Page 18 - C.A.L.L. #42 - Spring 2017

For example, when we tested a labor credit system for sharing the domestic work, the data showed that
work was shared more equitably with labor credits in place than without them. Membership turnover
also decreased under the labor credit system. And members voted to continue it, where it remains in
some form to the present day.

Twin Oaks also has a labor-credit system that was inspired by the system described in Walden Two. In
Valerie’s words: “One of the main reasons Twin Oaks has survived as long as it has is its strong,
centralized labour system. Each week one member coordinates each member’s individual labour sheet
with a list of all the jobs that need doing. In this way, the work that ensures the community’s health and
survival gets done, and also members are structured to stay very focused on the work, life and health of
the group.”

Having meaningful work opportunities for the younger generation is an important part of a successful
labor system, which leads to the next lesson:

Step 9: A community focused on inner and outer peace involves the next generation.
A challenge that Nancy and the Songaia community are currently grappling with is “how to pass the
torch.” Two of the four founders have died. About seven members are over the age of 70. These people
have “carried a lot of the energy of the community.” In response to this concern, she asks, “How do we let
go? How does the community deal with dwindling energy resources of members? We don’t have many
young families. The youngest member is six. The aging of the community is a huge challenge.” When
asked if she thinks the community will last, she answers honestly, “I don’t know. Things change. It will be
different. It’s hard to say. I hope so, but I just don’t know. Nobody knows.” Weathering the transition from
the founding generation to the next generation will undoubtedly be challenging for Songaia, but the
culture of support and caring they have built through a deliberate focus on building deep relationships
through ritual, tradition and celebration has provided a helpful foundation as they move into an
uncertain future.

Like Nancy, Harvey is unsure that Dunmire Hollow will outlive his
generation. He notes that “we currently have two second
generation people involved (brother and sister) but that is not
enough to sustain the community. [It’s] not clear that we are
attractive to the new generation.”

Laird also stressed the importance of recruiting younger members
to the long-term survival of intentional communities. They saw early
on the trend toward an aging population and realized they needed
to create “an orderly transition to a younger generation.” He notes
that “while it took us about a decade, we ultimately succeeded” in
attracting some younger members, and “these people have
become the nucleus of the next generation of Sandhill”. On a
similar theme, Laird pointed out the importance of insuring that a
variety of people know how to complete key community roles, and
to diversify your income sufficiently, so that you aren’t dependent
on certain individuals for the community’s survival. In Laird’s words, Every community must figure out how
he noted that he has “been purposefully working for the last 10 to involve the next generation.
years I was there to make sure that there was nothing that the
community relied on me for that only I could do.”

To Jenny, the biggest problem facing Shannon Farm may be the aging of the community. She notes that
“the active members who do a lot of the work are over 60. The younger set who are joining don’t seem

! 17