How to Join the Bovina Collaborative for Community

If you have ties to Bovina, NY and wish to join this group, please complete the form below after reviewing and agreeing to the shared community agreements (see below). Once you have been added to the listserv, you will be able to send and receive emails with the group and learn about in-person meetings.

"Community agreements" are a collective vision of how we want to be in relationship with each other as community members. They are meant to ensure that everyone has what they need in order to feel safe, supported, and productive as we work and gather together. Unlike "rules," community agreements are not identified or enforced by an authority figure, but rather developed and upheld by the group.

Shared community agreements* in our work together:

  • Be curious, open, and respectful: call in, not out.

  • Together we know a lot: lean on the expertise and wisdom of all community members.

  • Assume best intentions, AND…

  • Acknowledge & take responsibility for any harm caused, regardless of intent. 

  • Lean into discomfort—it’s ok to disagree. 

  • Take Space/Make Space: If you typically talk a lot, be mindful to leave room for quieter voices, if you are typically on the quieter side, challenge yourself to take space if you have something to say.

  • Take the wisdom out of the room but leave the details/names unless permission is granted.

  • Challenge the status quo: When something isn’t working, look for alternative solutions.

  • Refrain from representing your views and actions as those held by the entirety of the Bovina Collaborative unless endorsed.

Community agreements are evolving. If you have a suggestion for how these can be edited or updated to better reflect our collective goals, please contact the BCC administrators. 

Please note that at this time elected officials may be engaged as honorary / ad hoc participants but are not included on the listserv.

*Community agreements are inspired by those used by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and Farm to Institution New England

BCC Submission Form