Discussion on the initiative will continue at one-day forums sponsored by the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday (Feb. 13) and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Tuesday (Feb. 14), where school teams comprised of a small group of coaches and administrators will be trained to create a school-specific implementation action plan to help reclaim the educational purpose of sports. Approximately 130 coaches and administrators representing 40 different high schools in Ohio are expected to attend the forum in Cleveland, while another 115 coaches and administrators representing 35 different high schools in the state and a few in Indiana and Kentucky have signed up to be part of the conference in Cincinnati.

In October, Ohio became one of the first states to launch this initiative, thanks to comprehensive funding from the National Football League Foundation. In the Columbus suburb of Dublin, the OHSAA, OIAAA and NFL Foundation hosted approximately 90 leaders in the educational and sports communities to discuss the initiative and plan for its implementation.

First piloted by the NFL in Colorado and Texas in 2015, the InsideOut Initiative encourages educational leaders, state athletic associations and local NFL teams to partner together to address the brokenness of the sports culture since, without intentional leaders, coaches and supportive communities, sports are more likely to undermine the development of the very character it claims to build. The initiative is engaging stakeholders in strategic conversation to re-define the role of interscholastic sports in the lives of students and communities.

This initiative is something that we have talked about for several years, and now were seeing it come to fruition, said Dan Ross, Commissioner of the OHSAA. This is needed in todays society and will help us reemphasize what the real purpose is of our interscholastic athletic programs, which is to provide educational opportunities. Were certainly pleased that the InsideOut Initiative is in Ohio and will provide guidance for our schools.

We are excited to engage key educational leaders and sports organizations from across the state of Ohio in a conversation that reinforces the purpose of education-based athletics, said Jody Redman, a former college athlete and current high school athletics/activities association associate director and co-founder of the InsideOut Initiative along with Joe Ehrmann, a former pro football player and current educator and the author of InsideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives. The goal is to win we play, plan and prepare to win every game but this isnt the purpose of education-based athletics. The purpose is the human growth and development of the inner lives of students and connecting them to caring adults in their school communities.

In addition to the OHSAA, OIAAA and National Football League Foundation, the initiative also has support from the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA); the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA); the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA), and the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA).

More details about the InSideOut Initiative can be found at http://www.insideoutinitiative.org/.

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Ohio Continues with Next Phase of InsideOut Initiative to Combat Win-at-All Costs Sports Mentality - Norwalk Reflector

For the last eight years, Nicolas and Rachel Sarah have been slowly weaning themselves off fossil fuels. They dont own a refrigerator or a car; their year-old baby and four-year-old toddler play by candlelight rather than electricity at night. They identify as Christian anarchists, and have given an official name to their search for an alternative to consumption-heavy American life: the Downstream Project, with the motto to do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.

As it turns out, exiting the system is a challenging, time-consuming, and surprisingly technical process. Here in the Shenandoahs and central Virginia, a handful of tiny communities are experimenting with what it means to reject the norms of contemporary life and exist in a radically different way. They seem to share Americans pervasive sense of political alienation, which arguably reached an apotheosis with the election of Donald Trump: a sense of division from their peers, a distrust of government. The challenges of modern politicsdealing with issues like climate change, poverty, mass migration, and war on a global scaleare so vast and abstract that its difficult not to find them overwhelming. But instead of continuing in passive despair, as many Americans seem to do, the people in these communities decided to overhaul their lives.

These communities show just how hard it is to live without fossil fuels, a government safety net, or a system of capitalist exchange. They struggle with many of the same issues that plague the rest of America, including health problems, financial worries, and racism. At the center of their political lives is a question that every American faces, but for them, its amplified: whether to save the world or let it burn.

Their answers are different, but they share one thing. Theyve seen what modern American life looks like. And they want out.

* * *

Communities like this have a lot of names, including homesteads, intentional communities, or income-sharing communities, which is really a way of saying commune. Louisa County, Virginia, is home to five such communities: Twin Oaks, founded in 1967, and its later spin-offs, Acorn and Sapling, along with two fairly new communities, the Living Energy Farm and Cambia. Taken together with the Downstream Project, which is located an hour or two away in Harrisonburg, these newer communities offer three rough models for what it means to create an alternative lifestyle in response to immense global challenges: to struggle at the edges of society, to remake it, or to build a haven for retreat.

A Radical Idea: Four City-Dwellers Share All Their Money

Unlike the rural communities of Louisa, Nicolas and Rachel Sarah explicitly wanted to build the Downstream Project in an urban context. (Nicolas and Rachel Sarah each have slightly different last names, in keeping with the Latin American tradition of Nicolass family. Their first names are used here for clarity.) Rather than rejecting mainstream culture entirely and living in the woods, theyre struggling to live as ethically as possible in the city, with a particular focus on environmental sustainability and energy use. But their approachengaging and educating, rather than retreatingmakes them particularly vulnerable to the challenges and risks of urban life.

The two 29-year-olds dream of buying land within a bike-able distance of the city so they can supply their homestead with fresh food, but have found the real estate prohibitively expensive. Harrisonburg has only a modest bus system, so its difficult to get around. Theyve had trouble recruiting people to join full-time; their project has mostly been attractive to transient, 20-something interns, several of whom have lived with them. What weve discovered in a big way is that you cant do this by yourself, even in a city, said Rachel Sarah. And you cant homestead by yourself if you have a family even more.

Perhaps worst of all, Nicolas recently injured his arm, which flavored our whole year, Rachel Sarah said. He had been planning to develop ways to make their own food and medicine. Instead, they had to pay for those things, along with medical bills; because theyre uninsured, theyve had to get financial assistance from hospitals and medical centers. In recent months, theyve made small but meaningful concessions, like using a crockpot to make dinners.

As theyve built their project, they have also found themselves caught between two worlds. Among people who are wanting to live the same lifestylebeing fossil-fuel freethere is a lot of push against Christianity, Rachel Sarah said. Its almost like anything is okay except Christianity, because thats oppressive.

When theres a Democrat in power, social-justice-minded people go to sleep, because they feel validated by what they hear on NPR.

The opposite is true at church: While some in their Mennonite congregation are open to what theyre doing, she said, theyve found little willingness among their fellow Christians to lift up climate change or the environment as theological issues. To them, though, the case for creating environmentally conscious communities is evident in the Bible. The story of the Jews was that they are emancipated, tribal slaves [who] went out and tried to start their own society, Nicolas said. Anarchism is in the story: Simple, small-scale organization of societies, not huge, hierarchical systems.

Theyre hopeful that Trumps election will spur more people to think critically about their lives. Times like this really awaken people, said Rachel Sarah. Since [the election], weve started to feel really hopeful. Trumps election left Nicolas feeling sick to his stomach, he said, but he sees an upside. When theres a Democrat in power, social-justice-minded people go to sleep, because they feel validated by what they hear on NPR, he said. The couple says theyre feeling more awake now, too. Trumps election is like a crescendo for the Christian anarchist call, Nicolas said. If we are citizens of another kingdom, and the empire is getting pretty ridiculous, it inspires us to take our convictions more seriously.

* * *

The folks at the Living Energy Farm are not as confident that their fellow Americans are ready to take their failures seriously. Among the people I hang out with, theres a fair amount of alienation from both the political right and the political left, said Alexis Zeigler, who co-founded the community with his wife, Debbie Piesen. We are not trying to change who is in office. You cant dictate a democratic society from the top. You really have to build it from the bottom up.

The Living Energy Farm runs on a different philosophy of alienation: If they can prototype alternatives to modern life, they believe, they can eventually remake the world. The community is located half a mile up a dirt road in Louisa County, which gave 60 percent of its vote to Trump in November; Charlottesville and Richmond are each 40 minutes to an hour away by car. Two couples and four kids live there permanently, along with a 20-something electrician, Eddie, who has been there about seven months, and a regular cycle of interns and travelers. Theyre farther off the grid than the Downstream Project: They function entirely without fossil fuels, and their home and seed-growing business are powered by a suite of firewood, motors, solar collectors, and other devices explicitly designed to be inexpensive and simple to implement.

We refer to it as neo-Amish, or Amish without the patriarchy.

In the summer, they cook with a small solar dish and a rocket stove behind the kitchen; theyre building a bigger dish, taller than a grown man, nearby. They hooked up an exercise bike to a washing machine and rigged a pair of old tractors to run on wood gas rather than gasoline, although they arent quite functional. They built their own food-drying room off the kitchen, where they process vegetables grown on their 127 acres, and they graft fruit-tree branches onto wild stems. We refer to it as neo-Amish, or Amish without the patriarchy, Zeigler said.

Theyre not religious; their goal is evangelization of a different kind. My intent is to get Living Energy Farm on its feet and try to convince people to live this way, Zeigler said. Recently, theyve been experimenting on their interns cellphones to develop battery-based chargers, which he hopes could be used in India or Africa.

The way we choose to live has far more impact in terms of our environment than any particular technology, he said. If Americans bother to talk about the environment at all, its usually in terms of a technological perspective. He thinks mainstream environmentalism is too focused on incremental reform and modest lifestyle choices, like driving Priuses. For us, the question is: How do I live comfortably with what renewable energy can do? If you ask it that way, you cant drive to D.C. and work in a cubicle, he said. But the environmental groups want to tell you that you can, because then youll send them donations.

The Living Energy Farm residents seem less invested in critiquing government than capitalism. We dont buy gasoline, and we dont pay anybody bills for energy, Zeigler said. Its not coincidental that this frees us from corporate dependence. For his part, Zeigler doesnt think government is inherently bad, and doesnt identify as an anarchist. (The problem with anarchism is not that the theory, in its ideal sense, is broken. Its that a lot of nitwits use that word, he said.)

The idea underlying the Living Energy Farm is that people can change the structure of society by changing the way they live. Without sprawling cities and single-family homes, powered by expensive electricity and gas-guzzling cars, there will be no need for high-level solutions like the Paris Climate Agreement. Their view is at least partly premised on apocalypseindustrialism is going to collapse, Zeigler said, matter-of-factlyand their work is meant to address that eventuality. Can we build a mass movement tomorrow? No, and Im not even worried about it, Zeigler said. But can we do that before we turn the planet into Easter Island?

It feels safer to be in a place where we have control over our water.

