The Federation of Egalitarian Communities (FEC) is a group of

egalitarian communities Egalitarian communities are groups of people who have chosen to live together, with egalitarianism as one of their core values. A broad definition of egalitarianism is "equal access to resources and to decision-making power." For example, decisio ...

O'Brien, Ellen
Some communes have survived -- and prospered -- beyond the '60s.
''Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.'' 23 Sept. 1996. which have joined together with the common purpose of creating a lifestyle based on equality, cooperation, and harmony with the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

. A central principal of these communities is that in exchange for a members working quota (typically between 35 and 42 hours per week) the community pays for all aspects of their life style. Members do not typically get salaries; instead, they have small allowances (typically between $75 and $150 per month) with which they may buy luxury items. They live, work and socialize within the community but are free to leave whenever they would like. There are six full-member communities in the FEC, all of which share the primary values of

egalitarianism Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all h ...

non-violence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

and income-sharing. Approximately 200 people live in the various communities. The organization offers various programs to its member communities, including outreach, labor exchange and catastrophic health care coverage. In addition to the full membership, the FEC has lower levels of membership, such as "Allied" or "Community in Dialog". These are for communities that may share some, but not all of the FEC values, or who are not prepared for full membership.

Principles

Each of the full-member FEC communities holds the following values: # Holds its land, labor, income and other resources in common # Assumes responsibility for the needs of its members, receiving the products of their labor and distributing these and all other goods equally, or according to need # Practices

# Uses a form of decision making in which members have an equal opportunity to participate, either through consensus,

direct vote Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are cho ...

, or right of appeal or overrule # Actively works to establish the equality of all people and does not permit discrimination on the basis of race, class, creed, ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity # Acts to conserve natural resources for present and future generations while striving to continually improve ecological awareness and practice # Creates processes for group communication and participation and provides an environment which supports people's development.

Current communities

The following communities are full members of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities: * Acorn Community in Virginia * East Wind Community in Missouri * Sapling Community in Virginia
Sandhill Community
in Missouri * Twin Oaks Community in Virginia

Communities in Dialog

The following communities share most or all of the Federation principles and consider full membership as an option for the future.
Cambia
in Virginia *Cotyeldon in New York *East Brook Community Farm in New York
Le Manoir
in Quebec *Open Circle in Virginia *Oran Mor in Missouri *Rainforest Commons in Washington *Stillwater Sanctuary in Missouri
The Mothership
in Oregon

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of Egalitarian Communities Cooperative federations Cooperatives in the United States *