We wrap up our first season with a thoughtful conversation with communities experts Yana Ludwig, Sky Blue, and Cassandra Ferrera on the state of the communities movement (and if it is even a "movement"!)  We discuss the complexity of challenges facing both individual communities and the greater collective Community to meet both the everyday social, financial, and emotional needs of members as well as address larger systemic issues that are being dealt with in society on a broader scale.  Yana, Sky, and Cassandra have been engaged in these discussions together for years as friends, FIC board members, and community advocates and today they share their insights in what could be considered "advanced community theory."

Yana Ludwig is a cooperative culture pioneer, intentional communities advocate, and anti-oppression activist. She serves on the FIC board, and is a trainer and consultant for communities, worker owned cooperatives and nonprofits. She is the author of Together Resilient: Building Community in the Age of Climate Disruption, The Cooperative Culture Handbook (with Karen Gimnig),  and the soon-to-be-released Building Belonging: Your Guide to Starting a Land-based Intentional Community. Yana Ludwig Training and Consulting

Sky Blue (They/Them) has spent 22 years living, working, and organizing in intentional communities, cooperatives, and community organizations. They are currently working with a group of people to start a new community, and work as a community consultant as part of The Next Big Step. They take a whole systems approach to helping groups uncover and address underlying issues and dynamics, develop shared understanding, and find ways to move forward together. [email protected].

Cassandra Ferrera's real estate career and community activism has focused on the edge of cultural innovation where cooperation meets land stewardship. She has provided agency, complex contract design, consulting and cooperative governance support to dozens of communities and land projects. A licensed real estate agent in California since 2003, Cassandra’s license is with the progressive Green Key Real Estate brokerage in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently co-founding The Center for Ethical Land Transition, a non-profit organization that supports solidarity and justice in land transitions. www.cassandraferrera.net

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Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free on the at www.gen-us.net/communities

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