SWICA - SouthWest Intentional Communities Alliance

I’m seeking a craftsperson who would like to carry on my ecological simple shoemaking business. I’m a member of Sirius Community in Shutesbury MA and live nearby. In my studio there’s loads of beautiful leather, ecological soling, lasts to make shoes over, all sorts of findings (thread, snaps, buckles etc), machinery – and I’ll offer a several-month apprenticeship. I have recently developed a technique for making custom footwear that could provide a foundation for a successful business!  website: https://simpleshoemaking.eco/ For inquiries please email Sharon Raymond at si**************@***il.com

La Querencia is an established, multigenerational cohousing community of 28 private homes in northeast Fresno, California. Homes of different sizes are available for sale or rent, at prices well below those of many other cohousing communities—especially in California. We each have our own homes and lives while also sharing meals, gardens, celebrations, a common house, a pool, and the work of caring for the community together. See current homes, prices, photos, and details: https://www.laqcoho.org/available-homes We offer monthly virtual information sessions and in-person tours for people who would like to get to know the community. Tour information is available through our website: laqcoho.com.

FOR SALE IN EAST TENNESSEE:  An established Intentional Community with 16 move-in ready homes, a 3800 square foot Community Center and 113 acres of beautiful Tennessee farmland, forest and gardens with a year round creek running from end to end, a half acre pond and a 25 yard community pool and grounds. Lots of trails, additional buildable lots and located halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville. A MUST SEE!   https://www.templatehomestead.org/ Wes Evans, Whitetail Properties Real Estate  we*******@*****************es.com – https://wpgo.me/96cc5b 865.360.5593

Restoring Choice – free sessions and a practice group Many of us are less practised at three things than we realise: making clear requests, saying no when it isn’t a full yes, and hearing no without something getting damaged. These aren’t personality traits. They’re capacities that were trained out of many of us by ordinary structures – families where some needs were allowed and others weren’t, workplaces that reward overstretch. They can be trained back. Why this might interest people here Most communities teach communication after people arrive, once conflict has already surfaced. This works the other way round – building capacity first, and finding out what a group can do when most people already have it. What’s running Free 60-minute introduction, online. Same session each time; come to whichever suits. Register for intro session below: https://events.humanitix.com/reclaim-your-power-with-restoring-choice Four-week practice group, Tuesdays from 15 September, 6:30-8:00pm. One session a week, and at least one short written entry a day about a real situation in your own life. The writing is the actual work; the sessions support it. Sign up by Sunday 13 September. Register for practice group below: https://events.humanitix.com/restoring-choice-practice-group Everything is free. Times are Australian Eastern 6:30pm here is the early hours in most of the Americas. Worth checking before you register. Who it’s for No prior experience needed. It isn’t therapy, and I’m not a therapist. Many people find that looking honestly at how well they ask, decline, or hear a no is less flattering than expected. That’s common, and it isn’t a verdict on anyone. Run by Glenn Russo – 13 years practising this material, seven years co-facilitating an NVC practice group in Castlemaine. If you’re already living in community and would rather share what you’ve learned than join anything, I’d like to hear from you too.

The Wise Acres Community is a cohousing neighborhood in Indianola, Washington. In Wise Acres, we gather for dinners, parties, and other events in our common house and tend a community garden together. We look out for each other, make decisions by consensus, and share the work of stewarding the land. The home available for rent has 4 bedrooms plus a study, and 3-1/2 bathrooms. The kitchen and great room face east and south, with high windows that invite lots of natural light. The home has a wood-burning stove in the living room and a whole-house A/C heat pump. Unfurnished. Wise Acres is walking distance from the beach in a small, friendly town 6 miles from the ferry to Seattle. Here’s a link to the Wise Acres community website.  We are seeking to rent to a household that wants to participate fully in community life. For photos and a floor plan click here. For more information, call or text 360 860 0644.

What’s here now: An intention, a framework developed over five years, and a programme running in central Victoria to find people to build with. No land, no group, no timeline. The question this is organised around: What makes a community of people living together sustainable over decades – where people enjoy being there, conflict is low, and the conflict that does arise gets handled in ways people value. The distinctive premise is capacity before formation. Most communities form first and build relational skill afterwards, usually under pressure. This one proposes doing it the other way round: people build the capacities first, and the group forms from people who have them. That includes a working idea about collective capacity – that a group has a ratio, and below some threshold it can’t metabolise its own conflict and starts consuming itself. Roughly: in a group of twenty, perhaps three or four with high capacity, most in the middle, and very few without. Untested, and something this project exists to find out. Governance: Sociocracy, with the intention of testing it meaningfully at scale rather than adopting it nominally. What’s actually happening: A three-week residency at a property near Castlemaine, and a practice group running before it. The medium-term aim is twenty to forty people at a rented facility. The long-term aim is a support hub sharing the framework more widely. What I’m looking for: People who want to build this capacity seriously, and who might eventually want to build something together. Not necessarily people who want to live here – the current property probably isn’t the long-term site. Happy to hear from anyone this resonates with, including people already in community who’d rather share what they’ve learned than join anything.

“Hi everyone! I’m looking to join a conscious, sex-positive community or co-living space where I can learn, grow, and live alongside open-minded people. My background is rooted in Judeo-Christian culture, but my personal journey has taught me that true spirituality isn’t defined by rigid religious labels like Judaism or Christianity. To me, the ultimate truth and divinity lie simply in love—loving one another, practicing authentic connection, and fostering deep empathy. I view God as pure, unconditional love. I deeply value consent, clear communication, respect for boundaries, and emotional maturity. Whether it’s short-term stays, volunteering, or shared housing, I’m eager to contribute positive energy, openness, and a willingness to learn from the community. Looking forward to connecting!”

The Quaker Intentional Village—Canaan, located in East Chatham, NY, is looking to rent a three-bedroom house to people interested in exploring QIVC membership.  House details: 1250 sq ft. / 3 bedrooms / 1.5 baths / kitchen / living room / dining room / office space. $1,900/month plus utilities (firewood, propane, electric, internet).  Visit QIVC.org to learn more about our community. Please email ma*************@***il.com with questions or to express interest.