Strength in Collaboration:
A Resource Guide

After the stock market crash of 2008, the world met a new reality when thinking about economics. One group of Waldorf Schools in the Mid-states region took on the conversation about what this new economic reality would mean for local communities and the non-profit organizations that serve them.

How can communities, non-profits, and small businesses work together to build resilient local economies?

Through these conversations, and the inspiration provided by the Economics of Peace Conference held in 2009, the group decided to develop a guide designed to support conversations and provide resources for building regenerative communities.

The guide, titled “Building Regenerative Communities: Strength in Collaboration,” is now available. Below is a note from its authors:

“Our intention in creating the guide is to facilitate conversations that promote deeper understanding, trust, and community within and between organizations. We feel that such interaction may lead people to discover ways to collaborate that foster associative endeavors, perhaps discovering ways to share resources to support each other’s work.

The Guide provides a starting point for calling a circle and highlights a variety of tools from which to choose for setting up conversations. It contains several case studies that provide the content to initiate conversation. There are additional web, print and video resources to inspire and urge participants into a deep discussion around themes of regenerative communities, associative economics, and cultural renewal.

It is given freely and may be shared broadly. It may be posted on websites to encourage its availability.”

—Mary Christenson and Marianne Fieber (June 2014)