Course description

What is an intentional community? An intentional community is a group of people who live together or share common facilities and who regularly associate with each other on the basis of explicit common values. In this course you’ll learn more about why intentional communities matter as well as the  various types of intentional communities, dispel common myths about intentional communities and get a virtual tour of several communities around the world. You’ll also get an overview of the various resources available to you through the Foundation for Intentional Community, including the intentional community directory.

Your course instructors, Yana and Cynthia, will help you to understand if you’re a good fit for community living as well as help you decide if you should join an existing community or start a new community. You’ll also get an introduction of how to visit and join an intentional community as well as gain some insights on why and how to create an intentional community.

What this course includes

• 10 modules with instructional videos, learning materials, and exercises
• lifetime access to private course group in our Forum for asking questions and networking
• free access to monthly webinars to deepen your learning and connect with others
• 90 days to complete the online course at your own pace
• certificate of completion

What you’ll learn

Module topics in the Intentional Community Basics course include:

• 1st Module: Welcome and Overview
• 2nd Module: Intro to Intentional Community and FIC Resources
• 3rd Module: Why Communities Matter and Myth Busting
• 4th Module: A Global Tour of Communities
• 5th Module: Types of Intentional Communities
• 6th Module: A Chat About Communities
• 7th Module: Who is a Good Fit for Community and How to Join One
• 8th Module: Why and How to Start an Intentional Community
• 9th Module: How to Visit and Learn from Intentional Communities
• 10th Module: Your Next Steps

Your instructors

Yana Ludwig

Yana has 25 years of cooperative living experience, including four community start-ups. She serves on the Board of the Foundation for Intentional Community, and as a trainer and consultant for progressive projects. 

Yana is co-author of The Cooperative Culture Handbook: A Social Change Manual to Dismantle Toxic Culture and Build Connection and author of Together Resilient: Building Community in the Age of Climate Disruption. 

She is the former Executive Director of both the Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, and Commonomics USA. 

Her 2013 TEDx talk, Sustainable is Possible! kicked off an era for her as a public speaker and advocate for communities. She is a founding member of the Solidarity Collective, an income sharing community in Laramie, WY. 

Find out more about Yana on her website: https://www.yanaludwig.net/.

Cynthia Tina

Cynthia is the “community matchmaker” helping people find and join the hundreds of intentional communities she has visited and worked with around the globe. She is a speaker, educator, and former co-director at the Foundation for Intentional Community. Her mission is to strengthen the bridge between sustainable communities and mainstream society. After a decade of travel, Cynthia now lives at an ecovillage in Vermont where she’s building a passive solar home, tending a garden, and guiding yoga classes. She has a B.A. in Sustainability from Goddard College, as well as certifications in Ecovillage and Permaculture design. Learn more and book a community matchmaking session with Cynthia at www.cynthiatina.com.

Intentional Community Basics course testimonials

“It dispelled some preconceived notions I held about intentional communities, and helped me realize how naïve I was when I tried to start one. This course helped me know FIC is a resource for me as I take next steps toward finding/living in community.”

-Anonymous

“Words cannot express how happy I am to have discovered and participated in FIC’s trainings. The instructors are experts in their fields and really care about your community’s success. I’m looking forward to signing up for many more sessions to come.”

-Max Thompson

“What a beautiful gift to our intentional community builders and leaders! FIC’s programs provide a way for thinking and concerned people to collaborate for solutions to our multitude of global crises. Thank you FIC!”

-Terri Garcia

Other learning opportunities

• What is Community? Fantasy vs. Reality (Inside Community Podcast episode with Rebecca Mesritz)
• Finding your Community course
• Starting a Community course
• Becoming a Communitarian course
• Understanding Diversity in Community course