🧭 Expedition into community building

[Kath.PlanetHive]

I wanted to close the loop here after our first sensing call which I very rudely hijacked. See my explanation and apology here.

After some observation and meditation over the week, I can see three different (sensing) streams emerging.

within the SEEDS ecosystem
Apply the prosocial framework to harmonise value and work flow between DHO’s/circles.

1. Shared identity and purpose
2. Equitable distribution of contributions and benefits
3. Fair and inclusive decision-making
4. Monitoring of agreed behaviours
5. Graduated responding to helpful and unhelpful behaviours
6. Fast and fair conflict resolution
7. Authority to self-govern (according to principles 1-6)
8. Collaborative relations with other groups (using principles 1-7)

The Design Principles for Effective Groups of the framework are based on Elinor Ostrom’s 8 principle for managing a commons.

I could imagine that after Milestone 3 conversations (or maybe even as part of these conversations) a prosocial workshop might be helpful. And it might also bring life into both of your beautiful drawings @joaoestellita and @MaxVBohn.

Onboarding new SEEDizens/DHO’s/circles
Also include the prosocial framework; maybe as a webinar or other activities.

Research Project (?): Community building as an essential part of Social Capital (at least) when we look at our multiple capitals and value flows:

How does this resonate with you all?

[joaoestellita]

That sound really good Kath, i would love to see you participating on the Samara calls about the milestones and giving this brief about community building, i think would be worthy in this moment when we are creating this sensemaking with pol.lis inscluded…

[Kath.PlanetHive]

Thank you so much @joaoestellita for your kind invitation. I am glad this resonates with you. I just added the samara calls to my calendar. Sadly, they are all during my night hours, so I won’t be able to join. I deeply admire everyone who can join calls at 2,3 or 4am. As much as I wish to be able to support this crucial transition time aka milestone by joining calls, my sleep is one of the most essentials pillars to my wellbeing. I do a lot of visioning when I sleep; it’s exhausting at times so the little actual sleep I get is honey for my brain, heart and soul. (Don’t know why I had the urge to explain myself.)

I am happy to support any effort a-sync for the time being in the best way I can, if need to be. I haven’t had a chance to watch the Milestone session from last week, actually I couldn’t find it anywhere If you or anyone else knows where it is hiding, would you mind pointing me in the right direction. I am glad you mention pol.is; I think it is an awesome tool for collective sense-making. My observations re the milestone polis is that there are areas where SEEDizens are nicely aligned but then there are other areas where you can clearly see polarising groups based on their experience. I am afraid that if we don’t address these polarised areas, it will be extremely difficult for us to speak the same language and become a genuine community. Having said that I know my view point is from a very outside and narrow perspective and I hope my observation doesn’t offend anyone more closely involved in the milestone conversation.

[MaxVBohn]

I would like to see the prosocial framework in practice here.

Nr. 1 I would be interested in how that might be accomplished. I can’t see a good way without engaging everyone in such a process, not just the DHO’s since their identities and purposes in itself are not very clearly agreed on by everyone… at least in their expressions and actions.
It seems like the Mirco Level is already unclear.
SEEDS as a system still has to change a lot to really address the 8 principals on a supra level.
The Milestone and Governance discussions are at least moving to enable 2-4.

@anahealingwords and Irina are working on the DHO in a Box and I think this could help with Nr. 2

To 3. As I wrote in the community building points proposal thread I think Community Building will contribute to more then just Social Capital.

[Kath.PlanetHive]

Thank you @MaxVBohn I so can see your view points and love the direction you are taking.

I would like to see the prosocial framework in practice here.

As a very first exercise all SEEDizens who hear the call, could explore the ACT Matrix as explained in this video: What is the ACT Matrix? (Life Map Adaptation) - YouTube - this can be done on an individual level but also in groups. I would suggest that if this wants to be born that a ProSocial facilitator would hold space for the gathering(s). @twakefield14 and myself hold relationships with lovely people over on Earth Regenerator who might be able to support.

To 3. As I wrote in the community building points proposal thread I think Community Building will contribute to more then just Social Capital.

Yes I had your contribution in mind when I was wording Number 3. I am thinking of a mapping/brainstorming exercise to unpack Social Capital but I don’t really know how to go about it. Do think this would be a good next step? If so, we might need some help from the Miro Board Queen @anahealingwords

[joaoestellita]

@Kath.PlanetHive
resource :
Simple Templates for Great Communities

gov-booklet-MASTER.pdf

[MaxVBohn]

Today after the Milestone Roundtable Call I once again got reminded of how diverse SEEDS is. Something I saw from the first moment and I could see how many things vocalized in SEEDS doesn’t reflect it’s diversity.

