What is an Impact Community?
An Impact Community is a group of people usually numbering between 30 and 150 members which uses the ARK to seamlessly connect an indoor environment with the outdoors – with the direct objective of increasing ecological and social intelligence.
A Impact Community can set any interest focus and has
- learning, i.e. personal and collective growth and
- sustainability, i.e. sustaining life on Earth as an additional objective; and
- has taken stewardship over a commons, i.e. a defined space shared by the community.
1. Sustainability as Common Ground
Sustainability is the common ground that unites us. Beyond sustainability all partner communities have shared or different interests like DIY, music, literature, flow art, gardening, coding, water sports, literature, etc. It is in sustainability that we recognize planet Earth as our common home.
2. Stewardship Over Commons
The Green Steps ARK follows the Buurtzorg organizational concept and structures ARK users in small teams, which take care of communities and commons, i.e. land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community. These teams are empowered by the platform, which gives them on the one hand the cutting edge of a large organization without the debilitating effects of bureaucracy. On the other hand, they are equipped with the spirit of start-ups and act in economic and legal independence. Ownership and exploitation of land and people are transformed in the term stewardship to a responsible management of human and natural resources.
Types of Impact Communities
We differentiate three types of communities:
- Intentional: created by people who share a vision of sustainable and connected life in a rural, suburban or urban setting.
- Accidental: coming to life as a byproduct of a different project through shared values, e.g. a parents’ associations in a school
- Corporate: created in an enterprise for a team of employees by the executive management to link team performance with sustainable development driving KPIs
Examples
What is a Community Mentor
- Community Mentors are individuals who know how to use the ARK and empower the facilitators and learners in their community;
- A Community Mentor is a role model user online & offline;
- Community Mentors manage community roles (learners & facilitators) and the appearance of the community on the ARK;
- Community Mentors moderate the community communication.