But even within such idealistic communities, not everyone sees the goal as engagement. Deanna Seay, one of the other Living Energy Farm residents, moved there last June with her two kids and husband, Misha Nikitine. He was interested in the politics, but she was mostly looking for an affordable way to live. I envisioned being remote, being able to keep to ourselves, not being involved in whatever strife is going on in cities, she said. She was glad to leave behind Boston and demonstrations like the ones that took place after Trumps election; shes also glad they now drink from a well, she said, because it feels safer to be in a place where we have control over our water. Hers is not a search for ideals, but for something tolerablesomething better than what was available elsewhere.

At Cambia, another, unrelated community in Louisa County, some of the members seem to have a similar impulse. A California-based couple, Ella Sutherland and Gil Benmoshe, started the community with their son Avni about a year and a half ago. Two othersAnthony Beck, who go by the names Telos, and another man called Gilgameshlive with them in their small house and nearby cabin; theyre building a barn out back, and theyve laid plots along a path through the woods where theyre hoping to construct more dwellings. Altogether, theyre looking for 10 or 12 people to join them. Cambians share their income, and their goal is to create an alternative to mainstream or capitalist society, they said. They fund their community in part through a small woodworking shop, where they make wooden spoons. They have a car, and get about a third of their food from grocery-store dumpsterstheyre freegans, Sutherland said, meaning they only eat meat and dairy if its going to be thrown away.

While the Cambians are dismayed by the election, it has mostly strengthened their conviction that they shouldnt be involved in politics. Im embarrassed to say that I felt like I had to vote, Benmoshe said. I dont believe in democracy, so I should have abstained. But I felt like it was really critical. Well, that didnt do any good. Even though they believe many people are unhappy within the current political and economic systems, they dont feel particularly called to engage in politics because of Trump. There are a lot of people who feel isolated, who feel violated by capitalism in various different ways, Sutherland said. We should be creating an alternative, and thats needed now more than it was needed before.

I dont want to be an activist anymore. It requires me to rub against the things that I hate too much.

Instead, most of their energy is directed at building their homeliterally. They follow practices called natural building, using materials like cob (a combination of clay, sand, and straw) to line their walls, and wood-based energy sources for heat. Their backyard is full of spare parts and fixtures, including a random sink and lots of wood; their free time is often spent on construction projects.

To some extent, theyre trying to spread their knowledge and their project. Theyre writing a wiki, nicknamed commune in a box, outlining legal and tax details for income-sharing communitiesCambia, it turns out, is both a commune and an LLC. They want people to be able to start new communities, tailored to their own needs; Cambia is not the model, they said, but a model.

That model, though, largely doesnt involve politics. I really should be working on a campaign to change the political structure of this world. Instead, Im working in natural building, Benmoshe said. I dont want to be an activist anymore. It requires me to rub against the things that I hate too much, and I get sad and frustrated. Cambia was not built to usher in a revolution. It was built as a refuge.

* * *

Intentional communities are, in their own way, historical projects. The original cities of refuge, found in the Bible, were havens for people who had committed heinous crimes. In early modern Europe, religious separatists transformed this idea, establishing towns where they could await the imminent coming of Christ, writes the Williams College art historian Michael J. Lewis in his book, City of Refuge. Great thinkers have long told of socialist paradises and philosophers have pondered distant, lost societies. In all of these communities, historic and present-day, utopian dreamers face the same question: Are they willing to engage at all in politics as they are, or do they wish to build the world anew?

Ironically, the deeply secular Cambia comes closest to those older models of religious separatism that Lewis chronicles in City of Refuge. The historic groups that most eagerly sought to escape the world were obsessed with building geometrically pleasing, architecturally non-hierarchical townsphysical manifestations of their deeply held values. There, in their isolated hamlets, they could experiment freely with social orders and norms, safely separate from the world.

Theres no escaping into your own little enclave.

Perhaps its unfair to look to penalize utopias for failing to offer salvation. After all, people who live in these kinds of communities tend to be more politically active than the average American, said Karen Litfin, a professor of political science at the University of Washington who has written about eco-villages around the world.

And perhaps these communities are not as immune from worldly flaws as they might like. For example: Many of them struggle to be accessible to people other than middle-class white folks. Sky Blue, a Twin Oaks resident who also serves as the executive director of the Fellowship for Intentional Community, said there are a lot of racial [problems] and racism that are embedded in intentional communities. Even despite good intentions, Liberal white people who have a desire for diversity dont necessarily understand what it means to be inclusive, he said. Theyre going to create culture in [their] intentional community that is going to be comfortable for them, which isnt necessarily comfortable for people of color, or people with disabilities, or people who are gay or trans. Ethan Tupelo, a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who lived at Twin Oaks before he began studying intentional communities academically, said residents talked about this issue a lot when he was there. Its a bunch of white people sitting around wondering where all the people of color are, he said. Its nice that youre thinking about that, but its also frustrating.

Tupelo sees a structural explanation for the inaccessibility of intentional communities: It takes a lot of cash to get off the grid. Even when starting a new community, you need the capital to do it in the first place if you want it to be a legally recognized thing, as opposed to squats, he said. As Nicolas and Rachel Sarahs experience at the Downstream Project shows, becoming untangled from capitalism also means becoming much more vulnerable. Its tough to imagine a comprehensive way of replacing health insurance, not to mention programs like welfare, in a world without government.

And then there is the tension between engagement and escape. In parts of the environmental movement, of which many intentional communities would consider themselves participants, the impulse toward escape can be powerful, and dark. In a 2012 essay for Orion magazinea piece Nicolas specifically recommendedthe writer Paul Kingsnorth argued that one of the things green-minded people should do at this moment in history is build havens. Can you think, or act, like the librarian of a monastery through the Dark Ages, guarding the old books as empires rise and fall outside? he wrote.

Were just these little workers building this giant cathedral.

Litfin said she doesnt think its possible for humanity to go back to medieval times, no matter how tempting that may be for some. In the Dark Ages, they didnt have the internet. They didnt have global travel. They didnt have climate change to any great extent, she said. What we have now is an embryonic global civilization thats totally ecologically, socially, and economically unsustainable. Theres no escaping into your own little enclave.

Some people use the term lifestyle politics to describe these communitiesthe belief that if you live your values, then you will be able to make effective change, or at least express your political perspective, Litfin said. I think thats a good place to start, but if thats where you end, you actually dont have much impact at all. In their own way, each of these communities is trying to change the world, albeit in small ways. Not everyone who seeks utopia is like Zeigler at the Living Energy Project, though. People dont necessarily want to remake the world.

The one thing everybody knows about utopia is that it means no place, Lewis writes. Whats less well-known, he says, is that the Greek word for utopia sounds the same as eutopia, a word with a different meaning: good place. For all their struggles, this seems to capture the aspirations of Virginias modern-day utopias. Were just these little workers building this giant cathedral, said Nicolas. Each of us is just chipping away at a little block. We dont even have the big-picture cathedral. But were doing a little block.

In the face of increasingly alienating politics and massive global break-down, perhaps this is enough: building a good place, better than most, where people can try to live.

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How Anarchists and Intentional Communities Are Reacting to ...

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Gary Carter remembers investigating Franklin County's first heroin overdose death in 1998.

The Chambersburg native saw the drug quietly take hold among a small group of residents in the early 2000s. The users and suppliers remained in the shadows for years until the narcotic powder became a less expensive high for people addicted to prescription painkillers.

"Now, it's really all over the place," said Carter, barrack commander for the state police in Franklin County.

Investigators say the increased availability and decreased stigma of heroin use may contribute to new users being less inhibited about trying it. Police are carrying medication to reverse opioid overdose effects and they are providing information to addicts about recovery support programs.

"The whole attitude of policing has changed," Chambersburg Police Chief Ron Camacho said.

Waynesboro Police Chief James Sourbier hears critics say police aren't doing enough about drug abuse in the region. He argues many people have a grave misunderstanding of the depth and breadth of the crisis.

"You cannot arrest yourself out of a situation like this," he said, saying police, doctors, social services, churches, politicians and schools all have roles to play.

Waynesboro police responded to 19 drug overdoses in 2014. Of those, five were classified as intentional and self-inflicted, four were accidental, seven were inadvertent, one was mixed toxicity, one was unknown, and one was inconclusive. Four of the overdoses were fatal.

The department responded to 36 overdoses in 2015. Twelve were intentional, three were accidental and 21 were inadvertent; of those overdoses, 17 involved opioids like heroin. Five people died.

2016 brought the department 47 overdoses, with 11 considered intentional, one accidental, 26 inadvertent, four mixed toxicity, two unknown and three inconclusive. Thirteen people died.

"I don't think we've seen the worst of it yet," Sourbier said.

Waynesboro's police chief believes drug traffickers from the Baltimore area are stopping for periods of time in southern Franklin County to take advantage of inexpensive apartments, social services and walkability of communities. He said some of those dealers continue north to New York.

Carter agreed that Baltimore through Hagerstown is a major thoroughfare for heroin. Still, he sees other supply routes connected to Harrisburg and Philadelphia via the Pennsylvania Turnpike, U.S. 30 and Interstate 81.

"We're easy access," Carter said.

Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogal, who established a multidisciplinary overdose task force, perceives fewer big dealers setting up shop in Franklin County. He is prosecuting users who are selling off extra inventory they obtained on short runs to metropolitan areas.

"It's less a business enterprise than someone who uses and buys a lot," he said.

Fogal is in the process of seating an investigative grand jury that will spend the next 18 months focused on heroin dealers and trafficking rings. The grand jury can issue subpoenas and compel testimony from reluctant witnesses, with that testimony granted confidentiality.

Pennsylvania law protects from prosecution, in many cases, the person who calls 911 about a friend experiencing an overdose. It also provides immunity to the person who overdosed. There are exceptions, including for overdoses that occur in businesses among the public.

Camacho said his eyes were opened to the reaches of addiction when the son of a coworker died a few years ago. Two decades ago, he never imagined he would be administering naloxone to someone suffering an overdose in hopes he could get that person connected with a treatment program.

He now emphasizes outside-the-box thinking and training to address opioid addiction.

"This is hitting everybody," he said.

