Category Archives: Intentional Communities

Emily Boerger | Dec 16, 2019

Kellie Todd Griffin is the Director of Community Engagement at Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. She joins us in this edition of What Theyre Watching to discuss community trauma and how it impacts youth.

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Health care continues to evolve. But in our space of community engagement, we really are trying to be more impactful and intentional with our members and trying to help them in ways that we havent traditionally done in the past. For instance, we really are working with a lot of youth around childhood resiliency because theyre experiencing some community trauma and adverse childhood experiences that we know will have a greater impact on their health when they become adults. And so, we want to be on the front end of it to really, kind of, intervene and create partnerships with organizations that provide those services to them.

So, we have some really wonderful partners. One of our main partners is the Boys and Girls Club. They are the program that normally are in our communities where we have our largest membership population. And what I really love about Boys and Girls Club is theyre so localized they actually focus in the community, their people that they hire are from the community. And a lot of times many of them have experienced some of the challenges that a lot of the youth experience every single day. So they can identify with them and really help them address some of their kind of particular emotional and social needs in a more impactful way.

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What They're Watching: Kellie Todd Griffin - State of Reform - State of Reform

Microinfluencers are a great way to connect with a highly niche audience. These social media leaders have smaller, but very highly-engaged followings. When you identify the right ones, you can hire them to promote your business or product -- often for much less than it could cost to hire a celebrity or macroinfluencer.

Not sure where to begin with your microinfluencer campaign? Below, the experts ofForbes Communications Councilexplain how microinfluencers can have a positive impact on your company and the best way to engage them.

Members explain why working with microinfluencers is a beneficial marketing strategy.

1. High ROI

Microinfluencers offer marketing solutions at a low-cost with a high return on investment. They also increase the reach of a business exponentially and are highly trusted by their followers. Engaging with several microinfluencers increases the width of the reach but also its depth. -Molly Biwer,Hallmark Cards

2. Genuine Content

In 2020, I will roll out two major microinfluencer programs that will not only offer the influencer commission benefits but will also allow them to earn products to gift their friends, families or followers. I prefer to partner with current fans of the brands (instead of people I have to search for) because then the posts will be more genuine, which almost always results in better sales. -Blish Connor,Blishful Thinking

3. Cult-Like Loyalty

Micro-influencers have built-in followers already interested in businesses, products, and/or services like yours. Their followers also hang on every word and recommendation made with cult-like loyalty. This makes micro-influencers in your industry or niche ROI positive. To get them onboard, spark up a bit of conversation via social media and let them know how much you enjoy their content. -Stephen Seifert,Seifert Media

4. Authentic Audience Connection

Partnering with microinfluencers often yields more impactful results than macroinfluencers or celebrities because of their smaller, more engaged audiences. Nowadays, people are looking for personal one-to-one recommendations, and microinfluencers help establish that authentic connection with their audience. -G'Nai Blakemore,Mattress Firm

5. Deep Audience Insights

Do your best to align goals with the microinfluencers. Ask what gets the best response from their audience and work with them to make the posts authentic. Aligning incentives with an affiliate program can help, on top of paid placement and promo codes. While you need to stay brand-consistent, allow the influencer a seat at the strategic table to maximize results. -Ellen Sluder,RingBoost

6. Improved Trustworthiness

Microinfluencers can improve your brands trustworthiness and can help you reach your desired target audience. In terms of mircoinfluencer engagement, encourage your microinfluencers to become the fresh faces of your brand. Ask them to share their honest thoughts on your products/business and constructively use that feedback, or ask them to create product tutorials and relevant live-stream videos. -Jeff Grover,Best Company

7. Increased Top-Of-Funnel Traffic And Sales

While celebrity influencers with vanity metrics have fallen from grace in recent months, microinfluencers have been proven effective partners for businesses of all sizes. Their value is through authentic and original content, driving primarily top-of-funnel traffic and sales, which can be measured through performance-based models like CPA. Treat them like true partners and watch your revenue grow. -Cristina Garcia,impact.com

8. Sharing Of In-Depth Content And ABM Materials

Microinfluencers have highly-targeted audiences and are a great fit for sharing in-depth content, ABM campaign material or material aimed at a specific vertical. Begin developing relationships with microinfluencers early on in the process, but don't expect them to share your content "just because." Like broader influencers, microinfluencers look something in return for helping your business. -Holly Chessman,GlowTouch Technologies

9. Participation In More Intimate Social Conversations

Working with microinfluencers allows brands to participate in a social conversation at a much more intimate level with communities that typically demonstrate higher levels of trust and engagement. Sponsorships for microinfluencers are inherently a more personal experience, so it's even more important that brands find influencers and audiences who personally align with their brand values. -Chris Gonzalez,NeoReach

