The Quaker Intentional Village Project (QIVP) is a network of Quakers and others who are interested in creating and living in a new kind of community. QIVP is a 501(c)(3) organization with the goal of fostering communication and cooperation among people interested in forming communities in keeping with the five intentions (see below).
The Quaker Intentional Village--Canaan is a member village of QIVP. We envision cooperation among member communities, which might include an annual gathering, helping each other with major projects such as timber-frame raising, sharing skills, and facilitating retreats for one another.
The purpose of the Quaker Intentional Village Project is to advance community as a means of working toward the following intentions:
- to increase the mindfulness, spiritual focus, and God-centeredness of our lives by finding and living near others who share these goals and thus will reinforce, on a daily basis, our desire to live in worship
- to strengthen our family life both by creating a “village” setting in which to raise our and others’ children, and by caring for our elders. This includes an emphasis on leaving behind cultural obstacles that interfere with providing the time and energy that a healthy family life requires
- to examine carefully our participation in the national/international consumer economy and begin to build the critical mass necessary for viable business networks and sources of goods and services more appropriate to our Quaker testimonies
- to focus on a lifestyle that is environmentally sound and that attempts to give back to our planet as much as is taken from it
- to include a good measure of joy, fun, outreach, and service in our lives as we strive to meet these objectives.
We believe that our communities' success in achieving these five intentions will be aided by memberships diverse in race, age, ethnicity, sexual preference, and economic situations, and therefore it is our aim to gather communities whose members are diverse in these ways as well as others.
