The idea began with research by Claude Lewenz, who wrote the book How to Build a Village which was released in late 2007. For the next 18 months, there was no publicity, as the Village Stewards - volunteers who wish to help make VillageTowns happen - tested the ideas. It's one thing to have an idea, it's quite another to make sure that it is an idea whose time has come.
Without yet having a book launch, the book sold and continues to sell well, around the world, almost exclusively though word of mouth, as the ideas contained therein appealed. Claude was invited to speak and conferences and events (click "Claude's Keynote Video" for one such speech) that inspired people in the audience. They wanted to live in such a place.
People asked to become involved, to work to make the villages in a VillageTown happen (understanding that this work was not a job, but a passion. Jobs will only come when funding manifests and the business side opens a bank account), thus, in order to separate pecuniary interest (doing well) from human interest (doing good), two organisations were established:
- The Village Forum represents the people who will live in the VillageTowns. Following the principles of checks and balances, the forum will have an arms length relationship with:
- The Village Organising Companies that build the villages in the VillageTown. Subject to available funding, the forum will enable the founding villagers to operate as a group, to assure their village develops as it should.
At this time, the forum is an online, evolving community, where people who express interest in living in a village anywhere in the world sign up. The Village Forum consists of a group of volunteers, called Village Stewards, who work to move the idea of the VillageTowns forward. At present there are Stewards in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Ecuador, the UK, Germany, Austria, Spain. Hong Kong and China.
As regions become identified and a core group of people emerge to move forward with a VillageTown in that region, people interested in living there will enrol with the Village Forum. As the process gathers momentum, the forum will gain in stature, we hope it will form an organisational process to communicate with the people who are interested in becoming founding villagers in the several villages that form each VillageTown. It is expected the relationship with the Village Organising Companies will be amicable, professional and positive; but the arms length relationship will provide balance to ensure such a relationship continues.
If you are interested in becoming a Village Steward, contact us and tell us how you can help.
If you want to see a VillageTown happen in your country or region, the first criteria is to identify someone who is prepared to make it happen, because a village will not be named until the "Contact" page of its web site has a local person prepared to be the communicator.
