In 2006 we completed our first major project, a housing co-op in New York dedicated to providing an inspiring and nurturing home for a diversity of people committed to making a difference in the world. It allows people to develop strong relationships with other people who share their passion for making a difference, and to learn from each other about the different experiences, values and strategies that bring them to the work they're doing. This not only makes a big difference in terms of allowing them to much better sustain their efforts over time, but it makes those efforts much more effective, by allowing them to act from a broader perspective in greater solidarity with other people working in different issue areas. It also creates a collective of people who can support each other to make immediate changes in their own lives so they can bring greater integrity into their personal lives -- in terms of what they eat, what they do with their time, how they interact with other people and the broader community, etc. - and to be part of creating the more just and sustainable world they wish to see, starting from the ground up.
Common Fire aspires to support the creation of a network of housing co-ops and similar housing arrangements including co-housing communities that share these same fundamental commitments.
One of Common Fire’s next major endeavors will be the creation of a hybrid retreat center/community.
Most retreat centers are little more than a shell for people to come in and do their business and then move on, at their best providing beauty and comfort, but with the center largely divorced from the nature of the work being done.
Our vision is a retreat center that is a powerful reflection of the diversity, commitment, and vibrancy of the people and programs being hosted there, where there is a synergy between the space and the people and work being done there. Fundamentally the goal is that the center itself be part of helping people transcend their limited sense of what the world is and connect with powerful visions of what they and the world can be.
Consistent with the purpose of all Common Fire spaces, the retreat center is intended to be:
- Inspiring - Stirring people’s hearts, connecting them more deeply with their compassion, and leaving them feeling empowered.
- Challenging - Raising the bar in terms of people’s sense of what is possible in their lives and in the world.
- Supportive - Helping people live much more powerfully into their potential to help make the world more just and sustainable while living more joyful and healthy lives themselves.
While Common Fire is eagerly striving to create a retreat center that best supports and honors the work of a variety of organizations, we are also moving towards offering our own retreats and camps for adults, young adults, and youth. We are partnering with the Center for Whole Communities and the Nonviolent Youth Collective to offer what are for us pilot efforts in 2007. These will be the seeds for significant growth in 2008 and beyond.
