East Wind Community is looking for new members

East Wind Community is currently looking for potential new members.


East Wind is an egalitarian intentional community that was founded in 1973 and is located on 1045 acres of woods, hills and meadows in the Missouri Ozarks. All decisions by which we live are assented to by the majority of members. We do not dictate manners of living so long as members do their fair share of labor and not break our bylaws.


Our land, residences, domestic facilities, businesses and labor are all held in common by the membership. All income received is regarded as communal income. Expenses are communal obligations. The community provides food, clothes, child care, health care, transportation and whatever else the membership deems appropriate. These entitlements are distributed among the members in a fair and equitable manner.


We encourage cooperation and discourage competitive behavior. Even so, we are not utopia. Conflicts occur, causing occasional departures. Turnover of members and failure to attract or retain people with specialized skills slows us down. These struggles aside, we are proud of what we have accomplished over the years and are enthusiastic about the future. Our location is scenic and rural. We support ourselves entirely from our communal businesses and are a thriving example of economic and social democracy.


Members are not required to work a fixed number of hours a day, can volunteer for jobs that suit them, and can vary their work life doing different jobs. We agree to take turns washing dishes, and there may be some weeks that all members are required to spend a few hours working in our businesses. With these exceptions, East Wind hasn't assigned labor since 1983.


The community sets a weekly quota of hours that members are expected to work as their fair share of labor. Trusting one another to do a fair share is very important to us, and failure to do a fair share endangers membership. In recent years the weekly quota has typically been 40 hours. Keep in mind, this includes domestic labor which is normally not compensated for in the mainstream; therefore, we generally work less than those maintaining individual households. In addition, members get three weeks of labor credit on the anniversaries of their joining.


East Wind has rules that requires us to try to preserve our gender balance. We are currently accepting for provisional membership females to males at a 3 to 1 ratio. This acceptance policy may change over the next few months as the gender ratio balances out.



Pets are not allowed on Visitor Periods.



We ask that visitors who are interested in membership come for a three-week stay, arriving on the Friday before a visitor period. Visitor Periods begin the first Monday of each month. It is easier to orient visitors when they are here as a group. It may be possible to arrange for a shorter visit than 3 weeks; however, you cannot be considered for membership if you stay for less than the full visitor period.


Requesting a visit
To request a visit, please send us a letter to membership@eastwind.org about yourself, your talents, your work and living situations. Describe why communal living interests you and how you found out about East Wind. Include your questions and concerns about us, our philosophy, rules, facilities, etc. Indicate when you would like to visit and for how long. If you're considering membership, let us know. We'll write back with any questions we may have or to tell you that you may visit. When your travel plans are made, please let us know a "for sure" date and time of arrival, so someone can meet you and
get you settled in. Please do not drop in unannounced. You would be asked to leave. If you change your mind about visiting or about the date, no problem. Just let us know so we can plan accordingly and make any further arrangements that we need to with you.


Families with Children:
The child branch manager gives approval for families to visit after being given a recommendation by the membership correspondent. Families interested in membership are scheduled for a 2 week visit first, and then asked back for a 3 week visitor period when space and time work out best for everyone.


Accommodations
You will be given a space in our multi-bed or bunk visitor rooms. None of the spaces are luxurious, but they are clean and comfortable. Camping out is OK; you'll be shown a good place to set up. We have plenty of linens and lankets. Visitors are welcome to use community clothes ("commie cloz"). The laundry room is open for personal use between 6PM and 6AM. Lunch is served at noon, supper at 6PM, Monday through Saturday. On Sundays and holidays, we have brunch in mid-morning and supper at 5PM. Our community is approximately half meat-eaters and half vegetarians, and we try to meet the
needs of both groups (including vegans). The kitchen is always open, and all may use it. The only items off-limits are those with someone's name on them (which were purchased with individuals' spending money) and some marked by cooks to be reserved for community meals. We clean up after ourselves in the kitchen and elsewhere.


Facilities and Equipment
Community facilities are generally open 24 hours a day. However, there're some pieces of equipment that are supervised by a manager or a group of workers, and there may be some restrictions involved or an orientation required before using them. Generally, it's a good idea to ask if you have any doubt. Please treat what we have as though it belonged to a friend.


What to Bring
You may want to bring a flashlight, rain gear, musical instruments, camping gear if you prefer to camp, a personal tape player, warm clothes in winter, boots or rugged shoes for hiking. The basics are provided, but if you have special needs in food or toiletries, bring those special items. Do NOT bring guns (or other weapons), pets, or folks who have not been invited to visit. Please do bring a good attitude, an open mind and a pair of helping hands!


Orientations
You will have a contact person who will meet you when you arrive, show you to your room, and give you a tour of the community. This person will be available to answer your questions, and may also be involved in giving you some of your orientations. There will be meetings that you participate in that will give you an introduction to our history, philosophy, rules, economics, government, and social structure. You will be directed to the managers in the areas that you may be interested in for work. Training is available by appointment in the hammock shop, and nut butter shifts are easy to plug into. You'll be shown how to do laundry and kitchen clean-up shifts in case the regulars ask for a substitute during your visit. Folks are generally quite friendly and helpful. Visitors are left on their own some; we tend to be self-reliant and self-starting. If you are used to a work situation that is heavily scheduled and controlled, you may need to adjust to our flexible work situation. There are lots of opportunities to socialize informally, but you can have solitude if you need it.


Concerns:
If you get four "concerns" (essentially 'no confidence' votes) in the first week of your visit, you will be expected to leave immediately. This is rare. If you get concerns equivalent to one-quarter of the current full member population during the balance of your visitor period you'll be asked to leave. This is also rare, but it is possible. The vast majority of people have an enjoyable visit and are readily accepted by the group. The visitor manager would pass on concerns to you if and when they are received.


Provisional Membership
The provisional membership period is one year. After six months, provisional members receive the same medical benefits as full members. An orientation toward the end of the visitor period will be given to explain the financial agreement as it applies to provisional members and what will be expected at full membership.


Please give membership the consideration a major decision warrants. Membership can be a deeply rewarding experience, as enriching as world travel, a university education, practicing a profession or advocating for political and social change. It is an opportunity to grow as individuals and pioneer an effort to make the world a better place to live.


If interested, or you have any more questions, please contact membership@eastwind.org

 

Yeh sounds like a great place, i've read all aboout it...

To anyone else that thinks they think this place might be worth a visit, PM me cause i'd like to make my way out to the ozarks with another newcomer... like later this summer or early this fall

I think the place has like 70 people on it so i was feeling like I might not be the best individual at melding into an already existing community... It could only be easier with another person right?

yeh so anyways PM if ur seriously considering...

 

this post was ment for an other thread im sorry

 

Hello, I am a 26 yo woman with a three year old child looking for a community. Missouri is one of the main places I am looking and I have checked out Eastwind's website but I have many questions. Is the entire community cohousing or can families have separate quarters? What are the schooling options for children? How much does it cost to get in and get a house? I am on a very limited income at the moment and these are things I would like to know before I set up a visit. I am an avid reader and writer, working on a novel. I have an informal degree in herbology and nutrition and if the community is the right one, I believe my father and mother will join me as well. My father is a carpenter and very skilled in alternative energy sources. Can anyone provide me with this extra information so I can narrow down the list of communities to visit? I want to find one before my son becomes school age. Thank you.