermont.
We envision a thriving, living, learning and working place where art and culture are centered, community is both built and cared for, and we can demonstrate what a Next Systems model may look like.
Organizations who would be directly involved in the effort:
Cooperation Vermont and the Cooperation Vermont Community Land Trust will ground the project. Key supporting organizations are part of the People's Network for Land and Liberation (PNLL) and include:
Cooperation Jackson
Community Movement Builders
InCite Focus
In addition, people part of the US Solidarity Economy Network are ready to support the project.
And last, but certainly not least, there is an expansive local network of people who are Goddard Alumni and soon to be former staff who care deeply about this campus for all that it once was and could be into the future.
Relevant deadlines and dates
The campus is closing April 1 with no real plan to maintain any of the infrastructure or ability to secure the buildings deeply worries us. If the administration is looking to sell quickly, or they are not looking to do anything and have no plan – in either instance there is a considerable urgency for us to move to secure the property and make sure it's properly stewarded.
Donate Today!
You can make an online donation or you can write a check to Cooperation Vermont, please note “Goddard/CVT Land Trust” in the note so we can clearly distinguish where all funds should go. Mail to PO Box 127, Marshfield VT 05658
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