Free TorC Project by WildFamacy presents:
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today we are featuring “the Lab” and “Factory”. A Community Craft Lab is a space dedicated to shared working areas and materials, and sometimes includes access to fancy equipment. Lab-users craft everything from wearable doodads made from found objects, to 3-D printed objects, fine woodworking, or bicycle repair. A Craft Lab can be a place to work on your own project, offer an art class to the community, make stuff with kids, or produce your unique designs. A Factory, specifically, generates items (to be distributed). A community Kitchen could be a Factory, part of generating income for people and groups.
There are a few different kinds of ‘Maker-Spaces’ popping up around the world, mostly in major cities. Most of these are formal organizations that offer access to shared equipment and materials on a fee or membership basis. Some of them have extensive workshops for computer-repair or ceramics. (We hear there’s one in Albuquerque!)
At the Freedom School/Center/Willow Bend, our Lab is full of excitement! The point of a lab is to mix different things together. And boy, have we done that. We also have lots of paper, yarn, crafty odds n ends, fabric, and supplies for you to do your own experiments. This week we are making paper flowers for V-day, and continuing to beef up our 4 current Art Installations - which are available for viewing and “purchase”.
The sweetest Maker’s Spaces (in our experience) have places for people to gather and hang out. When creative people meet with other creative people, everyone’s art expands. Come on down.
By the way, our membership fee is $0.25 (25 cents). I have a quarter if you need one!
We Up-Cycle!
Love and Laughter,
~johanna
Stay tuned for our daily posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling (see yesterday’s post!)
Info Shop
Boutique, Consignment, and biz incubation
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways.
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today we are featuring “the Lab” and “Factory”. A Community Craft Lab is a space dedicated to shared working areas and materials, and sometimes includes access to fancy equipment. Lab-users craft everything from wearable doodads made from found objects, to 3-D printed objects, fine woodworking, or bicycle repair. A Craft Lab can be a place to work on your own project, offer an art class to the community, make stuff with kids, or produce your unique designs. A Factory, specifically, generates items (to be distributed). A community Kitchen could be a Factory, part of generating income for people and groups.
There are a few different kinds of ‘Maker-Spaces’ popping up around the world, mostly in major cities. Most of these are formal organizations that offer access to shared equipment and materials on a fee or membership basis. Some of them have extensive workshops for computer-repair or ceramics. (We hear there’s one in Albuquerque!)
At the Freedom School/Center/Willow Bend, our Lab is full of excitement! The point of a lab is to mix different things together. And boy, have we done that. We also have lots of paper, yarn, crafty odds n ends, fabric, and supplies for you to do your own experiments. This week we are making paper flowers for V-day, and continuing to beef up our 4 current Art Installations - which are available for viewing and “purchase”.
The sweetest Maker’s Spaces (in our experience) have places for people to gather and hang out. When creative people meet with other creative people, everyone’s art expands. Come on down.
By the way, our membership fee is $0.25 (25 cents). I have a quarter if you need one!
We Up-Cycle!
Love and Laughter,
~johanna
Stay tuned for our daily posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling (see yesterday’s post!)
Info Shop
Boutique, Consignment, and biz incubation
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways.
Free TorC Project by WildFamacy presents:
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today our featured module is the “Info Shop”! An Info Shop is a place to house and share a ‘community commons’ of relevant information. Info Shops generally offer a range of books, zines, films, and boards or binders for local networking. They often include a space to show movies and have discussion groups.
Info Shops tend to focus on information that is especially relevant to the healing and development of individuals and community (such as political/corporate resistance, eco-friendly life-hacks, and community organizing strategies), so it’s not like a public library that offers a full spectrum of entertaining media along with non-fiction. Not that we are against fun! But we want our fun to be relevant to this time and place, and be of no detriment to others, and ideally directly benefitting Life.
Info Shops often have an eclectic selection of self-published books, zines and pamphlets for sale or donation, as well as reference materials that can be used in-house or copied. They generally have space to post info on local events, services, and organizations, and compile resource listings that serve a healthy, local economy as well as marginalized groups and individual people in need.
