How to form a community? Otherwise known as a progressive movement.

Let's start with this example:  Associated individuals and Northeast Farm Access company advertises its mission to the public through its website and the media.  The message in its mission is that of a progressive movement, full of good intentions.  They offer 30 year farm leases to smallscale farmers.  Read that: 30 years, NOT 30 WEEKS.

The guarantee of longterm access to the land, which cannot be bought, is on the surface, a tempting lure.  It's also a compromise, if you don't do it, you the farmer may not be able to farm at all.  Those pitiful souls who have been in this critical situation, know the suffering of the landless peasant.  The deal is much more appealing and lucrative to the Company's investor/partners, than it is to the poor farmers.  After you crunch the numbers, it becomes apparent.

Michael Johnson GANAS would behoove us

GANAS Intentional Community: Michael Johnson, core member, painting coordinator. Michael Johnson is Quoted verbatim from a video interview on Ubraintv.com About why people are scared to communicate directly
 "WE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT WHY PEOPLE CAN'T TALK TO EACH OTHER, SO THEY CAN SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS THAT THEY NEED TO SOLVE IN ORDER TO WORK TOGETHER.  THEY HAD THESE EXPERIENCES IN WORKPLACES, AND VOLUNTEER PROJECTS, ETC.  AND SO THAT WAS WHAT WE DID FOR A VERY LONG TIME WAS TO REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEAR OF TALKING TO EACH OTHER HONESTLY."  cf. http://www.ubraintv.com/watch.php?id=740

It seems that one of the problems within the overall situation at Maybrook Lodge and Solidarity Farm (which is under the auspices of Ganas, as an early ally or customer/client of the farm produce) is the difficulty of communication, i.e. talking to each other honestly, without fear of doing so, or any other kind of overwhelming fear.   My name is Ahgamen, I will cite several examples:  Dominick is not present, he does not reside at Maybrook, which makes it difficult to communicate.  I have not communicated with him since the initial agreement phase.  I have experienced a variety of secondhand communications, nothing directly; obviously he has also experienced the same, it is mutual.  Any communication between Dominick and my family are indirect and secondhand.  Therefore, it is lack of communication, possibly obstruction.  Is it an instance of fear?  Maybe in the obvious meaning and also in an interconnected way, because the persons doing direct communication with Dominick do not want any other persons having communication.

That is a case of compartmentalization and a case of chain of command.  That's what it is.  That is the hierarchy.  That has been a part of the informal agreement.  However, only in the ideal scenario, it will suffice.  In times of trouble or dispute, it will not suffice at all.  Communications need to be opened.

I am sure that Michael Johnson and Ganas community were involved with exploring and figuring out exactly that issue with human interactions.  What did they find out?  Have no idea about that.  I do not know much at all about the findings of Ganas and what is entailed in their "matriarchy" or otherwise core group.

Another example of fear is the manner in which Tanyth and Richard and Permilla try to communicate with Michelle and Ahgamen and their family and Haum and Edmund and Michael etc.  They (the Solidarity farm gang of four) became so fear-based that they will not communicate, will not have meetings, will not have it recorded, and will not discuss anything rationally.  Their conclusion is to tell anybody else to just go away, just leave, just be gone, shoo, good riddance!  Is that communication or the fear of communication?

What are the categories that exist in the community, for codification in the cooperative by-laws

What are the categories that exist in the community, for codification in the cooperative by-laws?   These are all or most of the categories and subdivisions which do exist in and of the community; as of this initial review currently, circa June 2018, by Ahgamen.

By using the three columns, we can identify the status of each individual according to three aspects of interaction with the community.  By using the three or four rows, we can identify the status according to application, acceptance by group consensus.  Each and every individual will belong to multiple areas, at least one in the columns and at least one in the rows.  This is not a linear or one-dimensional perspective on our experiences; this is a multi-dimensional analysis, giving us a bigger picture of all the interactions and possibilities.

Let's take several specific individuals and find their position by using the diagram.
For example, Kevin S.:

Community category of Kevin S.

In the above diagram, the colourized areas designate what type is this individual.  Kevin is according to the first column: a resident, full-time.  He is in the second column: a worker, full-time.  He is also being paid and has decision-making with the funding monies.

Example #2, Nadette:

Example #3, Dominick:

Example #4, Valeria:

Example #5, Michelle:

Example #6, Katie:

There is a need for more exploration.  These are rough diagrams for informational purposes only.

