From August 1st through August 6th a group of activists, co-op developers and permaculturists gathered for an Economic Democracy Training with the Prout Research Institute in Marshall, North Carolina. As the inaugural in-person program, and with a newly constructed building, the training was a warm welcome to a group of 17 individuals, and focused on studying the principles and application of the Progressive Utilization Theory, or Prout, as a way to achieve economic systems change.
A diverse program included daily workshops, field trips, group exercises, and yoga and meditation classes. A few highlights included learning the principles and requirements of economic democracy, followed by a design charrette to implement a shift from the status quo economy to more localized and democratic socio-economic units. A workshop on leadership development and cooperation covered the role of ethics in activism, and how to live the values of an ideal society in everyday life with our own actions.
A local and well established ecovillage, Earthaven, hosted a tour on the 3rd day, and shared how a small group of individuals cleared land and applied permaculture principles to build a community of 120 residents today. Their success over the past 30 years has been largely in part due to their ingenuity for self sufficiency and a diverse and adaptable community governance structure based on sociocracy. Unique solutions they implemented included a micro hydro dam, time banking where members contribute 16 hrs a month of service, a local currency and barter system, and nested neighborhoods and businesses (HOAs, multi-owner LLCs, and co-ops).
With all these ideas the group returned to the Prout Research Institute and began to design the landscaping and gardens with a permaculture workshop. A cover crop was planted and the beginnings of a terrace for a food forest, edible for future residents and visitors, is now underway. A workshop by The Industrial Commons, a local community-owned manufacturing cooperative, provided insights into governance, decision-making processes and functioning of cooperatives. Another workshop on cooperative movements introduced the group to the history and development of cooperative movements in the USA.
Lastly, a tour with a cooperative ecosystem in Asheville, PODER Emma, provided a glimpse of how communities can band together to ward off gentrification and secure accessible housing through the cooperative model. Beginning when Latino community members purchased their mobile home park, the initiative has grown to include three more housing co-ops, a language justice co-op, bookkeeping cooperative, property management cooperative, and a real estate cooperative who recently purchased buildings to host events, office space, and commercial spaces to incubate more cooperatives.
To bring the training to a close, an engaging workshop, that focused on “Deep Activism: Inner Work of the Organizer”, guided the group to reflect on the much-needed shifts and transformation within oneself for developing the mental clarity to strategize and effectively organize for deep social change.
The Cultural Program included original songs inspired by Prout.
As a partnership with the Prout Alliance, a membership organization for systems change activists, we extend our warm thanks to all who supported our training efforts through generous donations. We also want to acknowledge our neighbors, the Neohumanist College of Asheville and Prama Wellness Center, for their support in providing accommodations. Together, we look forward to hosting more trainings in the future.
Best wishes from the trainers,
Wilder Nicholson
ShriRaksha Mohan
Alex Jackimovicz
Arthur Pacheco
Howard Nemon
Dada Maheshvarananda