Our mission to provide both inspiration and access to Regenerative ideas and Life-Ways is supported by our in-house Healing Culture Library. So far, we have a small collection of herbal and self-healing texts along with gardening, decorating, cooking, esoterics and psychology- including a few grief and play-therapy books. We are adding these elements to the existing spectrum of community care and direct support services offered by the original Willow Bend crew. And it is definitely a bonus that we have in-house a trained and experienced peer counselor and herbalist, and a practitioner of ascension/spiritual psychology.
As part of our focus on co-creating a regenerative economy, we are happy to help advertise your healing, up-cycling, inter-generational, and community offerings! We invite you to contribute some of your favorite ‘Healing Culture’ resources to the Information Commons for everyone to use!
The Medicine is already Free ~ Seek and You Shall Find!
Bringing truth and beauty to light,
~johanna, ~julie, and friends
Stay tuned for our daily posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling (see monday’s post)
Lab/Factory/Maker Space (see yesterday’s post)
Boutique, Consignment, and biz incubation
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways. These evolving, modular, social-enterprise spaces are centered in gift-economy, and intended toward serving Life.
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today our featured module is the “Info Shop”! An Info Shop is a place to house and share a ‘community commons’ of relevant information. Info Shops generally offer a range of books, zines, films, and boards or binders for local networking. They often include a space to show movies and have discussion groups.
Info Shops tend to focus on information that is especially relevant to the healing and development of individuals and community (such as political/corporate resistance, eco-friendly life-hacks, and community organizing strategies), so it’s not like a public library that offers a full spectrum of entertaining media along with non-fiction. Not that we are against fun! But we want our fun to be relevant to this time and place, and be of no detriment to others, and ideally directly benefitting Life.
Info Shops often have an eclectic selection of self-published books, zines and pamphlets for sale or donation, as well as reference materials that can be used in-house or copied. They generally have space to post info on local events, services, and organizations, and compile resource listings that serve a healthy, local economy as well as marginalized groups and individual people in need.
Our mission to provide both inspiration and access to Regenerative ideas and Life-Ways is supported by our in-house Healing Culture Library. So far, we have a small collection of herbal and self-healing texts along with gardening, decorating, cooking, esoterics and psychology- including a few grief and play-therapy books. We are adding these elements to the existing spectrum of community care and direct support services offered by the original Willow Bend crew. And it is definitely a bonus that we have in-house a trained and experienced peer counselor and herbalist, and a practitioner of ascension/spiritual psychology.
As part of our focus on co-creating a regenerative economy, we are happy to help advertise your healing, up-cycling, inter-generational, and community offerings! We invite you to contribute some of your favorite ‘Healing Culture’ resources to the Information Commons for everyone to use!
The Medicine is already Free ~ Seek and You Shall Find!
Bringing truth and beauty to light,
~johanna, ~julie, and friends
Stay tuned for our daily posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling (see monday’s post)
Lab/Factory/Maker Space (see yesterday’s post)
Boutique, Consignment, and biz incubation
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways. These evolving, modular, social-enterprise spaces are centered in gift-economy, and intended toward serving Life.
Free TorC Project by WildFamacy presents:
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today our featured module is… Social Enterprise! This means 1. working together 2. to meet our needs and generate funds 3. on a human scale 4. in alignment with our hearts and values.
We don’t feel stuck on modern ways of doing business that are rigid and costly to the human sprit. We choose to do things in a way that builds positive energy holistically.
Throughout most of human existence, people have worked together to bring in the harvest, house and clothe one another, and make decisions for their societies. Each one of us possesses specific talents and ambitions that would also be nourished in a healthy society. When people are thriving, this is all in balance with caring for the whole of society and the Earth-who-gives-us-all.
We have several methods for generating income by using and benefiting a collective space (currently we are fun-raising to cover rent and utilities), and for helping others make a living.
