Sharing here an article by German journalist, Uta-Caecilia Nabert, about our journey of sharing land in rural Canada. Uta visited us a few years ago and created this article for a German readership. Not long after it was translated and shared in English. Here it is:
I am sharing this primarily to bring attention to some of the root elements that came together to create a growing, vibrant community in an otherwise economically-depressed region of rural Canada.
Those root elements that, in my opinion, helped in the success of community creation are briefly:
- Being a welcoming host to all who come
- Having land to share freely
- Small schoolhouse, or community centre
- Simple land use plan, delineating homestead lots and common land
- A little willingness to allow the project to unfold without controlling it
I may be wrong on some points, but keeping it simple must have been a factor in our success, as I am not able to manage complicated systems! 😉