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July 31, 2007

Community comes from Community

LUNCH IN THE PARK IN CORNER BROOK, NEWFOUNDLAND

I knew for sure that Newfoundland was a unique place when the man at the next picnic table began talking to us. We were sitting in a small park in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, filling up on french fries from the Rips Chips truck stationed next to the park.

Through a Newfoundland accent that was thicker than the fog that welcomed us at Port-aux-Basques, we were able to decipher the main message: he feels his community is disintegrating, and he is concerned.

He talked of high levels of unemployment in Corner Brook, and its consequences: kids getting into trouble, or leaving to find work in Alberta, and elderly people left behind to fill in the gaps.

As proof, the backdrop to our lunch in the park was "the Majestic," an old movie theatre that we thought might be abandoned. Someone told us later that it is still open for business; they just don't put posters up because the kids will tear them down.

There seem to be two contradictory perspectives regarding community in Newfoundland. One is this sense of decay of community, as expressed by the man in Corner Brook. On the other hand, however, his sentiments seem to grow out of a pervasive tradition of strong and close-knit community in this province.

Herald, an Ontario-born man who recently moved to St. John's, spoke of an "immediate understanding that if you don't take care of people -- even people that aren't your friends -- your community is going to be worse off." He sees this as a major difference between Newfoundland and Ontario.

For some reason, there don't seem to be a lot of communities in Newfoundland that identify as "intentional", or formed with some kind of collective purpose. We thought it might have something to do with the already existing communities that perhaps provide people with the type of support that those who create intentional communities are seeking.

Intentional communities tend to be born out of a desire for alternatives to the alienation of our institutionalized society. Perhaps, we thought, where communities are smaller, and people generally more supportive of one another, the need to create alternatives is lessened.

However, there are a few people in and around St. John's beginning to form intentional communities in that area. One group we heard about, though unfortunately did not get the chance to meet, is Tree of Life. Though still in its initial stages, the founders are working to develop the project into a self-sufficient community of like-minded people. Their vision includes alternative energy, organic gardening, and a retreat space based on sacred geometry (Tree of Life, or Kabbalah).

We also talked to a young couple, Herald and Amy, who want to start up a community centered on conscious living in St. John's. It would be associated with Tree of Life, but in an urban setting.

So I guess some people in Newfoundland do perceive a need for alternative living arrangements. From the perspective of Herald, a philosophy student, it makes sense to base an intentional community in Newfoundland, where the sense of community is strong. He explained to us that community comes from community; you can't create community in the absence of community.

So, while intentional communities can be seen as responses to a pervasive decay in unity and cooperation in our society, they can not be formed from nothing; those who found intentional communities must have some knowledge of, or experience with, community.

Something to ponder, as we make our way West...

Posted by shayna at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2007

An Unintended Stop

As we left New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Sheena and I were busy catching up -- she excitedly telling me about the time she spent in Guatemala this year, I filling her in on my recent return to Ghana.

This project has brought me back in touch with a lot of friends from various parts of my past. Sheena and I went to Ghana together last year. Though we've been out of touch since our return to Canada, she gladly accepted our invitation to join us for part of the journey.

Sheena interrupted herself in the middle of a story about her friend Julie who was in Guatemala with her:

"Actually, I think she lives off this exit here."

Before we knew it, we were on the exit ramp, and Sheena was giving Dom directions to Julie's house.

We arrived at a beautiful old farm house overlooking layers of green hills to surprised squeals of welcome. Within minutes of our arrival, we were offered dinner, a place to sleep, and an invitation to a party at the farm the following night. We accepted all three graciously.

This is the type of happenstance that has characterized our journey thus far. We've made a conscious effort to be open to spontaneous circumstances like this, and to let them guide us as much as possible.

At Julie's, we found a group of close friends and family sharing space, chores, farm work, food, and fun. We learned that a community doesn't have to be explicitly "intentional" to have purpose and cohesion. Though everyone in this community has their own personal reasons for being there, this group of people is an excellent example of the positive impact that living and sharing with others can have on our individual spirits and our sense of belonging.

Posted by shayna at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2007

An Unintended Stop (continued)

Sharing food with others not only builds community, but also makes the food taste remarkably better.

We came across this beautiful community almost by accident. It's not an "intentional community" per se, but definitely a loving, healthy, mutually supportive group of people.

These images were captured at breakfast, the morning after the party.

Posted by shayna at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2007

Busy at the Belzers'

THE WHOLE FAMILY: ED, KATHRYN, THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND DOGS

I'm sitting in the living room at the Belzers' house. Past the wall of windows in front of me, horses graze on a vibrant backdrop of green.

I just got in from helping Ed Belzer capture a swarm of his bees and bring them to the hive. Dominique is out watching the grandchildren at swimming lessons, while Kathryn, Ed's wife, takes the dog to the vet.

