Communes are societies comprised of people who cooperate to share resources, responsibilities and decisions. Communes can take different forms – from small group living arrangements like house sharing to larger rural communities with sustainable living practices in mind.
Most communes employ do-ocracy as the system of governance, where each member chooses his/her role and responsibilities without waiting for consensus to arrive. This method has proven more efficient than traditional meetings while offering greater scope for diverse perspectives to be expressed.
Build a Strong Community
To create a strong community, it’s crucial that members be honest with one another, while being transparent about all decisions and processes affecting them. Honesty builds trust, while transparency ensures it. Lastly, creating an environment of mutual support will allow your commune to thrive long term.
Starting small is key when starting any community initiative; consider gathering about 10-15 individuals and getting to know them well, with the goal of building trust between all involved. Once that trust has been achieved, ask people to invest their money or time in building the community through shared money or time investments – giving each member ownership of its development while further solidifying its foundation.
Strong communities feature clear boundaries and requirements for membership. Some communities may impose age or sex requirements in order to limit members from making inappropriate decisions; other organizations might implement ground rules which address matters like noise levels, food share arrangements and the use of common spaces.
Based on your goals, it may be wise to create or join an existing commune. Reddit capitalized on existing communities and used Harvard student as its base; Facebook leveraged Harvard student groups. No matter which approach is taken, focus on building one that matches up with your goals and values.
Decide on a Mission
Once your mission has been established, be sure to communicate it clearly to potential commune members. This will ensure everyone understands your goal and is on board. A clear mission statement can also help prevent disagreements from derailing the progress.
Forming a commune is an effective way to increase sustainability while developing lasting relationships and exploring alternative lifestyles. From small shared house communities with only a few members up to large rural settlements with several hundred, these communes come in all shapes and sizes – from growing organic produce for personal consumption or supporting social enterprises.
Most communes operate using a do-ocracy, an organizational structure in which individuals select their own tasks and responsibilities and carry them out independently. This approach is more efficient than consensus-based decision making as it facilitates faster decision making processes while still encouraging transparency and giving individuals freedom to pursue their individual goals without fear of repercussions from others.
When selecting your mission for a commune, keep in mind that success requires hard work. You must find space large enough for all members, establish an equitable system for sharing resources and assigning chores among them, as well as establish legal safeguards to ensure your community survives conflict or failure.
Find a pace
Most people associate the word commune with images of drug-addled hippies living together and sleeping on each others’ couches, though many modern communes feature diverse individuals from diverse backgrounds with similar goals and intentions. People live in shared spaces for emotional support, better amenities than they could afford on their own or to establish new ways of life.
Communes come in all sizes from house shares to entire communities, and most often adhere to an agreed-upon set of values and an exit strategy. An important aspect of any commune is vetting procedures; and having a legal document outlining what happens if someone’s behavior deviates from that expected by all group members can also provide peace of mind.
Ideal, all members contribute equally towards the costs associated with running their commune. This may include rent/mortgage payments, utilities bills, cleaning, maintenance costs and food expenses as well as creating a “fun fund” to pay for communal activities and more. Many communes also join federationss like Embassy Network or Haight St Commons which help coordinate activities and resources better.
