Anti-Racism in Action Workshop with Crystal Farmer
2-hour Live WorkshopThe current times tell us that it's not enough to not be racist--we have to be anti-racist. Whether your community is residential or just a group of interested people, doing the work of anti-racism helps everyone be more inclusive and welcoming to people of color. In this online workshop, we'll cover how to do anti-racism work right where you are.
Conscious Communication Skills Workshop with Miles Sherts
2-hour Live WorkshopInterpersonal communication is the #1 skill needed to be able to thrive in an intentional community. Do you want to learn the essentials of conscious communication to be able to live and work with others productively? Strengthen your capacity for listening and speaking with compassion and clarity through challenging situations during this session with author, educator and intentional community founder, Miles Sherts.
Consensus Decision-Making Training with Yana Ludwig
2-hour Live WorkshopLearn how to make decisions as a community using the consensus method. Our guest facilitator, Yana Ludwig, has 24 years of cooperative living experience, including four community start-ups. Join this interactive workshop so your group can start making decisions with effectiveness and ease!
Branding & Outreach for Your Intentional Community with Cynthia Tina
2-hour Live WorkshopAre you wanting to attract new members, gain program participants and fulfill the mission of your community, ecovillage, cohousing or permaculture project? Get ready to re-think whatever negative associations you have with branding and marketing! This workshop will guide you through the initial steps of developing an authentic brand, honing in your niche, and creating an outreach strategy.
WORKSHOP | Anti-Racism in Intentional Communities
2-hour Live WorkshopNow more than ever, predominantly white intentional communities are recognizing how they perpetuate racism and white supremacy, and are looking for ways to change. What does this look like in practice? Join Sky Blue (former FIC Director) is joined by Avi Kruley (Co-Director of Community Well-being at Mount Madonna Center) for a deep look at anti-racist practices.
FREE EVENT | How to Build Community in the Digital Age
1-hour Live Talk with Q&AAre you wondering how to keep your community vibrant and connected now that so much of our interaction has to take place virtually during the pandemic? Get ready to learn from an expert community builder! FIC is honored to host celebrated author and consultant, Jono Bacon, for a talk on how to build community in the digital age.
WORKSHOP | Legal Basics for Intentional Communities
2-hour Live WorkshopGet your community project on solid legal footing! This workshop will cover some of the legal basics for starting or sustaining and intentional community. Join legal consultant, Clifford Paulin, for a both interactive and highly practical session.
FREE EVENT | Building Community in the Great Uprising
90-min Live Talk with Q&AJoin author, activist and educator Starhawk and community land catalyst Cassandra Ferrera in a timely exploration of what it means to build community in the Great Uprising. As the global movement for social and environmental justice gains momentum, our community building efforts seem ever more important. How do we align with the values of deep social liberation?
WORKSHOP | Sociocracy Governance & Decision-Making
2-hour Live WorkshopSociocracy is a governance system that supports healthy group processes. Sociocracy has a strong focus on equality and effectiveness and is used worldwide in a variety of organizations, particularly in intentional communities. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the basic concepts of sociocracy: how we make decisions, how we empower and connect teams and we can improve continuously over time.
WORKSHOP | How to Start an Intentional Community
2-hour Live WorkshopGet your community project started in the best possible way!
This online workshop draws on years of knowledge from community founders, and Yana’s own 23 years of cooperative living, including four community start-ups, to lay out the most important considerations for making a new intentional community a success.
WORKSHOP | How to Start a New Affordable Cohousing Project
2-hour Live WorkshopCohousing is community designed to foster connection. Physical spaces allow neighbors to easily interact with others just outside private homes. Common areas including kitchen, dining space and gardens bring people together. Collaborative decision-making builds relationships. Let cohousing expert and architect, Charles Durrett, walk you through the steps to make it happen!
How to Create Sustainable Communities
The next workshop in our series for intentional community starters and residents focuses on how can we create real sustainability in our lives, homes, and communities. Join communities expert, Yana Ludwig, for an interactive workshop focused on reimagining sustainability, beyond just the ecological dimension, with a curriculum developed by ecovillages all over the world.
Leveling Up Your Group Facilitation Techniques
Are you a facilitator ready to level up your game? Or just getting started with facilitating your group, community, or team — both in-person and online? During this short yet comprehensive workshop, Laird Schaub will walk you though the essential techniques you'll need to master to become a crackerjack facilitator.
Life in Community in the YEAR 2020
This is the first session in our new event series "Meet the Communities" where each week we'll invite representatives from several different intentional communities to join a live event to share about their community and answer your questions. This session will look at how intentional communities are responding to the challenges of this Year 2020 -- from a pandemic to protests, natural disasters to political divisiveness.
Intro to Intentional Communities & Community Living
What are intentional communities and what is it like to live in one? This hour-long session will introduce you to the world of intentional communities, including ecovillages, cohousing, shared houses, communes and more. Join FIC Co-Director, Cynthia Tina, for our foundation class that will prepare you for many more online workshops and events offered through ic.org.