10. Product Reviews

Microinfluencers are a great marketing asset when leveraged for reviews of your product, both on their social media and on retailers. They should disclose that they were part of a seeding campaign but the opinions provided are truthful and their own. As a brand, you should also re-gram their content or have them take over your Instagram Stories for a day to get your audience engaged and excited. -Sherry Jhawar,Blended Strategy Group

11. Connection With Passionate Niche Markets

Microinfluencers have the ability to reach smaller, more passionate audiences that broader campaigns may miss. Think about messaging and offers that can be tailored for the microinfluencers audience. Your offer should feel organic for their brand in order for them to fully embrace. -Jessica Terashima,EZ Texting

12. Collaborative And Creative Partnerships

What microinfluencers may lack in scale, they make up for in impact! Theyre cost-effective and more often than not, a collaborative and creative partner. Ensure that theyre an organic fit and your brand voices compliment each other, then invite them into your extended family and approach the relationship less as a promotional transaction and more as a long-term, advocate-building opportunity. -Wayne Leeloy,G7 Marketing

13. New Ideas From The Comments

Often we consider social media comments to be "noise." Unless the noise is coming from a major influencer, we tune it out. However, our greatest ideas and innovation can be found in "the noise!"Listen to what is being said to you and about you. Review the hashtags for your business and the misspelled usage for comments and ideas. -MaryPat Kavanagh,Terahertz Device Corporation

14. Intentional Demographic And Geolocation Targeting

Microinfluencer marketing can be a solid bridge between traditional paid media and social media. Using an agency with a network of influencers makes it efficient for you to manage influencer marketing and will generally offer more choice in audience and geolocation you can target. Sharing your brand's story will help microinfluencers carry your message as they share with their audience. -Sarah Little,StorageMart

15. Brand Advocacy

Today, online influencers and reviews generate as much trust as a review from a friend. Studies show microinfluencers generate the highest engagement rates. Save money by using their niche market to hit your target audience, and testing what works or doesn't without spending more. Product/service reviews and social media sharing are a great start and then move to personal content promotion ideas. -Rachel Verslues,IGT Global Solutions Corporation

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15 Big Benefits Of Working With Microinfluencers (And How To Engage Them) - Forbes

The northern snakehead, the invasive fish species that some refer to as the frankenfish, may be more damaging to native fish populations than previously thought.

A recent study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the first time found major shifts in a fish community following establishment of northern snakehead.

The study of Marylands Blackwater River and Little Blackwater River, where the snakehead showed up in 2012, determined that of 21 fish species captured both before and after the arrival of the snakehead 17 declined with the invader in their river.

The decline varied species to species and ranged from 30 percent to 97 percent.

The main difference in fish communities was a reduction in overall biomass of most fish.

Species dominance during the post-snakehead period was significantly higher for both Blackwater River and Little Blackwater River. Pre-snakehead surveys were more evenly distributed and dominated by white perch, black crappie and brown bullhead, while post-snakehead surveys were less even and dominated by common carp and gizzard shad.

The researchers had an existing pre-snakehead dataset from 2006 and 2007 surveys of fish populations. They replicated those surveys in 2018-19 to come up with the post-snakehead data.

While the trends shown in the study are troublesome, the researchers say further investigation into ongoing fish community changes, and continued vigilance in minimizing spread and population growth of the northern snakehead is needed.

Snakeheads were first documented in the U.S. in 1977, in California, and subsequently in southeastern states. They were found in Maryland in 2002, and shortly after its discovery in Potomac River in 2004, the species gained a foothold in tidal waters. Since then it has spread to every major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

They were first confirmed in Pennsylvania in July 2004, when 2 were caught in Meadow Lake in Philadelphia. The lake, part of a maze of interconnected bays and tidal slough, led the commission to believe the fish were likely present in the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers.

A snakehead was caught in May 2017 in Bernhardt's Dam in Berks County and 2 were caught in Octoraro Creek in Lancaster County in July 2018.

In spring of this year, 81 snakeheads were caught in the fish lifts at Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, about 5 miles downriver of the Pennsylvania state line, according to MDNR.

Only one snakehead a predatory species that can grow to nearly 5 feet in length was found in the lifts in 2017, and none were found in the lifts last year.

The Conowingo Pond, the reservoir upriver of the dam, extends upriver 8 miles into Pennsylvania.

All the snakeheads were destroyed before moving upriver of the dam, but the MDNR described the spike in numbers seen in the lifts as dramatic and expressed concern over a possible northern expansion by the aggressively invasive species.

The 2 fish lifts were installed on the east and west sides of the Conowingo Dam decades ago to allow passage of migratory fish such as American shad and river herring. They operate during the spring migration as part of restoration efforts for those migratory fish species. Spring is also when snakeheads are known to travel longer distances in the watershed.