"We realize there is no one thing that'll fix or cure this. It really does require a massive team effort," Sourbier said, saying he tries to provide resources to parents and grandparents concerned about their addicted family members.

Fogal spent years skeptical of the effectiveness of addiction treatment initiatives until he saw them producing positive results. Now, he's ensuring recovery and treatment specialists are at the table in the overdose task force.

"I don't accept failure," he said. "That said, I'm a realist and I know the challenges we face."

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Heroin hits home: Highways provide "easy access" for drug trafficking in Franklin County - Herald-Mail Media

The ski bum is extinct, resort worker Ian Johnson declared. This sentiment was echoed by many ski resort workers featured in my Catalyst article from two weeks ago entitled, Resort Reality: Ski Employees Face Financial Nightmares. In the past, a ski bum could work two days a week and ski five, while nowadays, most resort employees work five and ski two. The classic ski bum lifestyle is disappearing and the growth of mountain towns throughout the West is to blame. Johnson finds the exponential growth and the increasingly elitist nature of mountain towns unsettling.

An upcoming Colorado College-sponsored Sense of Place trip, Not Your Average Ski Trip, aims to educate the CC student body about the current reality. Last year, the trip took place over the weekend and was well attended by faculty, staff, and students. This year, a group will head up to Copper Mountain for a Block Break. Last year, for comparisons sake, trip attendees navigated the local transportation system. Public transportation often takes longer than driving straight into the sprawling parking lots that have become common features of most resorts. Johnson asserted that it is important for people to understand that there are sustainable options worthy of attention. The weekend included an opportunity to meet with the Green Team at Copper Mountain, a group that focuses on issues related to water. While water disputes are much more contentious in the summer months, securing water rights for snowmaking is a top priority for most ski resorts in the winter.

The 2016 trip had the opportunity to hear from Anthropology Professor Sarah Hautzinger, who provided a wealth of knowledge to attendees, mostly regarding real estate. Property prices in communities affected by expansion continue to skyrocket. As a result, skiing has become even more exclusive. When asked when things began to change, Ian Johnson said, Since the 1990s, the overall cost of skiing has gone up exponentially, creating an elitism I wish didnt exist.

This year, in Hautzingers place, the Office of Field Study brought in William Philpott, author of Vacationland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country. Those who choose to attend the Sense of Place trip will have the opportunity to speak with both Philpott and members of the Green Team at Copper Mountain in order to expand their knowledge of environmental issues surrounding Colorados favorite winter sport. The Sense of Place Trips are an amazing opportunity for students looking to learn more about Southern Colorado. Although the upcoming ski trip already has a long waitlist, the Sustainability Office organizes a trip each block. Creating an intentional space to reflect upon the impacts of our recreational activity is imperative. The Sense of Place Trips offer an opportunity for students and faculty alike to develop a conscious way to participate in outdoor sports.

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The Death of the Ski Bum and Intentional Tourism - The Catalyst

A Business Plan for Healthy Communities Hospitals & Health Networks Over the life of the program, Dignity has invested more than $180 million in loans and equity an intentional strategy to complement its community-benefit grants and other commitments. In 2015, ProMedica, based in Toledo, Ohio, began a pilot project ...

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A Business Plan for Healthy Communities - Hospitals & Health Networks

Editors note: This commentary is by Chris Wood , who is the director of BALE (Building A Local Economy), a community resource center for local initiatives in the White River Valley.

Intentional localization of production and all life-sustaining activity is key to our future thriving. This important work is joyous when done in community. There are many pathways toward greater local self-reliance and resilience. Pamela Boyce Simms, trainer for Transition US

I know that we care about these things and I am aware that we mostly feel powerless to change the way things are. I hear those voices that say making the kind of fundamental change really needed is far beyond the capacity of us here in our communities. The forces that drive the global economy to which we seem inextricably tied are both powerful and seemingly invisible. The system seems rigged against us, or at least against achieving decent lives for most of us.

Consider, however, that the global economic model that now drives much of the commerce, politics and culture of this world is really only several decades old. Even more importantly, it is human made. This means that if it was created by us, we can undo it.

True it wont be easy. The forces that promote globalization control most of the avenues of information to which people have access, and their propaganda saturates the media and internet. But the fact is that, not just where I live in the White River Valley of Vermont, but all over the world, there is a prevailing movement away from the structures of globalization. In Vermont, our local food systems transformation is helping to lead the way. And there is so much more that can be turned toward local capacity.

For me, 2017 is the year to powerfully advance the concept of localizing and reimagining the appropriate scale under which systems should work.

For me, 2017 is the year to powerfully advance the concept of localizing and reimagining the appropriate scale under which systems should work. I have worked with many others to help shape one organization that has consciously worked to advance a new narrative that runs in contrast to the old story. That new narrative is called localization. Our intention has been to create as many powerful locally driven and inspired initiatives as possible and to clearly speak our truth about what is at the heart of what we need to change if we are to survive. To that end, we offer this systemic solution a solution that, if strong and powerful enough, can build resilience against the forces of those familiar injustices weve internalized and tolerated for too long. Surely, its not the only answer because we need many, but its what will help build what I believe is a desperately needed new story of living on this planet.

The essential first step in this process is to scale down and localize economic activity with the goal of meeting our needs our basic needs in particular closer to home. This does not mean an end to trade, not even international trade. And it does not mean reverting to isolation or nationalism or tribalism, the counter-productive framework that appears to drive a Donald Trump.

As Helena Norberg-Hodge, executive director of Local Futures, observes: Localization is the real solution multiplier, with immediate economic, social and ecological benefits. By reducing the scale and reach of the economy, the environmental impacts of economic activity shrink as well. And the argument for localizing goes well beyond the environment. Among other things, localization allows us to live more ethically as citizens and consumers. In human scale economies, people are more connected to each other something that, as we are increasingly realizing, is crucial to our health and well-being.

It will take determined effort in localities everywhere to create or restore local knowledge and local democracy. It can be done. There are alternative energy co-ops to emerge, there is an ever-more powerful local food system that could provide good food to everyone (not just the well-off), there are localized transportation models to develop, there are cooperatives and socially aligned businesses to emerge in every sector, there can be credit unions with true community social missions, there are time banks and strong barter systems that operate outside the dollar economy, there are creative artists and craftspeople providing clothing and wares made from local resources. And, surely, there are hundreds of other initiatives that will emerge and inspire us.

To some, these ideas may seem relatively small and inconsequential, but just imagine that they are happening a hundred thousand times over in other communities around the world. Localizing done right that is, in an inclusive way offers the best path toward maintaining and building regional cohesion. And stronger communities, local economies, and greater self-reliance are all things that many people who voted for Donald Trump would support.

Localizing is a slow, patient path that requires trust, persistence and hard work. Such mundane work may sound boring in a time of political crisis and turmoil. But we do need to build a future that will sustain us and the rest of nature in which we can thrive even as the old story unravels.

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Chris Wood: Now more than ever localize! - vtdigger.org

Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog)

Pastor: We must build bridges between police and local black communities Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog) Police officers and other leaders are raised from the community. This means that we must be more intentional and relationally intelligent in connecting the divide that is happening in our communities right now. We value our police officers and the ...

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Pastor: We must build bridges between police and local black communities - Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog)

By University Communications

BOONE, N.C.Appalachian State Universitys student-led Alternative Service Experience (ASE) program has been ranked 10th in the nation for the number of alternative break programs it offered in 2015-16. The rankings were compiled by Break Away, a national nonprofit organization that supports the development of quality alternative break programs.

The ASE program is a service opportunity offered through the universitys Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) office, a volunteer clearinghouse on campus. The ASE program allows students to use their fall, winter or spring break to serve alongside communities through various domestic and international service programs. Service hours donated by Appalachian students in ASE programs during 2015-16 were calculated at more than 13,500.

Our students have deep commitment for serving the community through volunteer work and service-learning, Chancellor Sheri N. Everts said. Their work has been recognized by the Presidents Higher Education Honor Roll and the Carnegie Foundation for the Engagement of Teaching. Since 2004, Appalachian has contributed more than $22.3 million in value to the High Country community through our Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) program alone.

Out of 178 ranked institutions, the top 10 recognized by Break Away for most programs are, beginning with No. 1: University of Missouri, The Ohio State University, University of Connecticut, Central Michigan University, James Madison University, Vanderbilt University, University of Maryland-College Park, University of Georgia, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Appalachian.

Alternative Service Experiences serve as a catalyst for many students to enact positive social change in their own local communities, using the information learned on their ASE for application in a practical and relevant-to-them setting, Heather Jo Mashburn, assistant director of ACT, said. These transformational experiences encourage thoughtful dialogue and intentional service alongside communities, all skills that serve to strengthen the learning that takes place during college.

Appalachian organized seven international and 27 domestic ASE programs in 2015-16. Domestic ASE programs generally take place within 500 miles of Boone and stretch along most of the East Coast. International travel in 2015-16 included service programs to Ecuador, Nicaragua, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Peru.

Specific locations are not revealed until students have signed up, Mashburn said. Our programs are social issue-focused rather than destination based, she explained. This is a learning experience, not simply an opportunity to travel.

Ten or more of the 2015-16 programs focused on environmental issues. Other focus areas included people with diverse abilities, animal welfare, education, food insecurity, health, affordable housing, immigration and refugee resettlement, LGBTQ and gender equity, race and racism and youth development.

ASE programs are created and led by students, and participants are chosen by a lottery system. Scholarships are available for domestic and international programs occurring over spring break. Scholarships vary based on demonstrated financial need and cost of the program; more than $8,000 has been awarded for ASEs occurring this spring break. Course credit is tied to all international ASE programs, as is the student leader training that is required.

In support of Appalachians sustainability initiatives and in close partnership with the Office of Sustainability, the ASE programs are carbon neutral. Leaders calculate each programs carbon emissions generated throughout the experience, and the cost of the offset is included in that programs budget.

Mashburn said in an effort to improve the efficacy of the international programs, ASE incorporated an intentional language immersion experience. This was made possible through a collaboration with the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and its graduate students preparing to teach Spanish at the college level, the Office of International Education and Development, and a grant received from the universitys Quality Enhancement Plan.

