Greetings, The following is a description of a new resource—a document titled “1000Communities2”—which is now available for free at the website of The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative. “1000Communities2” (“1000CommunitiesSquared”) is a 161 page proposal advocating Community Visioning Initiatives, “Community Teaching and Learning Centers” with ongoing workshops, and “sister community” relationships, as a way of generating an exponential increase in our collective capacity to overcome the challenges of our times. Challenges which receive much attention in this proposal include a) global warming and reducing carbon emissions b) peak oil and reducing dependence on petroleum based products c) global inequities and the tragic cycles of malnutrition, disease, and death d) an increasing world population requiring more resources when many resources are becoming more scarce (with a special emphasis on the increasing number of people who are consuming resources and ecological services indiscriminately) e) there still seems to be a majority of people on the planet who do not have a clear understanding—well-grounded in personal experience—of which basic elements of community life and cultural traditions lead to mutually beneficial understandings, which lead to cycles of violence—and why it is so important for people to achieve clarity on this subject. The proposal includes over 150 excerpts and quotes, which are provided to refer readers to relevant sources for further research—and to demonstrate the need for problem solving on a scale most of us have never known before. Most of the above mentioned excerpts are in the appendices, where this writer provides evidence supporting the challenges identified above, and where he contributes his views on possible solutions. Here are the titles of Appendices 1-6: 1. A Ten Point Assessment of the Most Difficult Challenges of Our Times 2. About Global Warming, Peak Oil, and Population and Consumption Patterns 3. The Transition to Sustainable Communities 4. Evidence of the Need to Increase Compassion for Our Fellow Human Beings 5. Examples of Humanitarian Aid Which Can be Explored Through “Sister Community” Relationships 6. Integrating Spiritual Wisdom into the Everyday Circumstances of Community Life The main part of the proposal contains descriptions of the proposal, and its various elements, and includes: 1. A 15 step outline for a Community Visioning Initiative (19 pages) 2. 15 Suggestions for Preliminary Survey Questions 3. A section on “Problems That May Arise” 4. A section on “Evaluating the Process” The goal of this “1000Communities2” proposal is to encourage others to create similar community specific proposals for their communities—and to highlight the potential of this kind of Community Visioning Initiative approach. The 161 page document is in pdf format at the website of The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative (see homepage of https://www.ipcri.net), and can be downloaded for free. With Kind Regards, Stefan Pasti, Founder and Outreach Coordinator The IPCR Initiative