After the snakehead was observed in the east fish life in 2017, an agreement was established between the Conowingo Dams owner, Exelon, and the Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Cooperative to implement voluntary, adaptive best management practices that reduce the spread of northern snakeheads while still allowing migratory fish passage, according to the DNR.

Smaller dams upriver of Conowingo Pond, which include Holtwood, Safe Harbor and York Haven, in Pennsylvania, may help to slow the northward spread of snakeheads.

However, snakeheads can breathe air from the atmosphere using an air bladder that works like a lung and are known to travel short distances on land.

The Northern Snakehead Working Group of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes, Although the northern snakehead can survive up to four days out of the water, overland migration is only possible for juveniles. The rounded body of the adult northern snakehead is not as conducive to overland migration as observed in more horizontally flattened snakehead species.

In late September an angler caught a 28-inch snakehead in the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh, killed the fish and notified the commission.

Its the first sighting of the species in western Pennsylvania.

After examining the snakehead from the Monongahela, Kris Kuhn, chief of the fisheries management division for the commission, told TribLive.com that the fish was likely released illegally into the river. She noted that there are no connecting populations of snakeheads.

In Pennsylvania its unlawful for anyone to possess, sell, buy or trade live specimens; to introduce or import them into Pennsylvania waters; or to transport them in or through the state.

Kuhn and Gary Smith, area fisheries manager for the commissions southwest region, said the fish is being treated as a single fish find because there is no evidence of an established group of fish.

Its not total panic mode, Smith said. Were not too alarmed at this point, as we dont know if they are established.

According to the working group, northern snakehead likely arrived in U.S. waters by importation for the live food fish market. Unauthorized intentional release from this trade, as was the case in the founding individuals of the Crofton pond population in Maryland, continues to be the major mechanism for introduction. The northern snakehead has become widely popular in ethnic markets and restaurants over the last two decades.

Recognized as a highly injurious species, importation and cross-border transport of northern snakehead was prohibited in the U.S. by a 2002 listing under the Lacey Act. Nevertheless, cases of northern snakehead for sale in areas where possession is illegal are not uncommon.

These predatory fishes may compete with native species for food and habitat. Juveniles eat zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans and the fry of other fish. Adult snakeheads feed almost exclusively on other fishes, with the remainder of their diet composed of crustaceans, frogs, small reptiles and sometimes small birds and mammals. Adult snakeheads show significant diet overlap with largemouth bass.

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Frankenfish may be having a big impact on other fish, says new study - PennLive

Eagle County announced on Tuesday its joining a federal lawsuit against JUUL Labs and other makers of e-cigarettes. Heres the press release from the county:

Eagle County is joining a lawsuit in federal district court aimed at combating the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes to youth, as well as the public health issue of youth addiction to nicotine.

The multi-district litigation is against manufacturers of e-cigarettes and related items, including JUUL Labs, for developing products that specifically appeal to children.

We intend to hold e-cigarette manufacturers responsible for the harm they have inflicted on our communities, our schools and our children. Too many kids believe that vaping is safe and cool due to the intentional and frankly, despicable youth-centered marketing tactics used by JUUL and others, said Jeanne McQueeney, chair of the Eagle County Board of Commissioners.

This is one more way to call attention to the vaping epidemic. We will continue to educate our residents, young and old, about the real risks and harms of vaping; and help facilitate treatment for those who have become addicted to nicotine, McQueeney said.

Currently, there are over 200 lawsuits filed against JUUL Labs and related entities, many of which have been aggregated into a single proceeding in San Francisco. Eagle County will work with the law firm of Keller Rohrback LLP, which is representing multiple government entities in the JUUL Labs multi-district litigation, including Boulder County.

Continued here:

Eagle County joining federal lawsuit against JUUL, other makers of e-cigarettes - RealVail

ALEXANDRIA BAY River Hospital has announced that it is currently pursuing a clinical affiliation with Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.

Basically, a clinical affiliation is an agreement between institutions to further service delivery in their region through their partnership. While Upstate and River have partnered in the past to enhance the delivery of services, this affiliation will be a more formal agreement.

Our relationship with Upstate has been long-standing, so moving into a relationship is a good next step for us, said Emily Mastaler, CEO of River Hospital.

For the past several years, Rivers relationship with Upstate has proven essential to the hospitals expansion of critical services such as telehealth and onsite specialty resources.

This new affiliation would include both institutions working together on efforts aimed at developing programs to promote prevention, wellness and continuity of care throughout the St. Lawrence River communities.

Moving towards a more formal partnership makes natural sense, Ms. Mastaler said. Theyve been integral in bringing a variety of service types, like helping advance our telehealth services.