At this Changency, we offer a lot of ‘community service’ for free and donation, and monies donated through the Giving Tree do cover some of our expenses. One of the ways we generate additional funds is by selling stuff via our ‘Boutique’. We also offer a costume shop that is used for play and performance, with some items available for rent, loan or purchase. We offer consignment space on a donation basis, and accept donations for the tea and food that we share. We will also be offering education, comedy, and musical performances, and are currently incubating a forthcoming culture-change magazine, as well as several musical recordings made in our in-house studio, all of which we hope will generate some income for this project and individuals.
So, we don’t do only one thing to raise money. One of my favorite permaculture ideas is ‘multiple streams of income’. This means that we set up at least a few micro-businesses that 1. don’t take much overhead to set up and operate, 2. are mobile, modular and/or part-time, 3. fit with our definition of right livelihood (up cycling, promote healing and inspiration), 4. are satisfying to do, and 5. often can include friends.
Another aspect of Social Enterprise is Micro-Business Incubation, which is supporting community members who wish to create income streams for themselves. We offer mentorship, referrals, training, consultation, consignment space, and the option to collaborate with us through our informal ‘crafters’ & healers’ guild’.
By participating in some kind of collective or ‘guild’, creative folks may choose to market their goods and services along with others, to mutual benefit. In giving up a little autonomy, folks can save on time and overhead. Participants can on some days take guild-member items to market with their own, or promote our collective work online, and other days stay home with the kids and let other members sell everyone’s stuff. It does require some open-minded navigation to create clear agreements that are both flexible and solid, but it’s not rocket science.
By the way, we do not have a set percentage for consignment sales. We want everyone to make a lot of money, and in turn give back to this project in mindful reciprocity. We trust that the gifts we receive in exchange for the space and staffing we provide are just right for both parties. In a reciprocal economy, gifts are given based on need rather than merit. In contrast, if we make it difficult or expensive to participate, we aren’t really helping folks ‘rise up’.
Other Changency modules like the craft lab and factory fit right in with Social Enterprise. Some folks need a place to make the things they want to sell, or just would prefer to not sit at home alone. We also have access to a lot of materials for up-cycling via the Free Store.
The Changency* - a Model for Emergent Social Spaces
Today our featured module is… Social Enterprise! This means 1. working together 2. to meet our needs and generate funds 3. on a human scale 4. in alignment with our hearts and values.
We don’t feel stuck on modern ways of doing business that are rigid and costly to the human sprit. We choose to do things in a way that builds positive energy holistically.
Throughout most of human existence, people have worked together to bring in the harvest, house and clothe one another, and make decisions for their societies. Each one of us possesses specific talents and ambitions that would also be nourished in a healthy society. When people are thriving, this is all in balance with caring for the whole of society and the Earth-who-gives-us-all.
We have several methods for generating income by using and benefiting a collective space (currently we are fun-raising to cover rent and utilities), and for helping others make a living.
At this Changency, we offer a lot of ‘community service’ for free and donation, and monies donated through the Giving Tree do cover some of our expenses. One of the ways we generate additional funds is by selling stuff via our ‘Boutique’. We also offer a costume shop that is used for play and performance, with some items available for rent, loan or purchase. We offer consignment space on a donation basis, and accept donations for the tea and food that we share. We will also be offering education, comedy, and musical performances, and are currently incubating a forthcoming culture-change magazine, as well as several musical recordings made in our in-house studio, all of which we hope will generate some income for this project and individuals.
So, we don’t do only one thing to raise money. One of my favorite permaculture ideas is ‘multiple streams of income’. This means that we set up at least a few micro-businesses that 1. don’t take much overhead to set up and operate, 2. are mobile, modular and/or part-time, 3. fit with our definition of right livelihood (up cycling, promote healing and inspiration), 4. are satisfying to do, and 5. often can include friends.
Another aspect of Social Enterprise is Micro-Business Incubation, which is supporting community members who wish to create income streams for themselves. We offer mentorship, referrals, training, consultation, consignment space, and the option to collaborate with us through our informal ‘crafters’ & healers’ guild’.
