Status 9th March 2013
1. How can we contact you?
By phone: 07957 9239-030
Or via snail mail at:
Schloss Tempelhof eG, Tempelhof 3, 74594 Kreßberg
There is a lot of information on our website:
www.schloss-tempelhof.de
Please feel free to ask further questions not already covered by the website and FAQ at:
info@schloss-tempelhof.de.
Events are advertised on our website.
For a visit please email us first to ensure a compatible timeslot:
seminarhaus@schloss-tempelhof.de. Our guest service team will look after you and welcome you.
If you wish to support us financially, please contact: zukunftsanlagen@schloss-tempelhof.de
2. How can we support the project in a meaningful and sustainable way?
Option 1: You can contribute an amount to the Tempelhof Trust, thus safeguarding the community land – especially for our „forest project“.
Tempelhof Trust (charity)
GLS Community Bank eG, Account no. 8207975100, BLZ 430 609 67
Board of Trustees Chair: Harald Wutte 0821-700 1234
Option 2: Become a sponsor at the Tempelhof Incorporated Society and support our community projects by any monthly fee or donation
Tempelhof Incorporated Society (non-profit)
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Konto-Nr.:8781700, BLZ 660 205 00
Board of Directors: Tel: 0163-16 19 512 – Marie Luise Stiefel
Option 3: You support our Tempelhof-energy transition scheme. We are currently planning to generate our own electricity using photovoltaics and a manure-to- biogas plant. You can purchase a share and send us an email with your questions at:
zukunftsanlagen@schloss-tempelhof.de.
Our energy team will respond to your enquiries.
Option 4: You can sponsor young people who are involved in Tempelhof. Young people have a lot of passion and commitment and often lack funds. To do so, write to us at:
patenschaft@schloss-tempelhof.de.
Our team Ramona Pump and Pascal Suter look forward to hearing from you .
Option 5: With an investment of 1.000, – € you can become an investing member of the Genossenschaft Tempelhof eG. You can support our project by additional longer-term loans of 10.000, – €
Genossenschaft Tempelhof eG
GLS Community Bank eG, Account no. 8202 3985 00, BLZ 430 609 67
Cooperative Board: Tel 0179-91620 Roman Huber
3. How do I become an investing member?
Investing members support our project financially and morally. You are invited to attend events of the co-operative and other festive events. You are also invited to contribute to the event calendar with your input and ideas. However you remain a nonvoting member of the cooperative.
You are invited to support and follow the development of the ‘workshop for the future’.
4. How can I become part of the project?
Please enter your details in the respective web page once you have decided which area you are interested to look further into. You are cordially invited to register and attend our next information session. You will find the dates on the website referred to as ‘Events’.
To ensure a mutually agreeable and reciprocal start in your involvement, it would be important to look at the project in more depth working together in concrete and practical ways, getting hands-on experience on site will enable you to understand much more about your own interests and ability to support the project as well as its suitability for your needs. This will also enable people on site to get to know you more.
Please log in on the website under ‘Jobs’.
5. Can I still join?
Currently there are (already) 100 people living on site, 80 adults and 20 children. Many people are interested in participating in our ‘workshop for the future’. Unfortunately the available residential living space has now been filled.
New living space is planned in the next years under the project „Verbundene Lebenskreise“. If you are interested, please contact judith.goldblat@googlemail.com
We recommend any interested parties to come forward as soon as possible because our approach phase time is at least one year . This would enable you to work alongside our existing project groups supporting the project so that we can get to know each other better.
Some interested parties have rented flats nearby and are now working with us and taking part in other daily groups. This is a another way to get involved.
Also, as there are always changes going on there is always a likelihood of finding a place to live.
6. How much money do you need to join?
During the time of approchal you pay a deposit of € 30.000 as a loan . This enables us to continue to establish Templehof mortgage free. Once you become a full member of the Tempelhof Cooperative (Registered) your loan will convert to a share.
€ 20.000 of those € 30.000, will become a permanent and unredeemable contribution to the Templehof Trust. This will entititle you to have a right to a permanent rent- free residential space of 10 sqm and gives you a share in the project. Should one or both parties decide that joining is undesirable then the loan will be repaid according to the original loan agreement.
7. Could I live at the Tempelhof Cooperative just by paying rent and becoming a cooperative shareholder later on?
Every person who decides to become part of community life at Tempelhof needs to endeavor to contribute the necessary deposits. As we are at the beginning of the project we are very dependent on these funds for the purchase of land, reinstatement of buildings and further development of the site.
However, after consultation with our coordinating committee, the association deposits could also be introduced via fixed assets which are needed here or clearly defined sweat equity . These considerations require an agreement by the Village Board.