Though the length of the affiliation is yet to be decided, according to Ms. Mastaler, it will be a multi-year agreement.

River Hospitals affiliation agreement with Crouse Health expired as of Dec. 12, but River will continue its strong affiliation with Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center under the North Star Health Alliance, which was formed in 2015.

According to Ms. Mastaler, the move away from an affiliation with Crouse was intentional, due to the changing needs of Rivers patients.

Were excited to move forward with Upstate, but we absolutely remain open to any and all partnerships that advance healthcare services in our region, Ms. Mastaler said.

Licensed for 15 acute care and nine Swing beds, River Hospital operates an active emergency room and was designated as a Critical Access Hospital in 2003. The only academic medical center in Central New York, Upstate Medical is the regions largest employer with more than 10,000 employees.

Im so excited to build partnerships in the north country that advance healthcare delivery in rural settings and truly meet the needs of the people, Ms. Mastaler said.

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River Hospital pursuing clinical affiliation with Upstate Medical - NNY360

Civility is contagious, and a society that tries can produce men and women who, daily, unconsciously express HRC (honesty, respect, consideration). Being cultured is a mannerism that everyone at some time or another takes seriously.

We may not practise etiquette every day but at some point, on some occasion, we wish we knew exactly how to act and inwardly hope that it would be second nature so that we could spend less time trying to be right and, instead, enjoy the company or surroundings.

Truth be told, from any socioeconomic background, we like to think we are cultured and like others to think we are cultured as well.

So where does culturing start? It starts where nurturing begins the home the first institution of learning. General social interactions should be genuine and intentional. When practised, they can become second nature.

In our homes, we should:

Cultivate a positive environment.

Practise greeting the members of your family morning and evening, addressing them by name.

Respect each others privacy.

Respect each others views.

If we are not in diapers, pick up after ourselves.

Be on time and show interest in family activities.

Communicate honesty in words and deeds.

Avoid negative words, phrases, or discussions, especially in the presence of children.

Sigh! Can I testify? Sadly, the home is not what it used to be. Adults are at their wits end, and more and more, my own interactions and those of other families tell me that we are losing, or have lost, control.

The familys vocabulary is laced with words such as idiot, fool, stupid, shut up; phrases like yuh ah idiot, yuh have sense?, stop behave like yuh a fool, idiot bwoy, idiot gal, and expletives. How did we get here? We must be honest. Respect and consideration. Gone!

While we know that our millennials are a different breed that parents seem ill-equipped to manage, should this be an excuse for our behaviour? Never!

Anger and frustration that lead to negative words and actions cause more harm than good. We expect others to be respectful, and its a good expectation to have, but do our mannerisms reflect how we would want others to behave?

We tell our children, for example, dont shout at me, but we shout at them. We embarrass them but feel very let down when they embarrass us. We say dont slap, but we slap them. We expect them to be nice and kind all the time when we are not. We destroy their self-esteem with negative words and actions and wonder why they are not confident. We tell them to put down the gadgets, but we spend an equal amount of time with those gadgets, too. Then we convince ourselves that we are adults and they are children.

As adults, we must lead by example. Yes, children now express the thoughts we as children would only ponder but never utter. They say to us, We are only expressing ourselves, children have rights, too and we feel like dem pickney yah feisty bad!

Back in the day, we could never make those statements to our parents, so why take it from them? If in our correcting we lose control or have lost control, what of our future. What of tomorrows society? What will we be passing on to generations to come? Can we hold ourselves blameless for the state the society is in?

Home HRC is a good start if we are to regain civility in our homes and the society:

GUIDE ONE: Live your expectations of others.

Show respect for others regardless of age or gender.

Give time for freedom to express feelings and deal with issues, using HRC.

Use mediums that reinforce positive values.

Use positive words and actions.

Make negative words and actions taboo.

GUIDE TWO: Allow every member of the family to feel valued, praise successes, and provide encouragement for failures.

GUIDE THREE: Spend quality time doing activities that everyone will enjoy. Allow each member a turn to choose an activity so that everyone is involved.

GUIDE FOUR: Do not practise favouritism. Remember that the individual with behavioural issues may need more love and attention but all need love and attention balance well!

GUIDE FIVE: Teach the children how to make good choices and avoid people and situations that try to reverse the efforts at home.

GUIDE SIX: Allow the children to be integral in making a gadget schedule. Be alert for screen addiction. Set appropriate and specific times for gadgets. Children should be given an hour at a time. It should not be the first interaction in the morning or the last before bed.

The children of today are the adults of tomorrow so:

C Teach them how to care by the care we give.

H Help them to become a better version of themselves.