Ed and Kathryn live on 200 acres of land in the Musquodoboit Valley, Nova Scotia. Among many other roles throughout their very full lives, Ed is a retired Health professor, and Kathryn an artist. Both are also grandparents, and frequent hosts to all kinds of visitors. Ed now farms the land using horses.

Together, Ed and Kathryn have initiated a co-housing project on their land. Co-housing generally refers to a group of homes that are privately owned, where residents enjoy private control over their own unit, but share resources and decision-making about common areas and communal responsibilities.

Ed and Kathryn plan to build twelve to twenty modest units, where residents will live in a community environment, sharing decision-making, a common room, farm work, child care, and some meals. In pursuit of environmental sustainability, they hope to build everything off-grid. For more information on their project, you can visit www.chaswoodcohousing.ca.

This has been an appropriate first stop on our cross-country tour of intentional communities. As they are still in the planning stages (their "pre-application" just went in Monday to the Halifax Regional Ministry), we have been able to learn a bit about the bureaucratic red tape that goes along with starting an intentional community.

Between building permits, applications to the Regional Ministry, and conference calls with other members who are scattered across the country, Kathryn and Ed have a lot of work on their hands. Grandchildren, farm work, and visitors like us only add to the workload (no matter how useful we pretend to be).

Before the beekeeping endeavour today, Dom and I helped Ed pull out all his farm machinery from the barn, and then learned how to drive a horse-drawn wagon. My first time milking a goat was just the previous day.

Last night, Dom suggested in all seriousness that we should stop at the next used clothing store we see because he needs a pair of overalls. Today, he seems to have forgotten about the overalls and is talking about buying some farm land instead.

A couple of days at the Belzers' will do that to you. Maybe it's all this clean air...

Posted by shayna at 04:15 PM | Comments (5)

July 12, 2007

Small world

Shayna's first entry from the road appears below. From here on in, she and Dominique will be posting directly to this space. Enjoy!

We are somewhere in the middle of Quebec, on the Trans-Canada Highway. It's about 10 p.m. We've been on the road since 8 this morning. We are looking for a place to sleep.

My partner, Dominique, and I are on our way from Toronto to Halifax, about to begin a cross-country tour of intentional communities.

Why are we doing this, again? I ask myself.

I look at Mirinda and Phil, asleep in the back seat, and remember...

Mirinda and Phil came into our lives in a miraculously serendipitous moment walking down the street in Toronto's Kensington Market one day. The details are a bit long and convoluted, but it was one of those small world moments, where distant and separate social connections join together in one short but profound human interaction. They were looking for a room to rent for the summer, and a ride to Halifax. We were subletting our rooms and heading to the East Coast.

I feel like this trip is, in large part, about those small world moments. It's about manifesting more real relationships, and then relying on those relationships and embracing our inter-connectedness and inter-dependencey as human beings.

In preparing for this journey, we have relied heavily on our own social networks—for inspiration, for guidance, and for equipment. Almost everything we're bringing with us on this trip, including the car we're using for the first half, was borrowed or donated by friends and family, or else bought used.

In addition to environmental sustainability, and our limited financial resources, we were also thinking about this decision in terms of community-building. Since the idea for this trip was born, just a few months ago, we have received innumerable blessings, offers of support, and donations and loans of equipment. It all came from people we know, members of our various communities.

With a tent from our friend Lesa, travel mugs from Emily and Adam, a Coleman stove from Uncle Peter and Aunt Carolina, sleeping mats from Christine, a car from my parents, and a great deal of support from all of these people plus many more, we set off with a whole community of people behind us.

As we settle down in the parked car, all of our limbs intertwined with one another, finding pieces of sleep between suitcases and guitars and a steering wheel, I comfort myself with thoughts of this support network.

It's a wonderful feeling to have so many tangible expressions of love around us; and I have a feeling we'll be experiencing a lot more of it along the way.

Posted by mason at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

Alternate Routes: Meet Dom and Shayna

Throughout the summer, This Magazine is presenting a special blog chronicling the cross-Canada travels of Shayna and Dominique, a pair of wanderers who are setting out to discover what community is all about. Here, in their own words, is an introduction to the project:

We are thinkers, dreamers and poets, continuously questioning our place in this world. We both spend a lot of time watching and listening to the world around us. We love learning and have a deep passion for sharing what we learn with others through our respective arts -- Shayna through written word, and Dominique through photography.

We are traveling across Canada exploring the topic of community. Bartering our skills and labour for accommodation, food and transportation costs, we will make our way from coast to coast, community by community.

Specifically, we will be visiting various type of intentional communities (any group of people that has come together with community as a central uniting purpose). Many of these communities are seeking alternatives to the environmental destruction and social decay perpetuated by mainstream society; some seek to provide a community environment of love and support to people of diverse mental and physical abilities; others just want a place to share ideas and resources with people of a similar perspective -- religious, political or otherwise.

Along the way, we will record and share our experiences with This readers through this special blog.

Posted by mason at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

THIS MAGAZINE presents ALTERNATE ROUTES