“We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been—a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power… Someplace where we can be free."
~ Starhawk
Consensus Model
Consensus evolved from the meeting process used by, among others, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). It is a nonviolent way for people to relate to each other as a group. Consensus allows us to recognize our areas of agreement and to act together without coercing one another. Under consensus, the group takes no action that is not consented to by all members. The fundamental right of consensus is for all persons to be able to express themselves in their own words and of their own will; the fundamental responsibility of consensus is to assure other of their right to speak and to be heard.
Consensus is the name of a broad category of processes - it is not the name of one particular process. The ideals of consensus are not a set of rules, and they encompass more than just decision-making. When we refer to consensus, however, we generally are referring to a set of rules for decision-making that are consistent with the idea and ideals of consensus. Successful use of consensus process depends on people's understanding the idea and wanting to use it.