Rules and Agreements

Just to give you a sense of what we'll expect, here's a little prediction of basic rules. These are subject to change, but will be in the same spirit and will be designed to provide a safe, clean, healthy atmosphere that nourishes and sustains Dreamers....so that they are healthy and centered enough to have plenty of fun, great adventures, satisfying accomplishment, and meaningful friendships with other dreamers. As long as the rules are respected, there will be no need to make an issue of them.

A few rules (like curfews, etc.) won't apply to dreamers aged 18+.

All the rules basically boil down to one: Take good care of yourself, each other, the staff, the house and grounds, and the neighbors.

More specifically:

	Join the Dream House only if you, personally, want to. (Not just because your parents think you should.)
	We will not have a required bed time, but (mainly for safety reasons) may require that members are home by a certain time unless special arrangements are made in advance.
	Do Your Chores on Time Without Waiting for a Disgruntled Person to Hunt You Down.
	Attend weekly house meetings, all goals and dreams workshops, orientation activities, closing banquets and activities, and possibly a few other required events.
	No illegal drugs/alcohol.
	Handle your conflicts with other people so we don't end up with a cold silent household. We'll provide lots of support.
	No sex at the Dream House. Not with other people, anyway.
	Follow common sense rules of courtesy and safety.
	Observe household agreements (see below).

Agreements may change each session, or even during a session, and are based on what the current members of our community want and need to feel healthy and supported. We expect each person not only to live by these agreements, but also to speak up and tell the group what they want in order to feel happy and healthy. The agreements will cover areas like:

	quiet hours, and the definition of "quiet"
	TV watching, music playing, and other potentially loud or intrusive activities in common areas
	bathroom sharing, shower schedules, etc.
	standards of tidiness for common areas of the house (the staff will establish a minimum standard, but members may want particular additional agreements)
	phone answering protocol

Consequences for breaking rules and agreements--We deal with each situation individually, and attempt to make consequences appropriate and fair. Please be aware that for any serious violations of our rules, we will involve parents in the discussion.

In extreme cases, if someone breaks rules repeatedly or in a way that the staff feels is detrimental to other Dreamers' dreams, we may send that person home, at their own expense, without any refund of fees.

If that happens--we hope it doesn't!-- we'll contact parents first to discuss travel plans. If no one is available for this discussion (via phone, email, etc.) and the situation feels urgent, we may make arrangements ourselves.

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Send mail to gracellew@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: May 19, 2000

Send mail to gracellew@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: May 19, 2000