Shared Space Cleaning

Maintain the bond
Dissolve the bond
Calm
Organize
Take care
Deconstruct (oneself)

Goals:

This protocol enables the structuring of cleaning in a collaborative manner, thereby fostering collective responsibility (for a class in a higher education setting, a shared workshop, or cohabitation).

Participants:

Variable

Duration:

Au besoin

Required equipment:

Optionally, sticky notes and pens for the voting process.

Space requierment:

Any area inhabited by the group.

Requirements:

None

Preparation

The facilitator leads the group through the protocol, reading and then carrying out each point, one after the other.

Introduction

This protocol is intended for a group that shares spaces. Inevitably, the group is confronted with each member's varying degrees of cleanliness and tidiness requirements and needs. By accepting these differences, the goal is to find a way of living together that satisfies everyone.

Process

The goal is to structure the cleaning process into three levels based on the following proposal:

Level 1: Each person takes responsibility for maintaining what they themselves create in terms of mess/dirt/dishes, cleaning up, washing up, and putting things away.

Level 2: Anyone who notices someone not tidying up or cleaning up shared spaces can bring this to their attention, either through a predefined note or directly, by expressing that they feel disturbed by the mess and need a tidy space to function well.

Level 3: One or two people take turns each week, according to a schedule to be created, to clean the relevant shared spaces and items.

Discussion and Vote: The facilitator proposes to discuss the model and then vote on its acceptance, either in full, in part, or with new ideas that may have emerged during the discussion.

Notes

We experimented with this three-level system in a workshop at an art school. It allows for the sharing of responsibilities while building consensus. Every time we tried to remove one of the three levels, it became more complicated.
This is a model that can be adapted according to each group.

References

This tool was developed by the collective la colle.