Q2 2023 - Community Lab 2.0
TLDR
The second Community Lab residency in Tulum brought 10 weeks of co-living, workshops, and community building, culminating in lessons learned and plans for the future.
Hello, Tribe!
Rolling through the year with excitement!
We kicked the month by attending another regenerative gathering. After all the inspirations from Tribalize 2023 we established new, exciting collaboration! We are on the verge of a big shift connected to moving to a new place and activating a community there!
Read to find out about our journey!
**April**
We travelled to Valle de Bravo for the *Encuentro Nacional de las Ecoaldeas Mexicanas. *We were thrilled to share our insights and connect with other like-minded individuals at this event, and are now helping plan a regional gathering in Yucatan.
During our stay in Mexico City, we spontaneously visited the office and rooftop garden of our head permaculturalists at Fenix Farms. We are working with them to develop a 2 ha syntropic agroforestry project at Kuyabeh, Mexico's largest ecovillage.
When returned ot Tulum, we presented virtually at re:build global 2023, the largest online gathering for people building regenerative villages all over the world.
At re:build we shared our 5 Major Lessons from the Regenerative Neighborhood Movement and presented one of our partner projects, Kuyabeh, where we are developing a design concept for a pioneer community. See the short version of the deck here.
On April 16th, as soon as re:build ended, we moved into a local ecovillage and launched our Community Lab residency in Tulum to activate the community. This residency is allowing us to work closely with an ecovillage to foster a culture of innovation, sustainability, and cooperation.
May 2023
May has been an exciting and transformative month for us as we dive into refining our community systems and creating meaningful connections at Community Lab Tulum. From co-creating new structures to hosting our very own Regen Lounge at Crypto Fest, we've been busy building both our internal and external networks. Here's a recap of all the action!
**Week 1: Observing & Understanding**
The first week was all about getting settled in at Community Lab Ixchel. After moving from Tulum, we took time to observe, listen, and connect with the new space and community. We kicked off with a community sharing circle, where we shared our visions and values, setting the foundation for the weeks ahead.
We focused on receiving feedback, understanding the current system, and discussing how we could optimize community management. By the end of the week, we had cleaned up the makerspace, refreshed the yoga shala, and even planted some trees to add more shade. It was a beautiful start to our journey together, and we can't wait to see how these seeds grow!
**Week 2: Organizing & Blitzing**
This week, we honed in on creating our community organizational structure. After gathering feedback, we outlined roles and responsibilities, breaking them down into departments with clear checklists. It's amazing how much clarity this brought to our collective work.
We also introduced the concept of blitzes–30-60 minute sprints where we come together to tackle specific tasks. This week, we blitzed everything from the kitchen floor to the cenote, the tool shed, and even some chairs. Blitzes have proven to be a fun, high-energy way to bond and get things done quickly. Highly recommend trying this in your own communities!
We wrapped up the week with a shared meal on Saturday night. There's nothing like cooking and eating together to deepen connections. Food really is a love language.
**Week 3: Testing New Systems**
By Week 3, we were ready to test our newly designed community structure. We held a community meeting on Monday to share the organizational chart and checklists, and it was amazing to see everything coming together. The feedback was super helpful, and we're already making tweaks to improve things further.
We also turned our attention to the garden, reorganizing the compost piles in preparation for the next few weeks of agroforestry work. The limestone-rich ground of Yucatan presents some challenges, so we're focusing on generating more soil to nurture future growth. Keep an eye out for agroforestry tips in our upcoming episodes!
**Week 4: Regen Lounge at Crypto Fest**
The month ended with a bang as we hosted the Regen Lounge at Crypto Fest Tulum 2023. We were invited to present the Regenerative Real Estate movement in Tulum, and it was such a powerful experience. The Regen Lounge became a space for changemakers to connect, learn about regenerative living, and share their own projects.
We had incredible guests like Alexander Keehnen from Gaianet, offering personality tests and coaching, and Karuna from Water Now, sharing insights on sustainable water systems. The whole event was full of great conversations and new connections that left us feeling inspired and energized.
June 2023
Community Lab Tulum continues! After 4 weeks of organizing and implementing new systems, it's time for adjustments.
This month we committed to tending the permaculture garden. We focused on the groundwork as it is a make or break in Yucatan Peninsula. Since this landscape is known for its limestone ground, we filled the holes with sticks and organic matter to prevent water escaping in the future.
Apart from that, we continued with optimizing the checklists, testing roles and optimizing current structures to ensure optimal community organization.
Big part of community living is connecting through sharing circles and facilitated relating workshops. During our time at Community Lab we hosted and participated in weekly events that nurture connection and intimacy in the community.
Eternally grateful for these months and privilege to work on something we are passionate about and believe will create an impact in how we live and relate to each other.
Hugs,
Regen Tribe Collective.
For more details about what we're up to make sure to follow our socials!
- Follow the journey on Instagram
- Check out our project updates on Tribes
- Visir our Website