There are different slogans out there like SEEDS - “Movement of Movement”, “Regenerate our Planet”, “Make our rivers drinkable again” etc.
They show clearly that there are different opinions of what SEEDS is or better shapes and colors we give it.

The Constitution as the compass is a good example where one could see the journey from a more fixed “safe the planet and be regenerative” theme to a “let’s thrive together” (though I still would prefer ‘flourish’ )

So I bring in my perspective, my shape and colors:
SEEDS is not a community and hopefully never will. Community has always meant coming together under a common unity that connects but also excludes - we are and they are.
This perspective is certainly not really the goal of SEEDS to keep alive.
SEEDS is not an entity with agendas, goals, moods or feelings of personhood.
SEEDS is an ocean providing a space for all sorts of entities to live, to flourish, to swim and be connected through the currents created by everyone’s movements within.

What I mean is, that I don’t see the possibility and need for SEEDS as a whole to become a community. It would require way too much effort (which it already does with only about 250 active people).
Rather when SEEDS is ready to be the ocean it will allow us by it’s nature to flow and be connected.

No framework in the world will be able to create community without trusting in the greater flow and connection. If SEEDS can create that in people that is all that is needed.

When it comes to organizations and adventure groups like the RE of course all the matrixes and frameworks are super supportive of that.
They just play on different levels.

[Kath.PlanetHive]

I couldn’t agree more @MaxVBohn I love the metaphor of an ocean.

Your write up reminded me a this question @DaYa asked about a month ago in this thread.

Are we building a network or a community?

My answer back then was (and still is): I would say we are building a network of many communities.

[DaYa]

Creating Community, definitely worth an Exploration Group in my opinion but not strictly related to a section of the GG. Could we consider meta topics to be explored?

[Kath.PlanetHive]

Oh I have so many Yes for your this morning It feels good! Thank you DaYa.

I still have @apostol’s words in my mind around that we cannot build a community. Very inspiring and thought provoking. Love it! This also brings me back to @Samara_StartupShaman forum topic Exploring Architects and Alchemist

We are Building + Developing ART+DESIGN+ENGINEERING with the code(x) of Wholeness. We do this by Researching new ways of Architecting movements that are creating our highest possible Future now. This is alchemical Facilitation that catalyzes our environments while Holding Space for our people’s evolution.

Reading Justin’s beautifully crafted sentences makes my heart dance and my gut is asking ‘is this our purpose’? My brain’s answer is ‘if this is our purpose then a genuine community is our outcome.’ Apostol is right; you cannot build an outcome. You can follow a purpose and develop processes towards an outcome but you cannot build it. I hope this makes sense.
The processes I see, involve prosocial groups within the entire SEEDS ecosystem, where architect and alchemist nurture emerging social niches, develop cultural scaffolding, and every SEEDizen not only feels a sense of belonging but also feels safe.

If there is energy for this kind of meta exploration group, I can see the following as a base to start from:

Purpose - We are Building + Developing ART+DESIGN+ENGINEERING with the code(x) of Wholeness.
Outcome - a genuine community
Process - Prosocial groups, cultural scaffolding, conversations people rituals

If you have a moment, please watch this webinar hosted by Joe Brewer from earlier this month: What IS Cultural Scaffolding? - Crowdcast

Who can feel energy for this?
Tagging some more lovely explorers: @anahealingwords @MaxVBohn @joaoestellita @Melanie @LaLaGardens @niki
Also tagging prosocial magician @keala 🧙‍♂️

[Samara_StartupShaman]

I just wanted to share another perspective of community, which is a Community DHO. Here is how Paulo framed it in his guide.

A community DHO can have multi-flavours as many as one can consider. But there are several characteristics that are important for a Community DHO to sustain the decision of a Community DHO.

Communities are frequently loosely couple structures. Meaning aspects such as membership, belonging, common action, relationships, interactions, and others can be minimal or inexistent and still one can consider the existent of a community. As an example: if we would define the Wikipedia community we would need to include any form and volume of participation, and it would be debatable if anyone using Wikipedia at a given time is part of the community or not.

For a community to become a DHO community some of these aspects need to become solid and effective.

Initial criteria:

https://guide.hypha.earth/link/114#bkmrk-need-for-governance%3A

1. Need for Governance: The community agrees on decentralizing Governance, has the need for an accounting system, and forces the establishment of common value flows.
2. Economic Dimension: Need for visible Value Flow, the community is active and willing to exchange value flows using the DHO Tokens.
3. The sense of belonging is defined: Participation is not loose but defined.
4. Community dimension and dynamics justify a DHO.

The community can be seen as an intermediary step to the Village or Bioregion DHOs.

---

A few other resources to scaffold a process to experience this outcome in alignment with purpose.