The lottery for the spring 2017 domestic program was held Jan. 30. Almost 200 lottery packets were distributed with only 136 spots for students available. In total over spring break 2017, 198 members of the Appalachian Community will serve domestically, and 90 members of the Appalachian Community will serve internationally. Each ASE is led by two peer leaders, who are undergraduate students, and one faculty/staff member serving as a learning partner.

Appalachians Alternative Service Experience Program immerses students in a service experience in local, domestic and international communities. Its programs are created and led by trained student peer leaders and involve direct service alongside a community, purposeful reflection and relationship building with fellow students. All focus on a particular social or environmental issue with intentional education and reflection incorporated in each program. Learn more at https://ase.appstate.edu

Appalachian State University, in North Carolinas Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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Appalachian's Alternative Service Experience among nation's top 10 higher education institutions for number of programs - Appalachian State University

Ashley Bidenhas made her foray into both fashion and social entrepreneurship with a single venture, launched in partnership with flash-sale site Gilt during New York Fashion Week.

Its good news for grassroots initiatives in Wilmington communities and the entrepreneurs at their helms.

Biden, who has spent the past 15 years in social work and currently serves as the executive director of the Delaware Center for Justice, announced her new ventureLivelihoodin New York on Tuesday. There, the daughter of former Vice President Joe Biden and Second LadyJill Biden introduced what she called Americas coziest and sleekest hoodie to a room full of family, friends and collaborators.

The hoodies are produced ethically and sold exclusively on Gilt, but its the mission behind the brand that should catch the attention of Delawareans.Livelihood aims to be much more than socially conscious apparel its an enterprise that hopes to help create social equity in Wilmingtons underserved communities. Heres how:

From reflectors embedded on sleeves that catch sunlight with a raised fist to the Livelihood logo, everything about the venture looks to be intentional and mission-driven.

Youll notice in the logo theres an arrow [in the logo], and thats symbolic for two reasons, said Biden at the launch. One of those reasons is that between her brothers Beau and Hunter, Biden said there was a family joke that her name should have been arrow. The second, she said, was inspired more directly by the passing of her brother Beau in May of 2015.

I feel like I put my grief into art and into this concept. When my brother passed, life dragged me down and I had no other choice but to shoot forward, she said. The arrow represents my father, the three little arrows are Beau, Hunt and me, and mom is the rod that runs through us.

In addition to support from big names like Rev. Al Sharpton and musician Paul Shaffer(both of whom made appearances at the launch), Livelihood hasgarnered celebrity endorsements from folks like Ben Affleck and Bidens fellow Wilmingtonian, actressAubrey Plaza.

Mona Parikh, Ashley Biden and Patrick Callahan. (Photo by Tony Abraham)

Wilmington leaders came out in full force, as well. Well keep you posted on Livelihoods goals of boosting grassroots initiatives throughout the city starting in the Riverside projects.

Tony Abraham covers Philly's impact community as lead reporter for Generocity. A former Technical.ly reporter in Delaware and Philly, Tony also writes for Red Bull Amaphiko. Though he lives on his Twitter timeline, the Temple University alumnus calls Fishtown home.

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Here's what went down at the NYC launch of Ashley Biden's charitable clothing line - Technical.ly

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

There is an active and robust debate within community radio about what the First Amendment allows in relation to use of the public airwaves. One common argument is that freedom of speech means you can say or play whatever you want on the air. This is both legally and ethically wrong. Moreover, such a narrow interpretation misrepresents the very purpose of the First Amendment.

The First Amendment was designed to secure the separation of church and state, and protect the right of the citizenry to dissent. It was not intended to be a foil for propagating intolerance and hate in the name of expression.

I learned this from my father, U.S. Federal District Judge John Kane, who has served on the bench for nearly 40 years and is an expert in constitutional law. In the 1990s he traveled to Albania to help its leaders draft a constitution as their country emerged from the brutal dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. Under Hoxha, minor acts like listening to the Beatles or watching TV from a neighboring country could condemn an individual or whole family to internal exile or prison.

Today my father is mortified by what he views as the disintegration of our constitutional rights and responsibilities in the U.S. Still, he remains committed to his work upholding our civil liberties. Right now this includes ensuring a fair trial for two Muslim men who are being held on terrorism charges. He is in the trenches of upholding the dream of a healthy democratic society.

His work inspires me to stay in public media. I grew up on it. My mother helped found a community station in my hometown. I was interviewing students and mixing music shows by the time I was 16. Public media helped me connect the dots by providing a window to the world from my backyard in rural Colorado. It exposed me to artists, ideas, and information that were not available on the commercial spectrum or in my classroom.

The connection I see between the work my father does and my work in public media is democracys requirement that we all value ourselves as citizens. Public media cultivates that effort by functioning as a nexus that addresses each listener as a citizen first, and not solely as a consumer. That core service of public media is rooted in a deeper understanding of the First Amendment.

During my 10 years as a rural station manager, I walked a very thin line between leading a media organization and being a member of the community. I wrestled with potential and actual conflicts of interest, and mended fences when people made comments on our air that offended listeners. Radio can be a natural convener for community-level dialogue, but as broadcasters we have to be intentional about representing a diversity of voices without unleashing a level of discord that actually undermines civil discussion.

As a manager I responded to angry DJs who accused me of infringing on their free speech rights when I fulfilled my obligation to enforce FCC regulations. Sometimes this meant simply having hard conversations with people about rules; at other times it meant removing them from the air.

Regulations and operational standards governing public radio stations are spelled out in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 70 through 79. They are extensive and binding. If a station violates them, the FCC can revoke its license. When DJs are on the air, they hold that license in their hands in a very tangible way. If they endanger it with their actions or words, a resource that belongs to the whole community is endangered.

When DJs choose to volunteer (or not) for a community radio organization, they must comply with this framework. The role of staff members, including station managers, is to provide effective training that helps volunteers learn to harness the incredible power of the microphone. But staff must also take steps to prevent DJs and other volunteers from putting the stations license at risk.

Any regulatory framework should be periodically evaluated and revised, and FCC rules are no exception. For example, Section 73.3999(a) of the CFR prohibits broadcasters from transmitting obscene material, but the definition of obscenity is vague, open to interpretation and often unenforceable. I think this regulation should be revised as do many of my colleagues but such change cannot come from individual DJs disregarding the existing code. It has to come from an organized advocacy effort.

Theres also an ethical dimension to consider in understanding how the First Amendment applies to community radio. Staff and volunteers are stewards of a shared resource; we must be committed to a mission of serving the public interest. What we say on the air affects the communities we serve. Standards for how we talk on the air or debate controversial topics are necessary. They enable us to maintain the trust of our listeners while creating a pathway for effective collaboration within and beyond individual communities.

Kane

Today listeners have a plethora of media choices other than radio. Data suggest that they are increasingly turning to these other options. If I had a magic wand, I would pivot stations to focus more on elevating artistry, craft and commitment to excellence above the notion that whatever you broadcast represents an inalienable right to express yourself. It is not enough to just criticize our legal and ethical framework; we have to engage a community of practice that fosters accountability and constructive debate. Cultivating this among community stations is the National Federation of Community Broadcasters primary role. I am honored to lead that effort.

StoryCorps creator Dave Isay says, Listening is an act of love. Our listeners are giving us that gift whenever they tune into public media. Lets take it to heart, and take pride and personal responsibility for what we offer.

Sally Kane started volunteering at her hometown community radio station, KVNF in Paonia, Colo., as a teenager. She returned 20 years later as a DJ and board member, and later led the station as general manager and executive director. In 2014 she joined the NFCB as executive director, bringing her experience as a trained facilitator and nonprofit management consultant.

This commentary continues our series published in collaboration with the Editorial Integrity Project to explore the challenges to public media journalism in a deeply polarized civil society. The project, funded by CPB, is an initiative of the Station Resource Group and the Affinity Group Coalition to develop shared principles that strengthen the trust and integrity that communities expect of local public media organizations.

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To truly serve the public, community stations must apply standards for what's said on-air - Current

With executive orders from President Donald Trump already affecting immigrant communities, nonprofit social service agency Queens Community House is welcoming immigrants, providing essential services to all ages and promoting social reform. Queens is, after all, the most ethnically diverse urban area on the planet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

QCH wants to be at the forefront of making Queens a place of acceptance, said Ben Thomases, its executive director since 2015. People who harbored negative sentiments and were shamed into silence have recently started acting out, Thomases said. Our position is to help these people understand the pain theyre causing, he said. We will provide a safe space for those who feel threatened and address this increase in hate speech and crime head-on. This type of action is at the core of who we are.

Half of QCHs current population was born overseas and speaks a language other than English. Thomases now seeks a higher level of cultural competence among his staff and has become more intentional about hiring people who have the language and cultural skills needed to work with newer populations. As our neighborhoods have become more diverse, our programs have had to adapt to meet the needs of changing demographics, he said.

Each year, the settlement house serves 20,000 visitors from kindergarten through older adults. It also operates the only gay senior center in the borough. Youth services range from after-school programs to teen centers, including a break dancing center and an after-school drop-in center for LGBTQ students. For high school graduates, QCH offers programs in workforce development and is one of the largest youth employers in the borough. The nonprofit also operates the largest eviction prevention program in the borough, which handles a growing number of cases due to the citys current housing crisis.

Our human services sector is fragmented, leaving families in need struggling to navigate complex systems to find help, said Dennis Redmond, who has been the chief strategy officer at Queens Community House for more than 20 years. Our society is divided with a resurgence of hate speech focused on blaming people who are different for problems instead of coming together to find solutions. Settlement houses are an important response to both of these challenges.

Launched in 1976 as Forest Hills Community House with a staff of three and a board of local residents, it rebranded as Queens Community House 10 years ago to better reflect its 25 program sites in 11 neighborhoods throughout the borough. Today, QCH operates with a budget of $16 million and a staff of 350 full- and part-time employees, of whom 80 percent are recruited from within its community. Thomases holds a masters degree in business administration from Columbia University and served as food policy administrator in Mayor Michael Bloombergs administration. He also serves on the board of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition.

Most of our programming helps to meet fundamental individual and family needs, which transcend culture, so our basic program portfolio has not changed substantially, said Dennis Redmond, chief strategy officer at Queens Community House. About 20 years ago, (QCH) recognized the growing need for certain services, such as ESOL and immigration legal services, so we added them. The demand for these services far outpaces the funding for them, however, so we continue to advocate for greater support in these areas.