Joining a community and cooperative

Hello friends and fans of Solidarity Farm at Maybrook Lodge,

Seeds are in the ground!

We are growing vegetables AND creating a partnership/cooperative with Dominik (the exisiting owner) working towards taking title ownership of the property by July. To this end, we had a successful first meeting with Dominik, Kevin and lawyer, Valeria A. Gheorghui, on May 11th. Kevin and Nadette connected with our beloved Jim Johnson (a friend of Ganas with expertise with cooperatives) and we look forward to consulting with him again, after a second meeting with Dominik and Valeria, where we plan to invite potential stake holders to the table.

According to Kevin:

“We need to find the right legal structure(s) that allows us to:

1) Own the land in partnership with the current owner in a democratic way - something that allows for his majority ownership stake (for now) while giving all shareholders equal voting, regardless of percentage of ownership.

2) Create sweat equity ownership opportunity

Some people involved will be equity owners but not workers, others will be equity owners and workers, and some will be workers but not necessarily equity owners at first, but maybe over time as the worker ownership share grows.”

If you liked us on Facebook - THANK YOU! Today we reached 100 likes - WOO HOO!

If you haven’t liked us on Facebook, please do!

https://www.facebook.com/SolidarityFarmatMaybrook/

Also follow us on Instagram: solidarity_farm

and most importantly

JOIN US!  COME TO THE MEETINGS!  VISIT THE FARM!

NEXT UP

1) NEXT FARM MEETING:

MONDAY EVENING  MAY 21, 2018

7 PM

Thank you to ELLERY HOUSE, an intentional community in North Bed-Stuy, for hosting the meeting!

ELLERY HOUSE

197 Ellery St, Brooklyn, NY 11206-5205

Agenda (TBD)

PLEASE RSVP

2) MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND OPEN HOUSE/CELEBRATION/POTLUCK AND BBQ

FRIDAY MAY 25 - MONDAY MAY 28, 2018

FACEBOOK INVITE: https://www.facebook.com/events/221352528641884/?active_tab=about

Share invite liberally!

People should feel free to come anytime, work, play, eat, mingle, bring food to share, bring drinks to share, bring friends or just bring yourself - WE WILL WELCOME YOU!

Saturday - Work Day

Sunday  - Potluck and BBQ

Informational Meetings - TBA

Potential Stake Holders Meeting - TBA

Tours - TBA

Spontaneous Dance Parties - TBA

Campfires - TBA

Music Jams - TBA

Carpools to Water holes - TBA

Solidarity Farm at Maybrook Lodge

5728 Route 209

Kerhonkson, NY 12446

Kevin: 347-820-2947

This will be a great weekend to visit and get involved, PLEASE JOIN US!

If you plan to make the trip up from the NYC area and do at least 2 hours of work, please note that Dominik has graciously offered to sponsor anyone coming up by bus, in order to support the use of public transportation. That means you will be reimbursed for your bus ticket.

There are buses from Port Authority via ShortLine: www.shortlinebus.com that go directly to Kerhonkson. One way fare is $32 and RT is $64. The "official" stop in Kerhonkson in the Sunoco Mart 6337 Rt 209. We had previously written that you can request that the bus driver drop you off at Maybrook Lodge, 5728 Route 209, THIS IS UNFORTUNATELY NOT CORRECT!

However, if you call Kevin, we can get someone to pick you up at the Sunoco Mart.

If anyone is planning to drive up, keep Nadette in the loop. So she can coordinate car pools and such!

If you want to spend the night at the farm, you are welcome! Let Kevin or Nadette know. There are rooms available or you can bring a tent.

We look forward to seeing you at the farm!

with gratitude and in solidarity,

Nadette and Kevin

Nadette Staša: nadette.stasa@gmail.com or 917-535-1989

or Kevin Skvorak: k.skvorak@gmail.com or 347-820-2947

Joining a community.  What's it all about?  It's usually more formally called an "intentional community"; but what does that mean?  Let's roll this back to the more general, the inherent need for basic community, for all human beings (if indeed it is a need, a required-necessity).

Community also semantically seems to be a word comprised of two words: common and unity. What do we have in common which unifies us as a group?

The academic etymology would be important to touch upon.  Let's start with the popular wikipedia source, although not to rest on its purported authority.  "A community is a small or large social unit (a group of living things) who have something in common, such as norms, religion, values, or identity. (and) ...a community is a group of people living near one another who interact socially." 

read more at the dedicated page, entitled the same...