By participating in some kind of collective or ‘guild’, creative folks may choose to market their goods and services along with others, to mutual benefit. In giving up a little autonomy, folks can save on time and overhead. Participants can on some days take guild-member items to market with their own, or promote our collective work online, and other days stay home with the kids and let other members sell everyone’s stuff. It does require some open-minded navigation to create clear agreements that are both flexible and solid, but it’s not rocket science.
By the way, we do not have a set percentage for consignment sales. We want everyone to make a lot of money, and in turn give back to this project in mindful reciprocity. We trust that the gifts we receive in exchange for the space and staffing we provide are just right for both parties. In a reciprocal economy, gifts are given based on need rather than merit. In contrast, if we make it difficult or expensive to participate, we aren’t really helping folks ‘rise up’.
Other Changency modules like the craft lab and factory fit right in with Social Enterprise. Some folks need a place to make the things they want to sell, or just would prefer to not sit at home alone. We also have access to a lot of materials for up-cycling via the Free Store.
Our mission to provide both inspiration and access to Regenerative ideas and Life-Ways is supported by our willingness to work with anyone who shows up with some creative energy to make something great! This is another form of community care: that we don’t base our membership requirements on being able to out-compete others; rather we cultivate a culture of mutual growth and peace.
We are rather uniquely qualified for these kinds of intentional social experiments! Johanna in particular has developed over a dozen social enterprise business designs and has already initiated and operated a handful of them to generate income for herself and others in the WildFarmacy Project. These include the Driftless Herbal Exchange Network, in which farmers, wild-crafters, and students collaborate to harvest and dry medicinal herbs for sale. Tea for the People is a small collective that uses some of these carefully curated herbs in tea blends, ferments, and condiments that are both nutritious and delicious. Johanna has also co-managed a wholesale purchasing coop, a collective retail store, and an online regenerative goods catalog, as well as offering the coolest herbal apprenticeship program ever.
As part of our focus on co-creating a regenerative economy, we are happy to help incubate or advertise your up-cycled, home-grown, hand-crafted, inter-generational, and community offerings!
~johanna, ~julie, and friends
Stay tuned for more in our series of posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling
Lab/Factory/Maker Space
Info Shop
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
Community Care
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways. These evolving, modular, social-enterprise spaces are centered in gift-economy, and intended toward serving Life.
We are rather uniquely qualified for these kinds of intentional social experiments! Johanna in particular has developed over a dozen social enterprise business designs and has already initiated and operated a handful of them to generate income for herself and others in the WildFarmacy Project. These include the Driftless Herbal Exchange Network, in which farmers, wild-crafters, and students collaborate to harvest and dry medicinal herbs for sale. Tea for the People is a small collective that uses some of these carefully curated herbs in tea blends, ferments, and condiments that are both nutritious and delicious. Johanna has also co-managed a wholesale purchasing coop, a collective retail store, and an online regenerative goods catalog, as well as offering the coolest herbal apprenticeship program ever.
As part of our focus on co-creating a regenerative economy, we are happy to help incubate or advertise your up-cycled, home-grown, hand-crafted, inter-generational, and community offerings!
~johanna, ~julie, and friends
Stay tuned for more in our series of posts on various Changency* modules, including:
Free Store & Up-Cycling
Lab/Factory/Maker Space
Info Shop
FOOD!!!
Healing Arts….
Pageantry - costuming, play, and performance
Community Care
* A ‘Change Agency’ (or Changency) offers its community Inspiration & Access to Holistic Life-Ways through a variety of pathways. These evolving, modular, social-enterprise spaces are centered in gift-economy, and intended toward serving Life.
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🔊🌱 @WildFarmacy • Wild Farmacy • IPR • Intuitive Public Radio pinned «Changencies Today by Thisone Jones»
A few favorite local plants
1. Downy Wood Mint (Blephelia)
2. Unmanaged (by humans) polyculture featuring Mullein and BES
3. Mullein
1. Downy Wood Mint (Blephelia)
2. Unmanaged (by humans) polyculture featuring Mullein and BES
3. Mullein