Our mission has always been about bringing neighbors together across differences, so responding to the changes, while challenging, is always an opportunity, Redmond said.

QCH staff makes a focused effort to engage with the entire community. When our staff observed Chinese residents traveling to senior centers outside our area, they invited them in and welcomed them into our programs, Redmond said. As a neighborhood-based organization, the trust we have built allows us to bring neighbors together, to help them see their common humanity, define shared interests and goals and begin to reweave the social fabric that has come undone.

Part of that reweaving involves forming creative partnerships. In November 2016, QCH partnered with Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens, which hosted a show of oil paintings produced by 14 talented retirees from its Pomonok Senior Center in Flushing. The exhibition was featured on NY1, and one artists work was solicited for showing in a federal building in Washington, D.C.

QCH also works to engage residents as change agents. When QCH took over the Pomonok Community Center 11 years ago, a community-needs assessment identified a lack of access to fresh food. Before long, a farmers market was set up on the premises with a produce bag program that continues to be run by local volunteers.

For 2017, Thomases plans to develop the Pomonok Community Center into a trusted community resource that offers a full range of services under one roof. The concept may seem simple, but implementation will require a concerted effort.

Ive worked at city government and understand how complicated life can become when families are seeking help and our staff has to refer them elsewhere rather than providing the answers, he said.

Consequently, the No. 1 challenge for QCH is finding and affording space. A lot of nonprofits struggle with rent, Thomases said. We want to keep all our programs under one roof and for that we need a roof and the resources to keep it over our heads.

Note: This story is the full version of an article that ran in this week's issue of our sister publication, City & State.

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Serving the most diverse urban area on the planet - New York Nonprofit Media

Over the past 20 years, I have asked Christians and atheists, poets and physicists, authors and activists to speak on air about something that ultimately defies each and every one of our words. This radio adventure began in the mid-1990s, when I emerged from divinity school to find a media and political landscape in which the conversation about faith had been handed to a few strident, polarizing voices. I longed to create a conversational space that could honor the intellectual as well as the spiritual content of this aspect of human existence.

The history of theology is one long compulsion to not, as St. Augustine said, remain altogether silent. The history of theology, and humanity, is also brimming, of course, with words about faiths unreasonableness and limitations. One of my favorite definitions of faith emerged from an interview with a Jesuit priestthe Vatican astronomer George Coyne, who quoted the author Anne Lamott: The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is certainty. I have thrown this line into more than a few erudite discussions, and it delightfully shakes things up.

That is all by way of declaring that I can offer only incomplete and humble observations to the question of what I have learned about faith, in my life of radio conversation and the life I have led alongside it. Faith is evolutionary in every culture and in any life. The same enduring, fundamental belief will hold a transfigured substance in the beginning, the middle and the end of any lifetime. So here are three things I perceive about the state of faiths evolution in our world and in American culture right now.

The new nonreligious may be the greatest hope for the revitalization of religion.

The phrase spiritual but not religious, now common social parlance, is just the tip of an iceberg that has already moved on. We are among the first people in human history who do not broadly inherit religious identity as a given, a matter of kin and tribe, like hair color and hometown. And this is not leading to the decline of spiritual life but to its transformation. One might even use the loaded word reformation. This is reformation in a distinctly 21st-century form. Its impulses would make more sense to Bonhoeffer, with his intimation of religionless Christianity, than to Luther, with those theses he could pin to a door.

Masses of airtime and print space have been given over to the phenomenon of the nonesthe awkwardly named, fastest-growing segment of spiritual identification comprising something like 15 percent of the American population as a whole and a full third of people under 30. I do not find it surprising that young people born in the 1980s and 90s have distanced themselves from the notion of religious declaration, coming of age as they did in that era, in which strident religious voices became toxic forces in American culture.

More to the point: The growing universe of the nones is one of the most spiritually vibrant and provocative spaces in modern life. It is not a world in which spiritual life is absent. It is a world that resists religious excesses and shallows. Large swaths of this universe are wild with ethical passion and delving, openly theological curiosity, and they are expressing this in unexpected places and unexpected ways. There are churches and synagogues full of nones. They are also filling up undergraduate classes on the New Testament and St. Augustine.

Nathan Schneider, a frequent America contributor, eloquently described to me during his interview on my show the paradox of his own spiritually eclectic upbringing and the depth of searching he and his peers engage when they encounter the traditions. He converted to Catholicism as a teen, attracted to the contemplative tradition of the medieval church and the radical social witness of people like Dorothy Day. But at Mass, he met many lifelong Catholics who appeared unaware of the riches of their own tradition and kept going with a kind of inertia. Meanwhile, among the unchurched, he found people who were grappling with the big questions. They didnt feel like they could really commit themselves to these institutions, but they were curious, and they were looking for something.

I see seekers in this realm pointing Christianity back to its own untamable, countercultural, service-oriented heart. I have spoken with a young man who started a digital enterprise that joins strangers for conversation and community around life traumas, from the economic to the familial; young Californians with a passion for social justice working to gain a theological grounding and spiritual resilience for their work and others; African-American meditators helping community initiatives cast a wider and more diverse net of neighbors. The line between sacred and secular does not quite make sense to any of them, even though none of them are religious in any traditional form. But they are animated by Martin Luther King Jr.s vision of creating the beloved community. They are giving themselves over to this, with great intention and humility, as a calling that is spiritual and not merely social and political.

There is a new conversation and interplay between religion and science in human life, and it has wondering (not debating) at its heart.

In the century now past, certain kinds of religiosity turned themselves into boxes into which too little wondering could enter or escape. So did certain kinds of nonbelief. But this I believe: Any conviction worth its salt has chosen to cohabit with a piece of mystery, and that mystery is at the essence of the vitality and growth of the thing.

Einstein saw a capacity for wonder, a reverence for mystery, at the heart of the best of science and religion and the arts. And as this century opened, physicists, cosmologists and astronomers were no longer pushing mystery out but welcoming it back in. Physics came to the edge of what it thought to be final frontiers and discovered, among other premise-toppling things, that the expansion of the universe is not slowing down but speeding up. It turns out that the vast majority of the cosmos is brim full of forces we had never before imagined and cannot yet fathomthe intriguingly named dark matter, as well as dark energy.

Meanwhile, quantum physics, whose tenets Einstein compared to voodoo, has given us cellphones and personal computers, technologies of the everyday by which we populate online versions of outer space. In turn, these immersive, science-driven experiences are renewing ancient human intuitions that linear, immediate reality is not all there is. There is reality and there is virtual reality, space and cyberspace. Use whatever analogy you will. Our online lives take us down the rabbit hole, like Alice. We wake up in the morning and walk through the back of the closet into Narnia. The further we delve into artificial intelligence and the mapping of our own brains, the more fabulous our own consciousness appears.

I am strangely comforted when I hear from cosmologists that human beings are the most complex creatures we know of in the universe, still, by far. Black holes are in their way explicable; the simplest living being is not. I lean a bit more confidently into the experience that life is so endlessly perplexing. I love that word, perplexing. In this sense, spiritual life is a reasonable, reality-based pursuit. It can have mystical entry points and destinations, to be sure. But it is in the end about befriending reality, the common human experience of mystery included. It acknowledges the full drama of the human condition. It attends to beauty and pleasure; it attends to grief and pain and the enigma of our capacity to resist the very things we long for and need.

Science is even a new kind of companion in illuminating this, the mystery of ourselves. Biologists and neuroscientists and social psychologists are taking the great virtues into the laboratoryforgiveness, compassion, love, even awe. They are describing, in ways theology could never do alone, how such things work; in the process, they are making the practice of virtues and indeed the elements of righteousness more humanly possible. The science-religion debate of clashing certainties was never true to the spirit or the history of science or of faith. But this new conversation and interplay born of a shared wonder is revolutionary and redemptive for us all.

The connection points I hear to monasticism and contemplation, nearly everywhere in the emerging spiritual landscape, are beyond intriguing.

The desert fathers and mothers, the visionaries like St. Benedict and St. Francis and Julian of Norwich and St. Ignatius Loyolathey all found their voice at a distance from a church they experienced to have grown externally domesticated and inwardly cold, out of touch with its own spiritual core. I see their ecumenical, humanist, transnational analogs among the nones. There is a growing ecumenical constellation of communities called the new monasticism with deep roots in evangelical Christianitya loose network around the United States in which single people and couples and families explore new forms of intentional community and service to the world around. And there are technologists hacking the Rule of St. Benedict to build open, networked communities beyond the grip of the internet giants.

Meanwhile, even as many Western monastic communities in their traditional forms are growing smaller, their spaces for prayer and retreat are bursting at the seams with modern people retreating for rest and silence and centering and prayer, which they take back with them into families and workplaces and communities and schools. As the noisy world seems to be pulling us apart, many people in and beyond the boundaries of tradition are experiencing their need for contemplative practices that were for centuries pursued by professional religious classes and too often missing from the lives of ordinary believers.

In so many ways, I see the new dynamics of spiritual life in our time as gifts to the wisdom of the ages, even as they unsettle the foundations of faith as we have known it. This is a dialectic by which faith, in order to survive, has the chance to live more profoundly into its own deepest sense than it ever could before. I have no idea what religion will look like a century from now, but this evolution of faith will change us all.

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Krista Tippett February 01, 2017 - America Magazine

By Chad FreyNewton Kansan@ChadFrey

HESSTON It has been nearly a year since tragedy struck at Excel Industries. Nearly a full year since an angry man went home, got a gun and started shooting at random cars in Newton before entering Excel and killing three people. He was shot and killed by police in one of the deadliest days in Harvey County history.

It is a day few will ever forget, even if they want to. It is a day, according to Brad Burkholder, that the community is still trying to recover from.

For the past year, people are dealing with it in different ways and are in different stages, Burkholder said. ... We are impacted in different ways, and we all recover at different speeds as well.

Burkholder is pastor of Hesston Mennonite Brethren church of Hesston and a member of the Hesston Ministerial Alliance. He and the alliance are organizing a night to remember that fateful day. The ceremony, called A Community Remembers: 'The Light Shines in the Darkness will begin at 5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Hesston High School.

