WiserEarth Editors

                                     Click to view 7-min video produced by Lifetime about our work in the world

It's ironic that I contributed to the creation of a new web-based technology that enables people to pool resources and engage in face-to-face interaction, but am totally techno challenged. A friend of mine, Habib Rose, who recently passed away would hold my hand to show me how technology is a tool to grow extraordinary social networks. Being a single parent with four children, I wanted to create a safetynet where I knew my kids would be safe and be "in community" with others who shared our "global family" philosophy. Rooted from a vision in 1986, I realized that loving thy neighbor was an extraordinary act that required knowledge about intention and our ability to fearlessly give and fearlessly receive deeds of love...that we all part of an interwoven patchwork of untapped human potential. Formal institutions can't care for people and are prevented from connecting people together because of policies and procedures ralated to confidenciality and liability restrictions. The trick was how do we get connected to one another, pool resources, self-organize activities and projects and have fun learning and growing together. What emerged from my 15 year commitment recruiting Good Neighbors who formed Family Support Networks across diverse community sectors was a process to create cohesive communities where people were free to be their authentic creative "being" in the world and contribute to the common good of all. It's easy to tap the creative and compassionate potential of your organization or community by weaving people together as Good Neighbors. Community Weaving was born in 2006 with the new technology at www.familynetwork.org  that linked all the people together to weave a new safetynet around the world. This free technology was developed by volunteers and is our contribution to creating a more caring, just and civil society. Trained Community Weavers learn how to generate reports on how people's actions are impacting the world and quantifies it through volunteer hours. They can publish Village Resource Directories, an alphebetized list of resources broken down by skills, equipment and experience, at a push of a button. (Background checks required to access these reporting features). Community Weaving model was published in The Change Handbook as a social change methodology that weaves the human and tangile resources of the grassroots with the skills and expertise of formal systems. This shifts the manner in which community systems function and integrates the voice of the people to restore democracy around the world. I received the Jefferson Award in 2007 for my contribution to this effort. It's considered a mini-nobel prize awarded to ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I'm a mother first and foremost and a good neighbor. It is my pleasure to weave community and watch how people are transformed in the process. I believe the more resourceful we are among ourselves, the more valuable a resource we become to our families, our communities and our world!

I travel the world training Community Weavers how to grow Family Support Networks in their communities. I'm going to be a grandma in January, and I'm interested in training Master Weavers who will manifest Community Weaving around the globe. We consume less when we share more...so let's get out into the world and design creative ways to meet and engage with our neighbors who are members of our global family. 

                                     Community Weaving: Theory, principles, practice and diagrams:
                                                                   www.communityweaving.org

        Family Support Network website used for pooling grassroots and formal resources, self-organizing,
                                    publishing resource directories, rosters and generating reports that
                                     measure levels, frequency and types of service and engagement
                                                                        www.familynetwork.org

The Family Support Network website is a tool developed by volunteers to weave people together so they can access resources to help themselves (to be less reliant on formal system to get their needs met ) and initiate positive change in the world without waiting for permission. It's free to sign up as a Good Neighbor to access a myriad of resources and share equity with global family members.) This is a survival strategy to reduce consumption of natural resources and generate a gifting economy to transform careless societies into caring communities.