8. How can I finance my livelihood at Tempelhof?
Every person who moves to Tempelhof needs to be able to generate their own livelihood. We are also starting to develop a local economy within the cooperative, particularly in the areas of administration, construction, kitchen / catering and agriculture where a number of members are working and drawing an “income based on their family or personal needs”. It is our vision of community life that each contributes according to their abilities – and in turn gets their needs met.
9. What does the approchale phase signify ?
The time of “possible further and more intentional involvement” has a duration of 12 months.
During this time a candidate participates fully in the life of the community and is further expected to participate in at least six WIR process weekends. Furthermore it is expected that the centre of one`s life is at Tempelhof. Durnig this time the approching person has a full vote ! At the conclusion of this time there will be a consensus decision by all members whether full membership is conceivable at this point in time, should be delayed or might not be conceivable for either party .
10. Do you have a particular spiritual orientation?
As diversity is one of our visions and values, members come from different spiritual traditions. Virtually all major world religions are represented. Tempelhof considers itself to be an experiment on how differences can still enable us to work effectively towards common goals.
11. What is meant by diversity?
We don’t follow any particular dogma or ‘ism’ around here. Each member follows their own spiritual and cultural path according to their personal need, and we support each other in this pursuit. We are mindful to avoid any missionary tendencies or to disparage anyone’s personal beliefs.
At the same time we wish for a peaceful and socially harmonious life together rather than a free – for – all. This requires some basic rules.
Current and future villagers are invited to co-create our values, rules of conduct and future vision.
Our aims and objectives are consequently an expression of our real and actual social life, as it is led.
12. What is the Scott Peck (WIR) process?
The Scott Peck process is a method to facilitate community building, meet one another authentically so that we can be able to tackle conflicts consciously and resolve them . We have been practicing for three and a half years and have truly encouraging experiences with it. An important principle here is the All-leader principle, which means there is no one in power, no leader or other senior figure, but everyone is responsible for the whole.
13. Do you have to join the Scott Peck (WIR) process, if you live at Tempelhof?
Since the Scott Peck process (also referred to as „WIR process“ within our group), is our current community-building method, so each member at Tempelhof has to become acquainted with this process and is required to participate. We maintain that continuously working on ourselves and our relationships is necessary for the development of a peaceful social community . Over time, we want to try other community-building methods and experiments.
14. What projects are you implementing?
All the planned projects at Tempelhof live and flourish with the people who implement them and work with passion and commitment. We have no theoretical master plan, but give ample space to creative, entrepreneurial people who wish to implement their dreams, ideas and projects, and want to see them realized.
To date we have a building company with carpenter, a farm, a dairy, canteen, a market garden,network company, a tool grinding shop, a bakery and a seminar center. We plan in the next few months, a cafe, a health food store and various cultural events, as well as flea markets. Similarly, companies are being created in the health field. Additionally an office of a grassroots organization the association for direct democracy has taken office space at Tempelhof.
We are open to all projects that are consistent with our values and are oriented towards socio-cultural and spiritual change.
15. What is a „Solidarbetrieb“( cooperative based on solidarity )?
A Solidarbetrieb is a business created and owned by people from the community, built from a team and operated by these entrepreneurs / owner-shareholders.. Thus both the principle of self-initiative, as well as the principle of co-determination, is in a healthy balance.
The members draw an income based on and relating to their family or personal needs or work in an honorary capacity. Any surplus is channelled towards Tempelhof Cooperative (registered) to finance other projects. Our twenty hours monthly of community work are also benefitting such projects.
16. Do you have only such self-supporting cooperatives ??
There are many ways to finance your life style.
Some continue to work as self-employed , or sort of free-lance or are employed outside Tempelhof . Basically we aim to create a communal economy which can make the aspects of giving, taking and giving back more visible. However, we believe that this can only occur voluntarily and through our social interaction.
17. Do you plan to start your own school?
For 2013, a free or independent school is planned. Based on the theories of Montessori and Rebecca Wild. At the same time, the whole village will be an experimental field – Tempelhof as a village of schooling. At the same time it is important for us to interact with our local surroundings, to grasp the opportunity to work with local communities and to perhaps co-create with them as well as far as possible.
18. Are you vegetarians?
There are both vegetarians and non-vegetarians among us. The food in the communal kitchen is mostly vegetarian.
19. Do you keep animals?
We currently keep around 50 goats and 100 chickens on site. Besides our own farmed products and food from the garden we have a supply of cheese, milk, yoghurt and eggs for our daily meals in the cafeteria. Fifty beehives are out on the meadows around Tempelhof. There is no provision or facility for visitor’s dogs and cats.
20. Is there an Internet connection and and a phone landline at Tempelhof?
We have set up phone lines and high-speed DSL Internet access in almost all commercial and residential premises at Tempelhof. We do not use any wireless technologies, and we are working exclusively on fiber optic and copper cable to avoid electric smog