2009 Communities Conference
August 14-16, 2009
Twin Oaks Community
Louisa, VA
This conference is a networking and learning opportunity for anyone interested or involved in
cooperative or communal lifestyles.
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Intentional relationships
Group process
Collective child raising
Creating culture
Forming communities
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Sustainability
Appropriate technology
Community economics
Music, dancing
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Slide shows
Campfires, swimming
Magic
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The Schedule: The conference begins late afternoon/suppertime on Friday. Activiites are scheduled throughout the weekend, and will either be posted elsewhere on this page, or email us for details.
What to Expect: We invite people to get together and talk about intentional community of all sorts. We expect about 200 participants including members of many communities: large, small, spiritual, secular, tightly communal, loosely cooperative, and so on. We also welcome people looking for a community, and those just interested in the idea of cooperative living. This conference will be lightly structured. Everything is optional. There will be workshops and sharing circles, but also lots of time to just hang out, meet people, network and play together.
What is Twin Oaks? This conference is hosted by Twin Oaks, a community of 100 people living on 450 acres of farm and forestland in central Virginia. Founded in 1967, we share communal income and property, a labor credit system, and a self-sufficient economy. Tours will be available during the conference. The community is off-limits except during tours.
Facilities And What To Bring: Our gathering site is rustic but has showers (often hot), hammocks, picnic tables, a fire circle and a kitchen. There are tent sites in the woods nearby (and space for a few small RVs, but call ahead). No electricity for individual use. You will need a tent, sleeping bag, toiletries, flashlight, towel, rain gear, mixed-season clothes, and good natured flexibility. No pets, please. You may want to bring musical instruments, toys, games, and any outreach literature (brochures, feature articles, slideshows, photos, videos, etc.) you might have about your community, if you live in one. Child care will be cooperative: we will arrange space for parents and others to share child care.
About Food: Food will be predominantly potluck. Twin Oaks will provide breakfasts, bread, milk, yogurt, salad, and much more. We ask you to bring three things to share:
1.) a refrigerated covered dish (stew, casserole, soup, but not chili), preferably frozen,
2.) some fruit, and
3.) a snack item or juice.
Each should be enough for 10 hungry people.
Who we are: This conference is sponsored by two different inter-community organizations. The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) is a loose organization of almost 100 communities in North America. The FIC publishes the Communities Directory and Communities Magazine (you can order them through Twin Oaks). The Federation of Egalitarian Communities (FEC) is a network of groups which hold their land, labor, and other resources in common and are committed to equality, participatory government, ecology, and non-violence.
Benefit Auction: As one of the conference events, we will be holding a fast-paced, high-energy benefit auction for the Fellowship for Intentional Community, publisher of the Communities Directory. Proceeds will help the FIC continue to bring the exciting news of community to a world hungry for it. You can help in two ways: 1) bring items to donate to the auction-- products, crafts, services that can be delivered locally, a weekend stay for two at your luxurious home... use your imagination! 2) bring your wallet--there will be bargains galore, and every dollar spent will be used to make community that much more accessible to those seeking it.communities conference
Where: We are located near Interstate 64, between Charlottesville and Richmond, VA, 100 miles southwest of Washington, DC. We will send you a map and directions after we receive your registration. If you want to carpool, we will try to match drivers and riders until August 19.
To register, complete the registration form
and send it to Twin Oaks.
The conference is often full to capacity--please send your registration form and fee before August 1. We cannot guarantee space to late registrants.
Here's what's been happening for the past couple months-
Welcome to the new Communities Conference Website! We have a lot of new features, including the ability for users (like You!) to post their own 