I Nurture their individuality and help to develop a personality.

L Teach them how to love and demonstrate love.

D Teach them to show love in their deeds, as love is action.

R Show respect and teach respect.

E Respect must envelope every interaction.

N teach them to never lose sight of who they are and who they can be.

Practising honesty, respect, and consideration in the home goes a long way to making the home environment happy. Happy homes make up positive communities and positive communities make productive societies.

Rome wasnt built in a day, neither will the tower of Jamaican civility, but we can certainly try by laying the foundation blocks, one by one blocks of honesty, respect, and consideration ... HRC!

#followtheconversation

#onourjourneytocivilty

#becomingabetteryouisalwaysbetter!

Email feedback to jennifersavariaumorris@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com.

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Lady Etiquette | Honesty, respect, consideration ... The key to creating happy homes, positive communities and productive societies - Jamaica Gleaner

Communities that intentionally invest in entrepreneurs and young businesses are the ones that will grow and thrive in the 21st century, according to Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward, a nonprofit think tank focused on improving economic performance in the center of the U.S.

Delivering the keynote address at this mornings annual CPEX Smart Growth Summit, DeVol presented new data and statistics to support what may seem like common sense: Innovation and entrepreneurship are critical components of places and can create jobs and vitality in sustaining growth over the long term.

Its not small firms that create growth, DeVol said. Its young firms that scale up. Its important to innovate and create new firms because eventually your anchor firms are not going to be as dominant.

DeVol presented maps showing metropolitan areas, and smaller micropolitan areas, where entrepreneurial activity and investment is high. Unsurprisingly, those communities tend to be wealthier, better educated and located in California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Massachusetts and south Florida.

Much of the heartland, including Louisiana, lags far behind. One Louisiana city, however, ranks among Heartland Forwards 30 most dynamic metropolitans: Lake Charles, coming in at No. 13 in the U.S.

While DeVol acknowledged that much of Lake Charles growth is fueled by the booming petrochemical sector, he said: Clearly, Lake Charles is trying to diversify its economy.

New Orleans-Metairie came in at No. 262 on the list, while Baton Rouge ranked 264th.

We must do more to participate in the knowledge-based economy and invest more in human capital, said DeVol, noting that smaller and heartland communities have an opportunity to market themselves to companies looking for places to locate that have a lower cost, a higher quality of life, less expensive housing options.

Its important for communities in the heartland to take advantage of existing resources like community colleges, which he says are underutilized and underappreciated, and also to do more to encourage financiers to support new and emerging businesses.

Financiers must become more comfortable investing in early-stage companies that dont have a lot of capital, he said.

Planning is a key component in this dynamic becomes it gives communities a road map to move forward.

Creating your own firms determines your destiny, he said. You need a shared vision, a plan people buy into. Without a plan, you dont know where youre headed. Planning is absolutely critical.

The CPEX summit continues through today. See the days lineup here.

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Intentional investment is the key for communities to thrive - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

Not since the tearing down of the iron curtain has Europe seen the type of growth of its Jewish population as it is seeing today. But that spike is not coming from the East, but rather the Southeast Israel, to be exact. Over 150,000 Israelis live in Europe today, and that number is growing. But their motivation for embracing Judaism is different than classic European Jews, as they see it as more of an attachment to their Israeli heritage than to Jewish religion. The question will be whether the two worlds Israelis and classical European Jews can come together and revitalize yiddishkeit on the continent. That is what the challenge of European Jewry will be.According to two different surveys (one by JDC in 2018, and the other by Hakhel in 2019), less than half of Jewish millennials participate in activities organized by the local Jewish community. On the other hand, almost 90% want their children to know Hebrew and two-thirds want to transmit Jewish and Israeli values and culture to them. Interestingly, our study found that there were common trends between Jewish millennials in Europe and around the world, including a growing alienation from traditional institutions; a sincere need for an intimate, culture-based community; and connecting Judaism in response to global challenges (such as climate change or the refugee crisis). This can be perceived as a threat to Jewish institutions, but I suggest we look at it as an opportunity.Israelis living abroad estimated at 800,000 to one million is a sensitive issue. Israel was built to serve as a home for the Jewish people and encourages Jews around the world to make aliyah. The large amount of Israeli expats shows, one would argue, that while the country invests hundreds of millions of dollars in persuading Diaspora Jews to migrate to Israel, it is not doing a great job in retaining its own born-and-bred citizens. Many think this phenomenon is rather new and has to do with post-Zionism, but in fact, Israeli sabras have left Israel since the early days, even before the establishment of the state itself. The last two or three decades indeed saw an increase of numbers due to better communication and transportation, as well as increasing globalization and transiency of the job and training market. Many millennials, in Israel and everywhere else, seek opportunities and experiences in other countries in order to expand their horizons, sharpen their competitive edge and even learn a new language. This is a basic trait of this generation, and its not going to change in the foreseeable future. Perhaps there is even an opportunity hidden in this reality.European Jewry is facing some significant challenges, with dwindling communities in many cities and rising antisemitism. Most Israelis in Europe do not find themselves in the traditional and established communities because of cultural and religious gaps, and sometimes even lack of trust. On the other hand, many local Jewish communities are not going out of their way to greet the Israeli newcomers, even though this connection has the potential of securing the future of many of them. In some places, the number of local Israelis is even larger than the original Jewish population.Israelis in Europe are there to stay. While there is regular transition, like all millennials, these new communities remain stable and are likely to grow and take root. The challenge facing the established Jewish institutions is how to embrace these new, emerging communities and make them part of the larger Jewish scene, as they may play a key role in revitalizing European Jewry. There needs to be a greater investment in Jewish intentional communities so that they can get the support they need to continue to grow. European Jewry has the opportunity to invest and if it takes this opportunity, it will be able to retain these new immigrants, and their communities will continue to grow.The writer is the founder and general director of Hakhel, the Jewish Intentional Communities Incubator.