Dealing with Classism & Economic Inequality in Community
Class dynamics are as sticky and historically challenging as race and gender dynamics, but there are fewer resources out there for individuals and groups who want to work on them. This workshop with Yana Ludwig offers a non-judgemental environment to explore questions of economics and class and how they relate to our efforts to build community, and a sustainable, resilient world.
Creating Agreements for Your Intentional Community
During this two hour workshop for community starters, we will explore the details of creating community agreements that are both clear and effective for your membership, with a specific focus on Buy-In/Buy-Out agreements. Join communities lawyer Clifford Paulin for an informative and important session!
Book Launch Party! “The Cooperative Culture Handbook”
The Cooperative Culture Handbook is now available to preorder. We are hosting a virtual launch party to celebrate with authors Karen Gimnig and Yana Ludwig. During the event, you'll get to learn about the book, experience a couple exercises from the book, meet the authors and get your questions answered. It's going to be a blast... so come join! Plus! Everyone who joins will receive a complementary chapter from the book.
An Exploration with Peter Block: What is Community Good For?
FIC is honored to host celebrated author and community builder, Peter Block, for an important conversation about the nature of community, at a time when so many of us are recognizing the value of community in our lives as never before. Together we will unpack the various jobs of community -- to raise children, provide safety, offer livelihood, care for our elders and more.
Navigating Sexual Assault in Community
Members of intentional communities are not immune to sexual abuse problems. And as intentional communities, we have a unique opportunity to navigate sexual assault with clear communication, empathy, and accountability. Join us and Amanda Rain of Speaking the Unspeakable® to develop shared definitions, clear community agreements, processes around accountability, and collective understanding of consent practices.
Economic Systems and Planning for Intentional Communities
Are you starting an intentional community and want to make sure you have your economic systems set up properly from the start? Are you part on an established community that's struggling with finances? Just curious about the different economic models that exist for communities? Join us and communities expert, Yana Ludwig, for an look at the pros and cons of income sharing, independent finances, community-shared businesses, and economic justice mechanisms.
How to Find and Join an Intentional Community
This online workshop is perfect for anyone who is dreaming about joining an intentional community and wants to get their search underway, with practical tools and guidance from FIC co-Director, Cynthia Tina. We'll look at common types of communities and design your community wishlist.
All are welcome to join this beginners session!
Discernment as an Essential Skill for Community Living
During this interactive workshop, Yana Ludwig and Karen Gimnig, will unpack why we need to develop our discernment skills to use for everything from membership processes to clarifying and balancing values to decision-making. Discernment is a primary theme of newly released Cooperative Culture Handbook. Learn about why it is an essential community skill and how to use it wisely.
Meet These Communities with Openings for New Members
Want to find an intentional community that has openings for new members? There is a community out there that's looking for you! During the second event in our new series, "Meet the Communities," we welcome intentional communities that have openings right now for new members to join us for a lively online event. We will learn about each community through presentations followed by Q&A from all of you.
Activism in Intentional Communities, Community in Activism
At a time of heated political and social tensions across the United States and around the world, we invite you to join us and community organizer, Emma Schoenberg, for a facilitated session exploring the intersection of intentional community and community activism.
Learning the Art of Listening – an undervalued game-changer!
Mainstream culture teaches us to be effective speakers. Listening, on the other hand, is often presented as meaning roughly the same thing as “be quiet.” The result is that we come into our groups without the essential skill of deeply hearing one another, and thus fall short of the level of belonging and connection we crave. During this workshop, Karen Gimnig will guide us through Key #1: Skillful Hearing from The Cooperative Culture Handbook to practice the essential art of listening.
Community Connect, an online networking event!
Community Connect is a fun and informative virtual coffee hour for people who love intentional community. Imagine a sweet evening in the common house, but online and with communitarians across the continent, and even the world. There will be opportunities for you to share about your project, community-themed games and networking activities. We hope to see you there!
#GivingTuesday Celebration with FIC Board and Staff — join the virtual party!
#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that happens every year on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s a day to recognize and contribute to the organizations you care about. Join FIC Board and Staff for a virtual #GivingTuesday party and help us reach our $5,000 goal to improve our online Communities Directory. If FIC has impacted your life in a positive way, we encourage you to join us!
Curious about cohousing? Meet these cohousing communities!
This is the third event in our new series, "Meet the Communities," where we have invited cohousing intentional communities to present what their life is like. Join us as for this session as each community gives a presentation and answer questions from all of you!
Returning to the Land: BIPOC in Conversation About Community and Self-Determination
Intentional Communities are the future of ecological and cultural sustainability. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have often been left out of the conversation but have been doing community for lifetimes. Join us to hear the voices of people working to reclaim the land and build community.