Community Canvas Guidebook
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_tka6jdN_sDuB06ZcQ5Urg6sr4dsfMA4/view?usp=sharing

FIC 2019 Pitch Deck on Intentional Communities (probably have a newer version)

FIC Pitch Deck - Public - 2019

SEEDS DHO Villages and Communities Deck

SEEDS DHO - Villages & Communities

Community in relationship with Agency and Venture

Keep Exploring!

[apostol]

For clarity reasons I’ll put up the quote I read here

@NoraBateson
You cant make someone love you
You cant force respect
You cant mandate care &
You cant build community

Please be careful with talk of building community.

Community is a consequence of many contextual relationships intertwining over time, more like a meadow than legos.
#WarmData

I think what @Samara_StartupShaman is sharing here is more like a company - an entity that has (for profit or non-profit) economic activity, governance and creative output than community in a sense of people coming together to be in continuous relationship, space holding, support, friendship etc. (that’s maybe something like a Sangha?).

I haven’t thought much about what a community vs non-community is, so my thinking here is a bit shallow. Hope it deepens with time.

[Kath.PlanetHive]

@apostol

For clarity reasons I’ll put up the quote I read here

@NoraBateson
You cant make someone love you
You cant force respect
You cant mandate care &
You cant build community

Please be careful with talk of building community.

Community is a consequence of many contextual relationships intertwining over time, more like a meadow than legos.
#WarmData

I so can see Nora Bateson point. Very valuable! Thank you for sharing @apostol

[DaYa]

I am saying YES as well but I also feel a warning here.

It is fine to look for models to hold on to but mostly we need to hold on to ourselves and the community.

I did not yet look into the prosocial model or if it is even a model but that is the first thing that provokes reaction in me.

Can we have a call on “prosocial” to get a better understanding what guidelines are proposed and structures should be in place. I can tell there is a lot of enthusiasm with you.

I do very much align with topics as value flows and capitals btw, definitely in the context of a currency.

Prosocial and Sociocracy are both buzzing and I don’t really know much about both of them but I do like the wording Prosocial Sociocracy because it makes my tongue tumble.

[DaYa]

I believe @paulo - Hypha is more talking about creating a network than a community or I might have a different about the words.

The Difference between a Network and a Community - Recknsense

I did not get through the full deck on intentional community as it is very long but It seems to dig into a lot of the same magic words as Prosocial. All these setups feel close to creepy to me. You can not “build” a community in that sense though I do see the utility of community builders. Just a badly coined term in my opinion. I am in essence not part of a social experiment or shouldn’t be while building a community. I can bring in different stages of community here (S. Peck). Pseudo community, Chaos, Emptiness, Community. And this cycle tends to repeat in Community building.

[Kath.PlanetHive]

Thanks for your YES and feeling of warning @DaYa

I wouldn’t see prosocial as a model but rather as a framework for us to learn how ‘to hold on to ourselves and the community’ - to use your beautiful words.

I will get a call on ‘prosocial’ with a trained facilitator organised. In the meantime and when you have a moment please take a look at this webinar: Learning About Prosocial Groups - Crowdcast - from the ‘Learning into Design Pathway’ journey on Earth Regenerators. I am interested to see how this resonates with you.

[DaYa]

Ok, the Joe Brewer crowd cast is on my to-do list for the weekend.

[LaLaGardens]

I’m not comfortable seeing ‘venture’ at the top of the pyramid. Too much of a funnel aspect which could be dangerous in terms of capital defining who can and can not play according to biases held within the ‘venture’ bottleneck. Am I misreading this architecture and how is it related to Paulo’s offering of community DHO guide?

[Kath.PlanetHive]

Thank you so much Justin. This is so so stimulating.

A whole lot of things I am taking with me to dive deeper. What caught my attention for now is the two kind of purpose; internal and external purpose.

Paulo’s framing is super helpful; especially the criteria and this one:

The community can be seen as an intermediary step to the Village or Bioregion DHOs.

@DaYa I think Paulo is referring to a community instead of a network, at least this is how I understand No 3 of the initial DHO criteria:

The sense of belonging is defined: Participation is not loose but defined.

In the link you shared, it is quoted:

The difference between a community and a network is that you belong to a community, but a network belongs to you.

Maybe this criteria could be a bit more explicit but in my understanding it is pretty aligned with ‘you belong to a community, but a network belongs to you’.

@LaLaGardens what an interesting point ‘funnel aspect’ with venture being on top of the pyramid. I share your discomfort, especially in combination with the word delivering. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have an urge to learn more about the Trinity and how it came into existence.

Thank you all for feeding my heart and my mind

[DaYa]

Maybe it is not essential to make the distinction between community and network. I think the idea that there are some distinctions to make is settled enough for now. A network belongs to you because you can enter and reject, you can sense the energy of the object. You belong to a community because you need the community and need to find alignment to thrive. You can sense the energy of the subject.