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Will Israelis herald the revitalization of European Jewry? - The Jerusalem Post

Hannah Catlin, News EditorNovember 14, 2019

If you want to go grocery shopping with Brian Zou 22 youre going to have to wake up early. To leave time for his friends and a rigorous academic schedule, Zou shops on Sunday mornings at 8 a.m.

Not that he minds. For Zou, its been motivation to get to bed early on the weekends plus, he never worries about his errands conflicting with social plans.

Its a time that no ones ever awake, Zou said.

But whats a sophomore doing grocery shopping at all? Macalesters two-year residency requirement comes with an implied two-year stint on one of the colleges three residential meal plans. There are, of course, exceptions.

For students living in alternative housing, a meal plan is optional. From the language houses to the veggie co-op, sophomores like Zou are hitting grocery stores while their friends are going to Sunday brunch in Cafe Mac.

Zou lives in the Cultural House, one of the intentional living communities. For him, making his own food has been a touchstone of his Cultural House experience.

Its nothing official but generally when were in the kitchen, a lot of us are cooking at the same time or meal prepping at the same time, and so we get to share a lot of those experiences together making food together or tasting and eating each others food as well, Zou said.

Often, Zou will make food he remembers from his childhood, a process that has helped him reconnect with his culture.

Now, I have to do it all myself, so cooking for me is a way of stress relief but also a way to get in touch with my own culture, Zou said. Especially making other foods that remind me of home or dishes that I have to call home and ask my parents about.

And Zou loves cooking. Even though hes still on the commuter plan 75 swipes for the semester now, more than halfway through the term, hes used less than 20.

People will ask me to go out to eat and Im like you can come over and I can cook, Zou said.

Zou switched because the commuter plan at $775 is significantly cheaper than a regular meal plan which costs $2,915.

Savings have been a huge advantage for Interfaith House resident Ammar Muhammad 22.

I think being off the meal plan is so much cheaper compared to being on the meal plan and I cant stress that enough, Muhammad said. Especially if youre struggling with finances at home I am with my family it makes it so much easier on you.

Muhammad is not on a meal plan at all this semester not even the commuter plan. While its been a financial relief, it has presented other challenges.

At the moment, my cooking habits are really poor because Im not a very good cook, Muhammad said.

Hes been able to stick to the basics, though stuff thats really, really, really easy to make. In Muhammads kitchen, that means lots of bibimbap and tuna, spinach and alfredo pasta.

Its a challenge that will provide advantages in the long run, though.

Its definitely going to make it easier to transition [to] off-campus housing junior year and senior year, Muhammad said. I really just pushed myself into it and made it a challenge to myself.

Hes also been able to find food in other places.

Macalester makes it easy to find free food on this campus, Muhammad said. I can get meal swipes from first-years and sophomores any time I want, so I have those options too not a lot of people utilize their meal plans to their full ability.

In Muhammads friend group, shared swipes provide a meal and some valuable social time too. With most sophomores still getting the bulk of their meals from Bon Apptit, it can be tricky to schedule other times to hang out.

Cafe Mac is a place where everybody meets each other, Muhammad said. At least with my social group, its been a lot more effort on both of our behalfs to meet up outside of that area.

Veggie Co-op resident Serena Peterson 22 partially agrees its been some extra work to meet up outside of the Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center. However, for Peterson, its been a huge blessing in disguise.

I found Cafe Mac to be really exhausting because I saw every single person I know every single time I went in there and its nice to be able to eat dinner or any meal relaxed, Peterson said.

