This is about helping neighbors to connect, create and come alive!
Village Company 360 is here to inspire wonderful places to grow up and grow old by fostering caring communities and caring economies for and by neighbors.
WHY IT’S TIME
Care demands are soaring, caregivers are hurting and policies are lacking.
OUR CALL TO ACTION
We think that our response to care could make or break the country.
OUR VISION
We see a future of neighbors helping neighbors through all stages of life.
This is similar but different.
And though growing in America, it has roots in Africa.
Villages aren’t new in the U.S. but we’re approaching them differently:
we’re focusing on going tiny and vertically with medical backup.
Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Harmon is
founder of Village Company 360.
Read Mary-Elizabeth’s story >>>
FAQs:
A caring community is a village but what’s a caring economy?
Here, it means benevolent business / swapping / sharing activity. Quality care not only depends on who it’s for—a child, elder or other—but also local gifts, skills and resources. That’s why we’re focusing on growing caring economies from neighborhoods up (and because top-down care doesn’t cut it).
How do villages work?
No two villages are alike, but generally they serve their members by connecting them to each other and to services and programs, like around exercise or cultural activities. The services are limited only by our imagination, but usually include things like rides to appointments and minor home repairs.
Mary-Elizabeth, where’s your in-person village?
I’ve formed a loosey-goosey village with some neighbors in Alexandria, VA, where I live with my mother as her caregiver. I’ll start a more organized village when I return home to Atlanta.
Is Village Company 360 a nonprofit?
No. It’s a burgeoning self-certified K Corp, or Kind Corporation. Like a B Corp, Village Company 360 is using business as a force for good. The difference is that we adhere to our own standards.
How does Village Company 360 make money?
Our main focus isn’t making money but rousing neighbors. That’s because even with the best plans and tech, villages won’t work without people. That said, we offer a $19 yearly membership, are making products and preparing to launch a service to activate villages in multifamily housing.
Why mix ages and how can mixed-age villages work when we’re so segregated by age?
Different ages bring different things to the table. Just try doing better than a baby at boosting moods! Mixed-age villages can happen with intentionality. Practically, they can happen by viewing “neighbors” in terms of a broader community and using good ol’ transportation to make connections happen.
How can I help grow a village?
Sign up for The Village Dispatch for support to get started. If you’d like to learn more before doing that, read “Making a minimum viable village” and “Starting a personal village in 5 simple steps.”
So Mary-Elizabeth, why are you mixing spirituality in all this?
When we don’t know what we’re spirits/souls with staggering creative capacity, we outsource our power and wait for others to make change. But we’re ALL inherently creative. I believe that we shall only overcome and truly come alive by making the mind-body-spirit connection, so I write about spiritual stuff.