The March Hare: Summer 1997
Issue 13

Skyhouse Joins the F.E.C.

by Starling Ray

Days after returning from my sister's wedding in Denver, I was off on yet another Amtrak adventure­this time to my old digs in Virginia for the Federation of Egalitarian Communities semi-annual assembly. Four days packed with meetings allowed the seven delegates just barely enough time to attend to all the organization's business. Altogether, the FEC is made up of a half dozen member communities and an equal number of "communities in dialogue" (communities who share most or all of the Federation tenets and consider membership as an option for the future). In order to join the FEC, a group must: hold land, labor and resources in common, provide for members equally or according to need, practice non-violence, use an egalitarian decision-making structure, prohibit discrimination, practice ecological awareness and conservation, and provide an environment to support people's development.

As we believers in shared living have noticed, when people unite they can provide for their needs more efficiently. Working on that premise, the FEC serves as a vehicle to provide outreach and many other services for members and even support for the FIC. Outreach consists of attracting new members to individual communities and educating the public about intentional communities through magazine ads, information packets, slide shows and conferences. Other services include subsidies to individuals for inter-community travel and travel to events for outreach, loans for community business start up, workshops and educational materials which promote the values of the Federation. One of the most impressive aspects of the FEC is its ability to provide health insurance for members at an unheard of rate. Given all this, we at Skyhouse have a lot to gain by our acceptance into the organization.

So, I returned to Missouri, my head filled with outreach ideas and my notes filled with tasks. If you'd like more information about the FEC or if you'd like to do some of the tasks on my list, contact me.