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 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 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 formal 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 here to use 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 kind and caring neighbors. That’s because even with the best plans and tech, villages won’t work without people. That said, we’re developing services to activate villages in multifamily housing and will sell village-growing tools and trainings later.

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?

Villagers come in three main “flavors”: inspirers, cultivators and activators. Visit this page to pick a path 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, what’s up with the practical spirituality stuff?

When we don’t know what we are—spirits with staggering creative capacity—we outsource our power and wait for others to take the lead. I don’t think that we shall overcome and truly come alive without making the mind-body-spirit connection, so I write about putting spirit…soul…love…heart…into action.