The ministerial alliance purposely avoided the actual date of the shootings Feb. 25.

We decided not to do the day of, or the Sunday after. We thought it was important to gather before the actual anniversary, Burkholder said.

The Ministerial Alliance, Excel Industries and the Hesston Community Foundation teamed up to create the observance.

The observance is coming as the result of community requests people asking all three organizations when something would be done.

We got to the later part of (2016) and we knew we did not want Feb 25 to pass without something intentional, said Susan Lamb with the community foundation.

The service will include remembering the dead from that day Renee Benjamin, 30; Joshua Higbee, 31; Brian Sadowsky, 44, and Cedric Ford, 38. Also remembered will be those injured during the events.

There will also be a moment of hope offered.

We will have a commissioning. We want to remind people that as they go out in their communities that week we have an opportunity to meet people where they are at, Burkholder said. We need to acknowledge that there is pain and hurt. We all carry with us our past experiences. We know that not everyone who comes will have the same belief system spiritually, but we need each other.

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'A community remembers' coming to Hesston - Butler County Times Gazette

London - Picture the scene: its a glorious sunny morning, you stroll out onto the balcony of your self-contained, all mod-cons flat, to have a coffee in the sunshine. Your best friend, whos moved in next door, is out on her balcony so you have a bit of a catch up.

The two of you wave to some friends who are walking across the communal landscaped gardens below, on their way to a morning yoga class.

Popping downstairs to the concierge to pick up your post, you bump into another good friend who suggests you join her at the on-site private members club that evening and, as youre heading back to your flat, you encounter yet another friend who tells you shes off to the shops and asks if she pick up anything for you.

It might sound like utopia something many of us have fantasised about over a drink with friends but in a few parts of the UK its becoming a reality. Groups of 50-something empty nesters or singletons looking to downsize arent just hoping theyll get on with the neighbours, theyre moving in en masse, creating what have been dubbed "intentional communities".

Think of it as a university hall of residence only for grown-ups. You have your own space, but theres a community of people you already know living on the doorstep, and often a whole load of shopping and entertaining facilities besides.

Sian Sutherland, 55, is an entrepreneur who co-founded Mio Skincare and Mama Mio, a skincare company. She and her husband have bought a property within the redeveloped Television Centre, the BBCs former HQ in White City, West London, and she has convinced her brother, Nick, and three other friends and their families to buy flats in the scheme. When complete, the development, which opens in December, will include 950 homes, cafes, restaurants, a cinema, hotel and even a branch of swanky members club, Soho House.

"Were nowhere near retiring, but we do see this as the last home we will buy in London," she says. "It gives us the opportunity to be living in a vibrant area, where we can enjoy everything that the city has to offer, but within a real community of people you know and love. I love the buzz of living in a city but the anonymity can sometimes be very isolating. Now, Ive got the opportunity to create a close community of interesting, fun, creative people.

"I love the idea of being so close to friends, you can pop in for a G&T during the week."

For her and her friends, the community aspect is very important. She has been in discussions with the developers about a coffee shop run by and for the residents that her brother, Nick, will open as a bar in the evenings.

"I think weve become used to curating our social communities online, seeking out like-minded groups of friends on Facebook and other social media, and I dont see any reason that shouldnt translate to real life. Loneliness is a huge problem in society these days and I think thats partly because we dont have enough real human interaction. So, for me, living near to the people you want to interact with makes perfect sense."

While Sian and her friends are buying into existing developments, thats just one approach.

Across the country, older people are devising new ways to create their own communities, whether as has happened in a suburb of Cardiff by notifying their friends when properties close to their own come up for sale, or starting from scratch and commissioning architects to build dedicated housing and gathering other like-minded people along the way, an approach that is known as "cohousing".

Melanie Nock, 53, works for a charity and lives in a three-bedroom house within Laughton Lodge, Lewes, East Sussex, a converted hospital building set in 22 acres of land with a village hall complete with kitchen for communal meals once a week.

Melanie says: "Cohousing keeps me young. I have made friends Ill have for ever and love the fact that I can socialise with them at the drop of a hat. If I want a companion to walk the dog with or join me for a swim, I just have to knock next door no forward planning, no mobile phones required. This means I never get lonely, or bored if my husband is busy.

"I am still only in my 50s, you never know how things are going to turn out, so it is important to build a strong support network now for the future. I know that if I ever have to face a crisis later on in life for example, if anything happened to me or my husband there would always be someone to help here.

"You cant look to your neighbours to be your carers as you get older, but they will be there to give you a lift to town, take you to the doctor, buy you a pint of milk or simply for a much-needed chat."

Indeed, communal living is being hailed as a solution to the alienation and isolation many experience today, and its for this reason its become such an appealing prospect for so many people looking to grow old surrounded by the people they know and love.

"In Holland, in the 1990s they saw senior cohousing as a way of keeping older people happier, healthier and more independent for longer," explains Maria Brenton, UKCNs Ambassador for Senior Cohousing. "They introduced policies that would assist that and there are now between 200 and 300 senior cohousing communities over there.'

Daily Mail

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Want a happy old age? Get your friends to be your neighbours - Independent Online

Politicians from the local and state level are partnering in a new way to find out what issues are most important to Pittsburghs black residents and how to address them.

The Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition, which includes Allegheny County Councilman DeWitt Walton, Pittsburgh City Councilmembers Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess and state representatives Jake Wheatley and Ed Gainey, just completed its first project.

The group released its Peace and Justice Initiative report last Thursday, which outlines six key areas of concern within the citys African American community, including public safety, housing, family, business and education.

Walton said the issues are interwoven.

How can we better collaborate and coordinate better opportunities from community based and workforce opportunities? Walton said. And as a result, increase the per capita wage income of individuals, and as a result, youll increase home ownership. And a third result, youll increase public safety.

Waltonis one of five black elected officials who represent Pittsburgh at the city, county and state levels. The current terms of three of those five -- Wheatley, Gainey and Lavelle -- will expire in the next two years.

Wheatley, who represents the 19th district, which is majority black, said the group had a clear catalyst.

I think we started to see the explosion of young black men and women being killed by police officers, Wheatley said. And when we started to question, why is that happening? Its not just the criminal justice system, its a culture of neglect that weve allowed to continue. We have to address it in a holistic approach. We have to attack all of these areas, and figure out how we can fundamentally transform how we see view and transform these vulnerable communities.

Wheatley said this is the first time the five men have really worked together. In the past, there had been some tension and political rivalry. But he said to make an impact, you need to have functional relations at every level of government.

I understand the importance of having someone whos a friend or at least a confidant at the city level, he said. Because what we do at the state level impacts the city and what theyre doing at the city level helps inform what I need to do at the state level.

Lavelle agreed.

Currently in the Hill District, were dealing with new housing developments, but many of the dollars have come from the federal government and we also received state grants, he said. And that only happens when you have a close relationship with those representing you on those levels, that understand the vision and your goals.

Since there are so few black elected officials in the area, Wheatley said he feels a particularly heavy weight on his shoulders to serve his constituents.

Leadership has no colors, no gender, no income, he said. But there is a different pressure being in Pittsburgh, being an African American, and being in one of these elected offices, because all around you, you see men and women and children who look like you and are dependent on you to be their eyes and ears and voice. You see them suffering on most of the social and economic indicators. You see them suffering the worst.

From institutional racism to implicit bias,Lavellesaid the members of this coalition intimately understand the challenges facing the black community.

We know it. Weve lived it. Weve experienced it, he said. Even as policy makers, weve experienced it when weve tried to bring issues to the table that affect communities of color but dont necessarily have the ear of all our white colleagues to understand why this is so critical. I think the difference now is when we collectively stand up and being able to have a unified voice, I think will really be able to move the needle in a way that we havent in the past.

Wheatley said moving that needle will require bringing a lot of other people on board with their vision a significant task for he andGainey.

For example, me and Ed are two in a body that has 253 members, he said. So how do you build other members along to what were trying to accomplish to make the transformations on a state level?

Lavellesaid on their own, the five coalition members wont be able to make a tremendous difference on the realities of whats impacting people. He said support needs to come from the top down, but also from the bottom up within his own district.

Its an interesting conversation when I have residents Downtown complaining about broken sidewalks or needing street repair, Lavelle said. Ill often say to them, I understand the need for this, but if you help me increase the economic situation for those who are your neighbors in the Hill District, thatll grow the tax base, bring in additional revenues, to do some of these other things being done.

The coalition held community meetings across the city last year to ask residents what they want changed.Members agreed they each need to be more intentional about who theyre engaging across the community, with special emphasis on those most affectedby social and economic inequities.

The nonprofit Homewood Childrens Village gathered additional data and formed the report. It contained no specific policy recommendations, but members said plans in the pipeline could include legislation; approval from city, county and state leaders; and corporate sponsorship.

Link:

Coalition Calls Itself The 'Eyes, Ears & Voice' Of Pittsburgh's Black Community - 90.5 WESA

In 1993, Fr. Sean McGraw, C.S.C. and Fr. Tim Scully, C.S.C. received $5,000 from the President of the University to found the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) with the goal of preserving and spreading access to quality Catholic education throughout the country.

The core mission of the program is to provide a ray of hope through educational excellence to underserved children, Scully said in an interview.

Scully, who now serves as chair of the ACE Advisory Board, said the program initially began by training 40 recent college graduates nearly all from Notre Dame in education and sending them to teach in Catholic schools across the country, typically in low-income communities, as ACE Teaching Fellows.

Since its inception, the highly-selective ACE Teaching Fellows program now receives over 400 applications a year and selects approximately 90 graduates roughly half of which graduated from Notre Dame to participate in the program.

We live in intentional communities of four to seven people, Scully said. Were in 35 cities across the United States. These teaching fellows go out into their communities and teach in underserved Catholic schools for a period of two years, and they return to campus during the summers to receive a masters degree and accreditation and licensing as a teacher. I would describe it as an awesome leadership experience where youre giving your heart and soul away to needy kids.

There are roughly 180 ACE Teaching Fellows currently operating in schools around the country.

We started this effort in a sense because it was so difficult for some under-resourced dioceses and schools to find great teaching talent, and so were looking for very talented people not necessarily the highest GPAs and the highest GREs but were really looking for people who, in addition to native talent, just kind of bring a passion and a zeal for our mission, Scully said.

