Federation of Egalitarian Communities

From ICWiki

The Federation of Egalitarian Communities (FEC) is a network of communal groups spread across North America. FEC communities range in size and emphasis from small agricultural homesteads to village-like communities to urban group houses.

The 7 Principles of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities

Each of the FEC communities:

  1. Holds its land, labor, income and other resources in common.
  2. Assumes responsibility for the needs of its members, receiving
     the products of their labor and distributing these and all other
     goods equally, or according to need.
  3. Practices non-violence.
  4. Uses a form of decision making in which members have an equal
     opportunity to participate, either through consensus, direct vote,
     or right of appeal or overrule.
  5. Actively works to establish the equality of all people and
     does not permit discrimination on the basis of race, class, creed,
     ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
  6. Acts to conserve natural resources for present and future
     generations while striving to continually improve ecological
     awareness and practice.
  7. Creates processes for group communication and participation
     and provides an environment which supports people's development.

(See also Core principles)

Visiting or Joining an FEC Community

Here is a list of our member communities.

Visiting one of our communities is a special opportunity to partake of a genuine attempt to live out ideals of connection, sustainability, economic justice, and more. Even as a visitor you are part of the hopeful work of creating community. All of our communities are open to and excited about hosting YOU! We value the flow-through of information, perspective, and fun that visitors bring to our lives.

Contact the particular community you are interested in visiting and be sure to arrange your visit through the appropriate channels. You don't need to be considering membership to visit. Many people have been profoundly changed by their visits whether they went on to live in community or not.

Part of our responsibility as a federation committed to social change, is to offer hands-on experience of community life: the joys, warts, spring flowers, shared visions and all!

Things to Keep in Mind

   * Plan Ahead: No FEC community welcomes drop-in visits - contact the community you want to visit well in advance.
   * Length of Stay: Each community has a different visitor
     program: length of visits range from a first dinner at one of our urban
     communities, to a few days or up to three weeks depending on the place.
   * Work: Visitors of more than a day or two are expected
     to work around the same amount as members. This helps you make social
     connections, gives you a sense of what it's like to live with us, and
     gets needed work done. You will have some flexibility in what kinds of
     work you undertake.
   * Accommodation: In most cases a dorm-style or private room will be available for you to sleep in; if not then you'll need to bring a tent.
   * Money: Please contribute some money if you can, but don't let lack of money stop you from visiting.
   * What Else to Expect: The amount of structure between
     visitor programs varies wildly at different communities, including how
     much formal orientation and scheduled work shifts you receive as a
     visitor. You'll receive information packets or be assigned a liaison
     from each community you contact. Feel free to ask more questions of
     each individual community.

Taking Responsibility for Your Experience

Communicate clearly with your contact person about any special needs you have; for example, the need for absolute quiet to sleep, if you're on a wheat free diet, or have restrictions on the kind of work you can do. Visiting another country is a learning experience - so is visiting intentional communities!

In intentional communities we have the rare opportunity of creating our own culture. Daily life in any FEC community challenges conditioned stereotypes and we strive to see individuals as whole people. We ask visitors to put your best foot forward and come with an attitude of openness and curiosity, respecting and learning from the differences between our homes.

Also, you can read Kat Kinkade's article on How to visit an Intentional Community.