In our book Regeneration: The Future of Community in a Permacrisis World, we describe the various methods available for a community and community leaders to come together to help create value for the community – centered around the Common Good.
To help practitioners put it all together, we created the Regeneration Exploration Guidelines for Communities at the Regenerative Marketing Institute. Note: we are not proposing the “one-size-fits-all approach” at all; each community will have its unique needs and jobs to be done.
The steps are fairly obvious:
0. What is regeneration? Build a shared understanding that regeneration begins with the regeneration of the Common Good. Take time to discuss the 22 Tests for Regeneration.
1. How do we create community value? Interview the actual members of the community to learn about their most urgent needs. Understand the community value pyramid, paying attention to building community trust. Trust is possibly the most critical success factor for local regeneration projects.
2. Involve community leaders. How do we identify the community leaders interested in regeneration? We talk to them! Look for the “ego-free” leaders who surround themselves with capable and loyal followers (not yes-buddies). Regenerative leaders are interested in promoting the Common Good.
3. Identify community anchor institutions. What institutions are already working in the community? How can they become more regenerative? What actions can they take to protect Nature and create projects for local regeneration?
4. Identify community assets and ecosystems. What are the community assets that already exist in the community? What’s missing? What public goods and services are already making a difference and how can they do better?
5. Action and approach. In the book we present several tested-methods communities have used in the past, along with a few new ones. Which of these might work for you?
6. Community Projects. What are the criteria for designing and executing community regeneration projects? What is possible with current capabilities? What is possible with training and effort? How do we build collaboration and accountability into the project?
7. Community Wellbeing. What outcomes are we looking for? Remember – these are the outcomes we started with at the very beginning – when we defined community value.
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DOWNLOAD the Community Regeneration Guidelines from our Regenerative Marketing Institute website >>