He said the program has expanded considerably since its founding, now managing several independent schools, as well as other programs.

Since we didnt have a department of education we had no ability to impart proper professional training to those folks, he said. At the outset we outsourced our educational training to our partner institution on the WestCoast, the University of Portland. They provided the masters degree for the first four years of our program.

ACE now runs 15 Notre Dame ACE Academies, fully staffed and funded by the Alliance.

[Since then] weve built the Institute for Educational Initiatives, which houses the masters degrees and the faculty, and so weve really built a pretty significant human capacity here at Notre Dame to provide professional training, today not just for teachers but for principals and for English language learners and for students who have special needs, Scully said. Its become a very large effort. Today were the largest provider of resources and talent to Catholic schools across the country. Were in one in every four Catholic schools in the U.S., mostly low-income schools and under-resourced schools.

Scully said that, under the leadership of the ACE staff, once-struggling schools are able to quickly recover.

For example, St. John the Evangelist [an elementary school in Tuscon, Arizona], which we took over 6 years ago, had 130 students and was about to close, serving hispanic students in the sixth-poorest zip code in the country, he said. Today that school has 450 kids in it. The student achievement scores have gone from the mid-to-low teens to the mid-sixtieth percentile.

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ACE program benefits low-income communities - Observer Online

Gov. Terry Branstad talks with reporters Monday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Des Moines. Behind him is Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend, and Marvin DeJear, director of the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families.(Photo: William Petroski/Des Moines Register)Buy Photo

Underemployment of minority Iowanswill be targeted by a special initiative of the State Workforce Development Board, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announcedMonday.

The board is establishing a subcommittee with a goal of reducing minority joblessness by at least 5 percent within the next five years, or bringing the minority unemployment rate to a position that matches the state average for unemployment,Branstad said.

Iowa's statewide unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent in December. But,according to the latest Census information,African-Americans had an unemployment rate of 14.2 percent, Native Americans had a rate of 11 percent, Asian-Americans had a rate of 5.3 percent (other Pacific Islanders had a rate of 13.6 percent) and Hispanic Americans had a rate of 8.1 percent. The statewide average in the Census data was 3.9 percent.

It is unacceptable that we have such a huge disparity between our average unemployment rate and the rates in our minority communities," Branstad said. "We must be focused in our efforts to address this issue, and the minority outreach subcommittee is the first step."

Marvin DeJear, director of the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families in Des Moines,said minorities are the fastest-growing segment of Iowa's population. He believesthe state can't wait to address the unemployment disparities between minorities and the rest of the state's working population.

"We have to be more intentional about their success," DeJear said.

Four counties have been identified as pilot communities:Polk, Dubuque, Black Hawk and Pottawattamie. These counties were selected based on having high concentrations of minority residents and unemployment rates, state officials said.

Listening tours will be held in the spring, which will provide opportunities for members and leaders of the communities to gather a broad perspective and identify connections and influences within communities, state officials said.A strategic plan will then be developed.The subcommittee will be chaired by State Workforce Board member Andy Roberts, who is business manager for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33.

The push for the initiative came from former state Rep. Wayne Ford, a Democrat who represented an inner-city legislative district in Des Moines.Branstad and Reynolds announced the plansat anews conference in Des Moines at the Evelyn K. Davis Center, which helps individuals achieve career goals.Thecenter is a partnership between theCommunity Foundation of Greater Des Moines,United Way of Central IowaandDes Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

Reynolds said the subcommittee's work will be aligned with the goals of the state'sFuture Ready Iowa Alliance, which seeks to have 70 percent of Iowa's workforce obtainingeducation or training beyond high school by the year 2025. She is co-chair of the alliance and said Iowahas a tremendous opportunity to close the skills gap inminority communities, while helping Iowa families find stable, good-paying jobs.

Iowa offers programs that are working," Reynolds said. "We need to do a better job of matching those programs and job opportunities to Iowans who are eligible to take advantage of them."

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Disparities in minority unemployment targeted by Iowa officials - DesMoinesRegister.com

Bree Langemo was a first generation college student who learned early on that an entrepreneurial mindset was necessary to achieving her goals. Langemo earned her undergraduate degree in Accounting from Minnesota State University - Moorhead and later earned her law degree from Ohio Northern University. After spending over a decade working in higher education, she is now the President of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI), a global thought leader dedicated to expanding human potential through entrepreneurial mindset education. Bree will be speaking at the GlobalMindED conference this year. I recently sat down with Bree to learn about her journey:

You are a first generation to college student. What inspired you to go to university?

I was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota to a stay-at-home mother and a father who worked for 30+ years for the United States Postal Service. Growing up, my father set the expectation that I would go to college, and he saved money to support me. In addition, I was fortunate enough to have teachers who believed in me, and that grew my confidence in my ability to do anything. I remember the first time I received straight A's and brought my report card home, my family was so proud, and that positive response was encouraging as well. It's important to have good mentorship and to build self-esteem in first generation to college students. It gives them the confidence that their goals are within reach, as my family and teachers did for me.

What influenced you to work in higher education?

My time as a teaching assistant in law school instilled a love of teaching in me, and I quickly became fascinated with individual students and how I could engage them in the classroom to support student success and learning. I fell in love with teaching and learning and helping individuals achieve their goals. I consider myself a lifelong-learner, and I firmly believe that, when teaching, you should be learning as much from the students as they are learning from you. Great teachers consider themselves facilitators of learning, not experts in classroom instructing.

Another thing that influenced me to work in higher education, specifically community colleges, was the access to education. I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to have an education and better their lives; therefore, accessibility is vital. Community colleges open the door for students to work toward their dreams. Working in higher education is not just a job; it is a huge responsibility to help those students fulfill their dreams.

When you were the Dean of Business, Public Service and Social Sciences at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, what did you do differently to assure the success of the students?

Pikes Peak Community College took a leap of faith in requiring an entrepreneurial mindset for developmental education students to help them succeed, without having the data to know if it worked. They were early adopters, and I had the pleasure of helping coordinate the first rollout of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program at PPCC. After years of leading or supporting student success initiatives, from mandating orientation, to redesigning academic advising, to being a co-campus lead for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Completion by Design grant, I came to believe that we could more quickly move the needle on student success if we could find a way to truly engage students from the onset of their education by focusing on their mindset and how to be entrepreneurial in their academics and in their lives. We saw immediate success, and that led to my transition to the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative. My career has always shifted to where I felt I could make the most impact. I came to believe that an entrepreneurial mindset is the foundation for student success, and I am now dedicating my career to working with educational institutions from K-12 to higher education around the world to instill this mindset in students. As the World Economic Forum states, we need to move entrepreneurship from the perimeter to the core of education, as all students will need entrepreneurship to thrive in the 21st Century.

What piqued your interest in GlobalMindED?

When I met you, it became clear to me that our organizations had a clear mission alignment, and the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative was a natural fit for GlobalMindED's entrepreneurial track. Both of our organizations understand that entrepreneurship is foundational to individual empowerment and growth and that bringing a global perspective into the mix is essential. After living in Colorado for five years, I believe that Colorado needs to be a global magnet for talent. GlobalMindED attracts people from the local, national, and international communities and brings them here to Colorado, which can drive economic development in our State. I think that the people of Colorado should support and care about the mission of GlobalMindED in effect to grow their own economy. I also was interested in GlobalMindED because my entire career has been focused on student success initiatives, especially with potentially at-risk students and first generation to college students. So, my interest was a combination of mission alignment between ELI and GlobalMindED, the potential for economic development in our State, and alignment with my own passion.

What unique challenges did you face in your academic career that you feel your non-first-gen peers did not?

I was fortunate enough to have financial support for my education from my father. Other first generation to college students may not be so lucky. That being said, when you are not exposed to higher education in the people around you, you really don't know what to expect. It is such a different world than high school. You walk into lecture halls with two hundred students, and a professor who may never know your existence, and that's hard. It can feel very impersonal. The large lecture halls, in my opinion, are a disservice to new students--to first generation college students, and to all students really. It does not promote a culture of connection, but rather one of isolation. Luckily, some universities lately have been focusing on cultivating a sense of belonging for students, which is critical to student success and persistence in those beginning days of college.

Having been in higher education, and now working in higher education, what opportunity for change do you see in higher education institutions?

The World Economic Forum has stated the need for entrepreneurship to move from the perimeter to the core of education. A lot of ELI's work right now is to empower higher education to do just that. At a time when entrepreneurship can feel like a fad, but when the world policy is wanting it at the core, higher education needs to do more than house it in the business department where students self-select in. It needs to be embedded in the thinking of the leadership, the faculty and the staff, and the students in order to truly see a shift. Furthermore, we need to redefine entrepreneurship in a way that anyone can embrace, because people don't understand what entrepreneurship is. If we can redefine it as a mindset, then we will have a common ground to start from. Ultimately, you will not see innovation in higher education unless you have entrepreneurial people to drive it. ELI works to cultivate entrepreneurial cultures by developing entrepreneurial mindsets at all levels of education - administrators, staff, faculty, and students.

You've achieved a lot in your career so far. Is there any advice you would like to give to first generation to college students?

Part of the entrepreneurial mindset is creating an intentional community of positive influence, which is the focus of Lesson 7: Community in the Ice House Program. You have to be intentional about creating a community of people that care about your success and help you thrive. Don't sit back and wait for them to come to you. There are going to be adversity and challenges, and that community of people will help you through those challenges. When I started college, I didn't have a sense of belonging. I wish I had been more intentional about creating that type community for myself earlier on.

In addition, first generation college students can be surrounded by negativity or unhelpful messages that may challenge why they are going to college. Creating a community of positive influence is even more important for first generation college students because they can be up against more adversity than the average student. So you have to put yourself out there and approach people. It will be scary at first, yes, but you will build the confidence you need. In the end, it is hugely rewarding because, ultimately, human connection is what helps us thrive.

Any closing thoughts you would like to address?

