Neighborhood Utopias Initiative

Simultaneous to the organizing of the larger project, Ssussdriad will help neighborhoods to organize themselves toward self-sufficiency.

Neighborhoods are encouraged to begin gathering resources and skills to work together to meet their needs.

One of nature's most effective strategies is experimentation and selection. As new strategies develop in the community discussion forums, neighborhoods who wish to experiment will do so, sharing their experience with the larger network.

This will be a mechanism for the rapid transformation of our community toward self-organization, abundance, creativity, and resilience.

Ssussdriad and Finding Hanford will provide support, documentation, and networking for neighborhoods and groups working toward such ends.

This will start with networking in the forums, and expand into providing requested training, and eventually community-owned recreation facilities, like gokarts, paintball, laser tag, arcades, surfing trips, the sky is the limit.

Ssussdriad will help neighborhoods to tell their story through our media outlets, including a show made up of updates from participating neighborhoods. As others see the success and fun had by neighborhoods coming together, they will want to do the same.

Forums

There will be space in the forums for networking and general discussion.

Neighborhoods will have their own private, secure spaces within which to organize.

It's here, and in-person, that neighbors can get to know each other, and get a wider perspective on the issues we face as a people.

Governance

Neighborhoods are encouraged to practice some sort of democratic process. Sociocracy seems like a good place to start, and is a practice Ssussdriad will be exploring.

Whatever governance model a neighborhood chooses, they will form parliaments, and select representatives on given issues to represent them at larger regional parliaments which will form in time.

This approach to self-determination results in informed, and engaged neighborhoods, who have voice in their community.

Farm

Neighborhoods are encouraged to come together to grow their own food. In doing so, we make Hanford strong, and we get healthier along the way.

Ssussdriad will provide training where needed.
-Permaculture
-Seed starting
-Composting
-Soil Science

School

Neighborhoods are encouraged to come together to meet their own education needs. Potential solutions are neighborhood micro schools, and/or home schooler hubs. Ssussdriad will work to provide resource centers throughout town.

Our education system was designed to produce a compliant working class. It suppresses creativity, independence, determination, curiosity, and individuality.

It teaches confusion, class position, indifference, emotional and intellectual dependence, provisional self esteem, and an acceptance of constant surveillance.

Children are meant to grow up in a village, surrounded by the young and the old, immersed in the real world, facing real challenges, and have real opportunities.

In this big miraculous world of 8 billion people, there are 8 billion perspectives, and 8 billion unique paths to life. The industrial powers of the 20th century feared the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people, and for good reason.

Let's explore solutions together.

The videos in this section are an introduction to the problems, and a look at some solutions which are already modeled.

The speech is by John Taylor Gatto, 3 x NYC Teacher of the Year, and NY State Teacher of the year 1991.

Sales

Neighborhoods producing value added products will be able to sell their goods and services on the Finding Hanford marketplace, as well as through the shop downtown.

Where it begins

The Urban Village

In our own neighborhoods, we are surrounded by the very people keeping the world in motion.

When we come together to do something as seemingly simple as painting an intersection, we meet our neighbors, and we begin to rediscover the power of the village square.

Before you know it, everyone knows everyone by name, and our kids are safe in the streets. We begin growing our own food, catching rain water, telling stories around the fire, and that's where the magic is.