• Season 3
  • Episode 0

Vision and Values with Dave Henson

Relationships
  • March 15, 2024
  • 52 minutes
  • Kai Riviera & Marcus Rodriguez
Episode Overview

This episode explores the topic of Mission, Vision, and Values in community. These guiding principles and founding documents help communities determine who they are and what they do.  In many ways, this is the “intention” part of intentional community. Joining me on a deep dive into this topic is Dave Henson. 

Dave Henson is a co-founder and current member of the 27-year old Sowing Circle intentional community, as well as a co-founder and the Executive Director of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, OAEC.org. Sowing Circle and OAEC share living and working at an 80-acre organic farm and social movement training and retreat center in Sonoma County, Northern California.

An ecologist, educator and facilitator for 40 years, Dave has served as a strategy and organizational design consultant to hundreds of environmental and social justice organizations, movement networks, foundations, and land-based projects in the US and around the world. Within the intentional communities’ movement, over the past 25 years Dave has led more than 50 weekend or week-long “Starting and Sustaining Intentional Communities” workshops at OAEC for more than 1000 participants, and has consulted with over 100 projects around the U.S. seeking to develop shared living farms, centers and Communities.

Follow the show and see inspiring images and video of community life on Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast – I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast platform, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating.

Show Notes & Highlights

[05:32] What Is Trauma-Informed Design?

A warm introduction to the design principles that support emotional and psychological well-being in shared spaces.

[18:45] Why Environment Shapes Emotional Safety

Exploring the subtle ways design influences our nervous systems and sense of connection.

[29:12] Community Spaces That Foster Healing

Real-world examples from intentional communities and shared housing projects.

[41:08] Small Changes, Big Impact

Simple design shifts that make spaces feel safer and more inclusive.

Resources Mentioned

  • Designing for Safety and Belonging – Free workbook by Maya Torres
  • The Architecture of Mental Health – Open Access Journal
  • FIC’s Online Course: Intro to Regenerative Design
Your Hosts

Kai Rivera

Community educator

Marcus Rodriguez

UX designer and co-housing advocate

Related Episodes

Belonging in Shared Spaces

Episode 22 • 45 min

Design, Dignity, & Care

Episode 19 • 40 min

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Transcript
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Kai Rivera

Welcome to another episode of Tech Frontiers. I’m Kai Rivera, and today we’re diving into one of the most fascinating intersections of our time: artificial intelligence and creativity.

Mike Rodriguez

That’s right, Kai. And I’m Marcus Rodriguez. Today we’re exploring how AI is not just changing how we work, but how we create, imagine, and express ourselves artistically.

Kai Rivera

It’s incredible to think about how far we’ve come. Just a few years ago, the idea of AI creating art, composing music, or writing poetry seemed like pure science fiction.

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