According to Gallup, 87% of employees are not engaged in their work--a colossal waste of human potential. The engagement issue starts long before graduates enter the workforce. From elementary to high school, student engagement will drop by 35%, which Gallup calls the student engagement cliff. If you can reach that untapped human potential early on, that is where students and employees will thrive and where they will flourish in school, work, and their lives. I hope one day the world will put all of us at ELI out of a job, because that means individuals, organizations, and communities are flourishing, and they will no longer need us. That is the world I want to live in, a world with highly engaged students, workers, and citizens.

Bree will be speaking at the GlobalMindED Conference this year, which is focused on access, equity and opportunity for first generation college students, underserved populations, those who work with them and those who hire them. The success of these students is a priority at the GlobalMindED Conference. Bree will be bring vital insight to the entrepreneurship track, which has been central to our success since we launched in 2014. Bree will be joined by Anna Ewing from the Colorado Innovation Network, investors who support women and minorities, Village Capital, Camelback Ventures, GSV Labs, the team from Watson University, and many others who are instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in those who need it most to succeed.

This Blogger's Books and Other Items from...

The Career Tool Kit: Skills for Success (4th Edition)

by Carol J. Carter, Gary Izumo

Majoring in the Rest of Your Life

by Carol Carter

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A First Gen Lawyer-Turned-Entrepreneur Pioneers New Standards for College Freshmen - Huffington Post

Residence Life and Housing is committed to supporting and complementing the academic program with the goal of creating a holistic environment that encourages collaboration, connections, learning, and personal growth. It is with this goal in mind that intentional housing communities were established.

Intentional housing communities are living spaces in which the residents have chosen to come together around a particular area of interest that will contribute to and cultivate the campus' culture of learning. They work together with a faculty or staff advisor to educate themselves and the larger community about their area of interest. Students who elect to reside in these spaces can expect to gain meaningful relationships with one another, lasting connections with staff and faculty, access to greater campus resources, and sense of pride in their community.

All IHCs are required to host two (2) educational initiatives each semester. An educational initiative can be anything that increases knowledge about the communitys area of interest. It can be hosting a discussion, creating a blog, screening a film, or displaying thought-provoking artwork on the Magic Board. The audience can be as large as the Five College community or as small as the IHC group. Once the event is over, the IHC must submit a IHC Educational Initiative Evaluation. Evaluations are due no later than one week after the event. The ability to continue these communities is contingent upon groups hosting these events, participating in administrative aspects of the selection process, and having continued demonstrated interest from the community. Any questions about planning or organization of educational initiatives can be directed to the assistant director of residence life, an area coordinator, or an RA. Questions about starting a new IHC or how to maintain an existing IHC should be directed to the housing operations office.

View Information Booklet (pdf)

Apply now

Applications for the current academic year are reviewed on a rolling basis as space permits. Applications for the following academic year will open in early March and close in early April (check the important dates and deadlines page for upcoming deadlines). Students may apply to multiple communities, but can only accept an invitation to one.All applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of current residents and the group's advisor. Invitations to chosen applicants will be sent via Hampshire email addresses. Upon receiving an invitation, applicants will have a specified timeframe (can be as short as 48 hours during the spring room choosing process) to respond confirming their placement or will forfeit the offer.

Art Creation and Appreciation Mod, Greenwich 37: A safe space of creation, existence, and self-expression. Through creation of art--film, poetry, music, sculpture, dance, etc.--residents express themselves without inhibition. Through appreciation of others' art, residents will examine subjective perceptions. Residents strive to strip away the concreteness of objective understanding, to recognize their inability to ever grasp fully someone's meaning, and look instead to appreciate the messiness of human interaction.

Circus Children Mod, Greenwich 33: An environment conducive to learning, sharing, and practicing the circus arts. Residents will bring their unique perspective and skill-set to share with the rest of the mod and the community. Residents will engage in circus as a tool for education, social justice, and for building patience and creativity.

Gender Justice Mod (formerly Women's Empowerment Mod)Enfield 66:The Gender Justice Mod is a space for building solidarity among and working toward the liberation of all those facing gender-based violence. Members share a commitment to developing an intersectional feminist praxis. Residents of and visitors to the Mod confront and challenge not only normative understandings of gender, but also of race, class, nation, and ability. We understand our struggle against cissexist heteropatriarchy as part of a broader struggle against all systems of domination, includingbut not limited towhite supremacy, capitalism, imperialism, and ableism.

Greenhouse Mod, Enfield 46: A place for growing plants and food, learning about environmental sustainability, and for events that bring the Hampshire community together. These students care for and maintain the Enfield Greenhouse.

Hampshire Basketball Mod, Greenwich 22: The goal of this mod is to broaden the interconnecting basketball community throughout the Five College campuses, show the importance of the basketball team, and bring together the community. Residents value community, healthy lifestyles, and hard work grounded in love and support.

Intentional Arts Mod, Greenwich 5: A space for students who feel passionately about art as a tool of expression, therapy, and/or activism. Residents are interested in how art can be used within these contexts and feel that art is an extremely powerful tool. The goal of this mod is to incorporate artistic practices and methods into the daily lives of the residents, and explore what benefits and drawbacks this holds.

Kosher Mod, Prescott 82: A Kosher living space. All students welcome to apply, regardless of religious affiliation. Unlike other IHCs, the Kosher Mod is an institutionally-designated space and students must re-apply each year to ensure we are meeting the needs of the whole community.

Middle Eastern Immersion Mod, Greenwich 9: A safe space for students to learn from each other, where students who study the Middle East can learn from Middle Eastern students and vice versa. All aspects of Middle Eastern culture is incorporated into mod life, such as language, food, holidays, and discussion of current issues.

Mindfulness Mod, Greenwich 7: A space where students will support one another to be mindful and cultivate moment-by-moment, non-judgmental, focused attention and awareness.

Natural Living Mod, Greenwich 35: A home for students to respect, utilize, and immerse themselves in nature as a way of life. Residents put their values into practice by using homemade and natural health remedies, supporting local farms and co-ops, and abstaining from artificial products and processed foods.

Politics and Food Mod, Greenwich 27: This mod aims to create a space for learning about different underrepresented cultures and communities. Residents foster an atmosphere of community learning through events which address specific issues centered around the history and politics of their own cultures.

STEM Mod, Greenwich 36: A space where students can share knowledge and discuss ideas related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They focus on developing a community committed to the advancement and appreciation of STEM in everyday lives.

Upcycling Mod, Enfield 55: A mod that will work to integrate art and sustainability in the Hampshire community, by educating students on the importance of reusing and repurposing, and organizing a series of sustainable art projects and events.

Living and Learning Communities are intentional housing communities that are open only to students in their first year at Hampshire, and must be applied for during the new student housing process.

Each IHC must select a contact person who will act as a facilitator and liaison with the HOO throughout the summer and academic year. This person will be responsible for communicating with the HOO and ensuring the IHC is completing all requirements. The contact person's attendance at an informational meeting each semester is mandatory.

IHCs are required to implement two educational initiatives each semester. During the spring semester, at least one must take place before March 1 in orderfor the IHC to be eligible to accept new applications for the following year. An educational initiative can be anything that increases knowledge about the intentional housing communitys area of interest and furthers the mission of the community. Past initiatives have included discussions, film screenings, art shows, open houses, and community meals. The audience can be as large as the Five College community or as small as the group. Residents must submit a brief evaluation form within one week of the event (a link to the evaluation form will be provided by the HOO via Hampshire email to all members of intentional housing communities). Evaluations will describe the type of event, how it was promoted, how it furthered the mission of the housing community, and how successful it was.

If spaces become available over the summer, the HOO, in coordination with the contact person, will attempt to fill them with alternates. If no alternates were listed, or those listed no longer wish to live in the IHC, the HOO will attempt to fill spaces through an application process in coordination with the contact person. The HOO, however, reserves the right to place interested students in vacancies if deemed administratively necessary.

IHCs should work actively with the HOO to recruit new members whenever vacancies arise during the year. In order to continue as an IHC, groups will need to participate in the spring room choosing process.

Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in loss of the space at the end of the academic year. IHCs that do not complete any educational initiatives during the fall semester may lose their status at the end of that semester.

A group of five or six students who wish to create an intentional housing community that does not currently exist at Hampshire must submit a written proposal (see guidelines below)to the HOO before 4 p.m. on Friday, April 8. The proposal should include a mission statement as well as a list of the students who are committed to living in this space, noting who will live in the double. Proposals will be reviewed by the assistant director of residence life, and approved or denied by Friday, April 15. A meeting may be required for approval.

Approved groups will be given three (3) additional lottery points to add to the group's total points. They will participate in the mod lottery in the traditional manner. There is no guarantee they will win a mod.

1. A mission statement: a short paragraph that will define the communitys purpose, goals, and values, as well as how it will contribute to and cultivate the campus culture of learning. Examples of mission statements can be found in the applications for existing IHCs. Some questions to consider for your mission statement: What do we hope the community can learn by living this way? How could this topic be applied to someones course of study at Hampshire?

2. A signed advisor agreement (found on the final page of this booklet) indicating the continuing support of a faculty or staff member who will act in an advisory role.

3. A proposal, including timelines, for at least two educational initiatives to be carried out in the following semester.

4. A roster of five or six students who are committed to living in the IHC. This must include an indication of two students who have consented to live in a double together, and the Hampshire email address of each student.

All of this information (and more!) can be found in the 2016 Identity Based Mods and Intentional Housing Communities Booklet. Printed copies of this booklet will be provided to all students in their first year at Hampshire, and available for other interested students in the housing operations office, area offices, and other spaces around campus.

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Intentional Housing Communities | http://www.hampshire.edu

In the spring of 2008, a group of people from Beacon, Newburgh, and New York City began working with Common Fire to create a community in the Hudson Valley that could be in service to these three cities.

Our goal is to create a community committed to ongoing personal growth, means-to-ends consistency, genuine border-crossing diversity, and active service with our larger community, region, and world. It will feature affordable green housing, a retreat center, and many other on-site services and facilities.

Many of us wanted to start living our dream on a small scale even as we continued to work towards this larger dream. So we formed the Beacon Community where we began practicing community together in the fall of 2010.

Common Fire Beacon/Newburgh and the Beacon Community are projects of the Common Fire Foundation.Common Fire supports the creation of intentional communities where people lead lives that are just, sustainable, and joyful, and where the communities are catalysts for change in the broader society.

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Common Fire Beacon-Newburgh | Creating diverse ...