The Veggie Co-op, like the Interfaith House and Cultural House, is an intentional living community this one centered around food.

Five nights a week, all 18 Co-op members will gather together for huge community meals prepared by two of the residents. Peterson said the kitchen is also often a gathering place where people will catch up while cooking or doing their homework.

Getting off the meal plan and living in this community environment has been a dream for Peterson.

I found that my mental health has been a lot better being in an intentional space, she said. Its just a really good community which is nice to come home to every day. It feels like a home.

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Sophomores in alternative housing opt out of campus meal plan - Macalester College The Mac Weekly

A guest blog byVicki Robin, best-selling co-author ofYour Money or Your Life, author ofBlessing the Hands That Feed Us, and member of theDeep Adaptation Forum.

Everyone wants community. Unfortunately, it involves other people. I used that line in lectures on frugal living when talking of the loneliness of consumerism and the benefits of sharing resources. We idealize the good old days of people helping people out. But can we live them, given who we have become?

Individualism is one of the many privileges of the privileged in Western society. We have options and choices about where we live, with whom, of what genders, ages or races, whether we are child-free or have a brood, what we eat, what we believe, jobs well accept, and on and on and on. As people look at civilizational breakdown in detail, though, they realize that to survive, other people might not be optional joining a group, a farm, a small town might be necessary.

Survival is not a solo sport. If it happens, it will happen in community intentional, multi-generational family, accidental where we can share the work, grow food, trade, defend ourselves, socialize, learn, teach, repair. Civilization, it turns out, has a lot of services built in that will need to be maintained as long as possible or created anew or done without.

How do we, who are so accustomed to individualism, enter into a new reality of living in concert with others? Not as a condiment but as a necessity. Not through idealistic eyes but as a sober process of surrendering attachment to the egos demands and entering a state of belonging to a people and a place.

Ive lived in several communities and learned many lessons, surprising ones and hard ones. Here are some ideas for those of you contemplating moving to an existing rural community or forming your own, given your perspective of deep adaptation.

In shortPeople. Power. Process. Projects. And sex. These will arise in any group that bands together for mutual aid. Best to talk about this early and often.

Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

Diversity of perspectives bring depth and wisdom to choices

I lived for a number of years with a team of ten people who had a series of shared goals in a larger context of service to others. I used to describe it as a cross between a monastery and the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

We developed many rituals and lots of mottos (and plenty of shadow). One motto was: People before Projects and Projects before Peoples stuff. In other words, our relationships were primary. If our projects turned our relationships into merely team functions and we failed to remember our humanity and care, we would stop and reset. But if our projects were stalled because people indulged in public reactivity (fighting, pouting, gossiping, rejection, etc), we would ask them to work it through within or with one another.

We also developed rituals and simple tools for staying current. At least once a week wed circle up for heart sharing, which is very much likecouncilor a talking stick circle. Wed share dinner daily, a time to catch up. For many groups even this much time together is noxious, but if you are in surviving-together-mode, the need for coordination increases. We also had a bulletin board and a notebook in a central place for messages. These days youd have a Facebook group though consider that we may be back to 20thcentury tools in the future.

Proximity will surely stimulate sexual energies and interests. Sticking in monogamous couples or singles dating responsibly is often the safest, but its good to acknowledge that people may well develop powerful feelings for their not-mates. Unacknowledged sexual attractions are wrecking balls for communities. Good communication channels and practices can at least provide ways to process these often-destructive disturbances.

Who makes decisions, and how, can be unexamined and therefore slip towards unequal, sometimes unconscious, power-over. Some conscious groups try to reverse the privilege scale by having women and people of colour speak first and white men later. In council we talk about be lean of expression and to not speak again until everyone has spoken once just two of the rules that help all feel heard and all contributions get made.

In my team we explored a number of personal development paths to become more conscious of ourselves and group dynamics. When we found theEnneagram, we realized that among the ten of us we embodied all nine of the personality-types it describes. The Enneagram is just one language to describe diversity of personalities. The Meyers Briggs framework sorts people out in a similar way along dimensions of introvert/ extrovert, thinking/ feeling, intuitive/ concrete, process oriented/ completion oriented. Organisations often use this tool to help workers get along with impossible others.

We chose to regard our archetypal personalities (or perspectives) as assets to our harmonious functioning and wise decision making. Faced with a choice, wed have each person reflect briefly on the pros and cons and from this we would most often, with little discussion, hit on a choice with a ring of rightness. It wasnt consensus per se. Sometimes there would be one perspective that captured all of us as right. Sometimes wed scrap the whole thing. Sometimes wed see that the idea was good but not ripe. Sometimes we defaulted to the theory of the strong opinion that if one person was passionate and no one objected, they could act with support.

