Daybreak’s group process is designed to be both highly effective and deeply egalitarian. Our decisions are generally made by consensus.

Having a good process is of utmost important to us. We recognize that good process is a key ingredient for good decisions and for a strong sense of well-being among the group.

We are still a young community, and are trying out a few different processes, styles of communication, decision-making and meeting formats, so our process is in flux. Daybreak’s Process Team is committed to providing consensus and facilitation training and resources for our members, especially in the beginning phase, when we are engaged in evaluating and experimenting with what will work best for us.

In short, we believe that consensus leads to better decisions, and increased harmony within the community.

Consensus is different from other kinds of decision making because it stresses the cooperative development of a decision with community members working together. Since the goal is group unity, rather than winning a majority of votes, every member is considered important, and the community tries to listen to and respond to each person's needs and opinions.

A consensus decision has three essential ingredients:

• It’s made from the community's perspective.
• Everyone believes he or she has been heard.
• Everyone agrees to cooperate in the implementation of the decision.