01 Government: : View our governing policies

Alpha Farm

Work And Planning First Draft AF-C1

Even if we didn't have to "prove" ourselves to the old time neighbors through hard work, Alpha has been a hard-at-work kind of place anyway. The intent was not to come here to get away to a dream farm and live the easy life. The intent was to "change the world", starting right here with us--which calls for committed people.

Dandelion

Working Government DN-A2

Dandelion Community Cooperative Inc.

Article 1. General Plan

The community shall be governed by a body of the full members, advised by a board of three planners, and by as many managers as may be deemed necessary and appointed by the governing body, all acting under the guidance and limitations of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Cooperative.

Sandhill

Spirituality SH-B

SANDHILL FARM'S STATEMENT OF SPIRITUALITY

We believe in the existence of a spiritual force that is part of all life.
We believe in the equality of all people.
We are pacifists and reject violence in our lives.
We try to recognize natural cycles and balances, and to lead lives that respect them.
We try to lead lives which celebrate life, love, growth, cooperation, and simplicity.
We try to be open to the ways of others, for there are many paths that lead to good.

01-01-86
Appletree

Middle Ground Decisionmaking Policy AT-A4

This will, hopefully, be a short summary of the latest (Jan. 1, 1986) version of the famous Middle Ground Decision Making Policy Package.

Our present method is consensus. Consensus gives each of us great power to prevent things happening that we don't want. The other side of this lovely power, is that each of us has much less power to create things that we do not want. Middle-ground is an attempt to give each of us somewhat more power to create, by having somewhat less power to prevent.

31-10-07
Ganas

Direct Democracy GN-A2
Intentional Communities as Laboratories for learning about direct democracy

Thomas Jefferson said,

* "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion"

Most everyone agrees with Mr. Jefferson. Attempts at effective, universal participation in direct democracy date back to early Athens at least, and possibly to the first time homo sapiens stood upright. In the intervening years, countless groups, large and small, have had a go at it, but nobody has yet succeeded in making direct democracy work consistently, effectively, economically, humanistically and/or replicably. Few empower themselves to create cooperative worlds the way they want them. This seems so even when the world in question is as small as one couple, a few children, and several friends and associates. Self -disempowerment seems as widespread personally as it is politically. Perhaps this is true precisely because people everywhere tend not to be (in Mr. Jefferson's words) "enlightened enough." The mandate therefore is to "inform their [our] discretion." The catch is that Mr. Jefferson didn't say how to do it. I think it might be the responsibility of intentional communities to try to figure it out.

Alpha Farm

Governance AF-B2

"Government- N. 1. the authoritative direction and restraint exercised over the actions of men in communities, societies, and states..."

"Consensus- N. general agreement or concord." --The American College Dictionary.--

From the beginning it was clear that Alpha should govern itself by consensus, that is it should exercise direction and restraint through general agreement and concord. In that regard our form of self-government was borrowed directly from the experience of Quakers, or the society of friends, in organizing their business affairs over the past several hundred years.

01-03-93
Veiled Cliffs

Compiled Packet VC-A

Veiled Cliffs Community Compiled Package as of March 1993

04-04-87
Appletree

Bylaws AT-A2

BYLAWS OF APPLETREE COMMUNE, INC. (Accepted April 9, 1987)

01-12-84
Appletree

Draft Bylaws AT-A3

BYLAWS OF APPLETREE COMMUNE, INC (Dec 1984)

31-10-07
Twin Oaks

Bylaws TO-A1

Revised Bylaws of Twin Oaks Community Incorporated

01-01-82
Sandhill

Bylaws SH-A

Article I. Membership

15-09-83
Krutsio

Bylaws KR-A
BYLAWS OF KRUTSIO COMMUNITY

Approved initially and unanimously on September 15, 1983.

22-10-74
East Wind

Bylaws EW-A1

01.0
Articles of Incorporation, 22 Oct 74
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF A GENERAL NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION

11-10-81
Alpha Farm

Alpha Farm Cooperative, Inc. Bylaws AF-B1
(as approved Feb. 2, 1975)

03-10-86
Twin Oaks

Articles of Incorporation TO-A2

WORKING COPY OF THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF TWIN OAKS COMMUNITY, INC., INCORPORATING THOSE CHANGES MADE. 03 OCT.1986

RESTATED

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF

TWIN OAKS COMMUNITY, INCORPORATED

Dandelion

Agreements and Consensus DN-A3

Dandelion operates by means of agreements. When a person visits or joining, they commit themselves to abiding by the agreements that exist at that time, and they eventually, once they become full members, have a full and equal part in developing new agreements or changing old ones through our consensus process. (The By-laws also provide for decisions by a majority of the full members in cases where consensus cannot be reached, but in recent years this has not arisen.)

01-11-88
East Wind

Administrative Reorganization EW-A3

East Wind Community
November 1988

Goals:
1) More effective administration and increased ability to deal with change.

2) Increase the willingness to fill administrative jobs, of the people members most want in those jobs.

3) Expand the range of folks able to do well in these jobs.
4) Increase the emphasis on membership issues (recruitment, visitors, retention).