by Patricia Mikkelson

Fayetteville Goes Local is in the process of identifying and finding out the needs of other great projects happening in Fayetteville. We are so blessed to have many organizations, individuals, and businesses who support our vision of a healthy, self-reliant economy where everyone can get their needs met.

What I have noticed is that a lot of people are struggling somewhat. Because of lack of time, money, and energy, most people who I know who want to build a better world are stretched quite thin. In spite of the challenges, they persevere. I feel very grateful to those who continue to make Fayetteville a beautiful place in which to live in so many ways. Fayetteville Goes Local has been created to help weave together the threads of all the efforts that are being made.

This vision is quite huge–everyone getting their needs met might seem impossible. Yet ultimately this is what has to happen in order for conflict and war to cease. This is a philosophical view that I will enjoy going into more deeply at another time. And, as the old song goes, “If you don’t have a dream, how will you make a dream come true?”

My dream is that what Fayetteville Goes Local accomplishes is no less than to empower the already existing efforts to be even stronger, to identify areas of need that are not being addressed and create ways to fulfill those needs, and to build bridges between conflicting groups and efforts.

We hope that we can create an easily usable model that other cities and rural areas can use in order to maximize upon the resources that they already have and to support them in any way we can.

Here is a list of how we can help support all that is already happening in Fayetteville. If something like this is already going on, please do tell us–we don’t want to re-invent the wheel!

NWA Time Bank: This model which has been used and continually improved upon for the past twenty five years, can help any endeavor to increase participation, quality of service, and sense of community, including neighborhoods, churches, businesses, and non-profits. By creating a regional Time Bank made of many smaller time banks, we can encourage cooperation and an exchange of goods and services that does not require dollars which are so scarce and unstable. We are in the process of setting up the Community Weaver system that is supplied by Time Banks, and will soon have it up and running. We are using a non-computerized system at this time and people are already doing exchanges on a limited level.

Our meeting this Thursday at Qdoba Mexican Grill 6-7pm will help people to connect around the NWA time bank project. You can join our meetup to stay in touch and get involved at www.meetup.com/nwa-goes-local

Self-Reliant Services Network: People who want to offer and receive services that can help them be more self reliant, especially in areas of food, energy, and water, are encouraged to join this network which we hope eventually will evolve into a business serving as an employment agency and referral service matching up people who need services and products with suppliers. Our advertising efforts will serve as education so people can see the importance of becoming more self-reliant.

Resource Bank: We will serve as a clearing house for all the great resources which can help people more effectively be change makers. We invite you to share with us what you know has been done in other areas, and what is being done in this area.

Networking Meetings and Education: We will host, and encourage others to host, networking meetings which maximize the ability of people to connect with their needs including job search, more business, room mates, team members, spiritual connections and friendship. Our weekly meeting on Thursdays at Qdobas Mexican Restaurant from 6-7pm will be a useful way for people to help enrich their network of connections in order to get their needs met. We will also be teaching and demonstrating effective cutting edge models of networking.

NW Arkansas Goes Local Alliance: Using the Coalition for A Livable Future in Portland, OR as a model, we intend to support building bridges between groups, individuals, businesses, and government to create a common ground where differences can be worked out and win-win solutions discovered. Ecology, justice, freedom, livable wages, livable housing, and providing services for the needy include some of the issues that will be addressed.

Economic Solutions Think Tanks: We will hold conferences using such methods as open space technology in order to help people from all walks of life come up with holistic solutions to our economic crises. We will create and continually be refining a vision, goals and strategic plan that includes as many people as possible. Inclusiveness is of the essence! Of course we will support and include the efforts of our new mayor Lioneld Jordan.

Community Weaver Network: People who identify themselves as Community Weavers–folks who support the creation of healthy community wherever they are–will meet and support each other in being more effective. This model is already being used in Reno, Nevada.

We welcome your thoughts and ideas about this, and hope to see you at our Time Bank and Networking Meeting at Qdoba’s this Thursday to get to know you better.