In our own neighborhoods, we are surrounded by the very people who are the backbone of society. Contractors, engineers, bakers, doctors, designers, plumbers, farmers, chefs.

When we come together to do something as seemingly simple as painting an intersection, we meet our neighbors, and we begin to rediscover the power of the village square.

Before you know it, everyone knows everyone by name, and our kids are safe in the streets. We begin growing our own food, catching rain water, telling stories around the fire...

The stories we'll leave for the generations that follow.

Most of us today depend on the grocery store to feed our families.

Grocery stores only have an average of 3 days worth of food, and most of that is nutrient deficient, hyper-processed, and filled with chemicals, and seed oils. Nutrient deficient because our industrial model of agriculture kills soil biology plants depend on, resulting in plants which are dependent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Let's come together to grow our own food. In doing so, we make Hanford strong, and we get healthier along the way.

Our education system was designed to produce a compliant working class. It suppresses creativity, independence, determination, curiosity, and individuality.

It teaches confusion, class position, indifference, emotional and intellectual dependence, provisional self esteem, and an acceptance of constant surveillance.

Children are meant to grow up in a village, surrounded by the young and the old, immersed in the real world, facing real challenges, and have real opportunities.

In this big miraculous world of 8 billion people, there are 8 billion perspectives, and 8 billion unique paths to life. The industrial powers of the 20th century feared the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people, and for good reason. 

Let's explore solutions together. Some potential solutions I see:

Neighborhood micro school
Homeschool club.

Ssussdriad will work to provide homeschool resource centers throughout town, as well as affordable recreational activities.

The videos in this section are an introduction to the problems, and a look at some solutions which are already modeled.

The speech is by John Taylor Gatto, 3 time NYC Teacher of the Year, and NY State Teacher of the year 1991. The man is a hero.

If we are serious about organizing ourselves, we need to think about how we will make decisions.

In our current governance model we are basically powerless. We elect council people to represent us, keeping power centralized at the top, and with little actionable oversight from the community.

Having spent years active in local politics, I can attest that even gathering thousands of signatures, and filling council chambers with passionate people has little effect on council decisions.

Let's try something different.

Sociocracy seems like a good place to start, and is the governance model Ssussdriad will be testing. Check out the videos in this section, as well as the school section to learn more.

Whatever governance model neighborhoods choose, they will form parliaments, and select representatives on given issues to represent them at larger regional parliaments which will form in time.

This approach to self-determination results in informed, and engaged neighborhoods, who have voice in their community.

A keystone in the larger project is community discussion forums which will be organized around sectors like food, energy, education, news, etc.

Neighborhoods will have their own private, secure spaces within which to organize.

It's here, and in-person, that neighbors can get to know each other, and get a wider perspective on the issues we face as a people.

One of nature's most effective strategies is experimentation and selection. As new strategies develop in the community discussion forums, neighborhoods who wish to experiment will do so, sharing their experience with the larger community network.

The forums are ready for testing.

Neighborhoods producing value added products will be able to sell their goods and services on the Finding Hanford marketplace, as well as through the shop downtown.