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Culture, unlike democracy, is self-propelled and self-propagating: it is persistent, in ways that democracy strives to be; it is effusive in ways that democracy should be; it is practical, as democracy must always be; and it is critical, in ways democracy is too often not. In these ways, culture’s strength and importance to civic life is that it runs through everything; it is the warp to democracy’s weft. The growing recognition of Indigenous wisdom about place and its management are important to acknowledge in any discussion of place-based work.

• Meet change-makers locally and internationally.
• Learn more about sociocracy, or train others.
• Experience a world of transformative practices.

The Shared Power Week is not a conference, not one event… but a week of events all around the world to foste

In contemporary Western culture it’s easy to romanticize communal lifestyles, just as it’s easy to mock them. Some proponents have sought to distance themselves from mockery or sensationalism through different branding. One reason many residents prefer the term “intentional community” is the departure from the baggage of “commune,” with its whiff of naïve, oversexed counterculture. However, terms can blur as boundaries do, within a communal home.

Networks of local volunteers, community groups, and individuals – known as local responders – play a critical role in the crisis response in Darfur (as in other regions of Sudan), providing essential services such as food, healthcare, and community support to those affected by the conflict. These include local mutual aid groups and Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) established at the onset of the conflict, among other structured efforts.

A groundbreaking initiative has been launched to tackle the housing shortage in Western Wisconsin, focusing on Dunn, Pierce, Pepin, Polk, and St. Croix counties. The new Housing Co-op initiative aims to provide much-needed housing inventory for families and individuals seeking affordable housing options in rural communities across the region.

In July 2023, early morning visitors to Baltimore’s Common Ground coffee shop found a sign taped to the door⁠.

During the summer of 2021, organizers with Bed-Stuy Strong, a Brooklyn-based mutual aid collective, realized that many of their neighbors were desperately in need of air conditioners. Mentions of hot apartments kept popping up in conversations at community events they hosted.

But then I watched that Philosophy Tube video. It began with the familiar rhetoric of “Nebula is owned by the creators who are on it”. But there was more. “50% of the equity in Nebula is distributed between the creators”. This was the first time I had heard a Nebula creator say the number 50% referring to ownership. “The other 50% is owned by the parent company, an agency called Standard”.

A ROSCA is an informal alternative to financial institutions that allows people to contribute and withdraw funds. They’re most commonly found in parts of Africa and Asia where there’s limited access to banks and credit unions.

On September 21st, Hudson Grocery Co-op (HGC) in Hudson, WI (on the St. Croix River, just 15 miles east of St. Paul, MN) celebrated its grand opening with its 1,000+ owners and entire community! After 11 years of organizing, HGC found a unique and powerful way to open their store - instead of building a new store to house their co-op’s mission, they purchased a locally-owned natural food store that was for sale, Fresh and Natural Foods, which had been serving the Hudson community for 17 years!

When talking about housing, detached homes and multifamily apartments get most of the attention, but more than 18 million Americans live in manufactured housing in mobile home parks—which are de facto the largest source of affordable housing in the United States.