As individuals we often see others as competitors, allies for our cause, or irrelevant to our goals.

For communities with shared goals, such a diversity of perspectives in a container of love and respect is crucial. The goal could be anything from keeping the streets clean and the gardens tended to building a water wheel to generate power, to evolving spiritually while avoiding the cultic tendencies of all groups.

A diversity of talents held in a container of common purpose

Community survival is not the same as survival skills like fire building or hunting. Communities need a range of skills. Gardening, cooking, raising animals for food, fiber and fertility, foraging, turning dandelions (and beets and apples etc) into alcohol, natural building, natural medicine, composting waste, food preservation and on and on. However, it also needs talents like mediators, meeting facilitators, priests or shamans of all sorts (for confession, for learning from mistakes, for healing from pain, for solace, and on and on), comedians, actors, artists, group game leaders, meditation (and other transformational) teachers, wise-elder leaders, and on and on

People accustomed to ample space, time and independence will need to have gotten a grip on themselves, their reactivity, their shadow elements, their capacity for forgiveness and apology, and their ability to take a wider view of any circumstance. They will need true sobriety, not just from addictive substances but from any immaturity.

As you gather in a group, intentionally or improvisationally, beware that your current friend network or Facebook group may lack some crucial talents. Liking one another when you all have separate lives is no basis for joining forces to move together in anticipation of collapse. A talent inventory can help. If major talents are missing, people need to (joyfully hopefully) step up to learning. The quality of leadership is crucial as all this gets sorted out. Everyone can be a leader in being self-aware and in service to the group. Some are comfortable with holding and distributing power for the sake of the group. But leadership isnt the same as wielding power.

How to join a village

As people realize how dependent cities are on the surrounding rural communities for food, environmental refugees might migrate. First, one or two early adopters. Then more. And more. You cant just show up in town expecting open arms and hot meals.Rural communitiesstick together and take care of their own because thats how they survive. Trust is earned. Your city ways (how you talk, the assumptions you make, your habits, your expertise) may strike folks as arrogant. You need to do things that people who belong do: show up for the small tasks of daily life, like volunteering in schools, churches, social service agencies. You go to the pancake breakfast and the fish fry. You usher at the local theatre. Or try out for a part. Or join the community choir.

Everything about deeply adapting to an unfolding collapse of modern society will grind away at your preferences and identities. If you think you might be one of the people who moves to a small town or onto a farm with a group of people here are some ways through which you can prepare yourself:

Starting to learn and practiceNon-Violent Communication, or any process that teaches you to own your feelings, observing your projections, taming your demand that others change so you might continue to be comfortable, or manipulate and lie.

Joining a board or work on a project team to observe how you function in groups, how you judge others, how you offer your ideas, whether you talk a lot and over-talk others or hang back, your fears of being seen or looking stupid or doing more than your fair share.

Starting to learn some facilitation skills, like council, oractive listening(this is what I heard you say), ororganizing open space(where groups self-organize into interest groups) or consensus.

Starting to learn some coaching skills, how to ask questions and offer practices to others as they find their way. For example, friends and I developed a circle practice calledConversation Cafesthat is now used globally.

Beginning or deepening a meditation practice that allows you to witness rather than identify with your thoughts, and to let go of stress, tightness and defensiveness though simply watching your breathing and tracking your thoughts and feelings without interacting with them.

Consider getting some therapy so you experience the beneficial effect of being listened to with warm awareness by someone who sides with you, not your inner critic.

These are suggestions for while the good times are still rolling. When the pressure is on and individuals find themselves in groups for survival in collective households, in villages, on food lines, in camps those who are mentally healthy, self-aware and skilled at working with others will be necessary for success. Frictions will arise. The skill is to work with them as they do. These are lessons from voluntary affiliations that can help us as we work to stay alive and keep our people well. To help, Diana Leafe Christian has written a wonderful book,Creating a Life Together, full of deep wisdom and practical advice. Much wisdom from the Eco-Village experiments worldwide has been captured in this excellent book by Karen Litfin,EcoVillages: Lessons for Sustainable Communities.

A final note

Sh*t happens. As Robert Burnes said, The best laid schemes o mice an men, Gang aft a-gley: People fall out of love. People have kids, need to move on, are banished, sink through quarrelling. At the end of the day, maturity is the bottom line. And humility. And good will.

Over to you:

Thank you Vicki, for fascinating reflections on this important issue, which is live for me and many people I speak to. Have you got experience or advice for living in intentional communities? Please consider sharing this in theCommunity Actiondiscussion group of the Deep Adaptation Forum. If you want to find or create a group on Deep Adaptation in your local area, starthere.

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Gathering in Groups as Society Falls Apart - Resilience