Welcome to Northwest Intentional Communities Association!
Our Mission is to grow and support Intentional Communities in the Northwestern U.S. & British Columbia — also known as the Cascadia bioregion — to make visible the many models of successful, intentionally cooperative ways of living that exist, and support the efforts to build community wherever you are. We coordinate the exchange of knowledge and resources about Intentional Communities not only to showcase how they benefit the members’ lives, but to foster ecological, economic and social sustainability in the wider culture.
What We Do
Communities Gatherings
Annually, we host spring and fall events of 1 to 3 days in length, providing opportunities for intentional communities in our region to meet each other, talk about similarities and differences, and share what has been learned.
These events are not designed to be promotional, as in marketing any particular community, but seekers are welcome to them and typically do attend, and at least half of the attendees are usually current community members. If you are a new or forming Intentional Community (IC), and seeking new members, they are a great place to enhance your community’s visibility.
Board Meetings
Our board of trustees currently meet monthly, usually on the first Wednesday of each month -- but dates can vary. Please look for event announcements on our Facebook page. These meetings are combined with potlucks, and move around to different board members’ home communities. We are open to visitors attending.
Special Events / Trainings
Besides our board meetings and larger NICA Gatherings, we have occasional panels, workshops, movie and discussion nights, or other educational events for NICA members. Some of the topics we have covered are: co-creating traditions within community; food growing and food sharing programs; consensus, sociocracy or other group decision making forms; Transition Towns Movement; and exploring the role of elders in ICs.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to grow and support Intentional Communities in the Northwest U.S. & British Columbia — a.k.a. Cascadia bioregion to make visible the many models of successful intentionally cooperative ways of living. We coordinate the exchange of knowledge and resources about Intentional Communities not only to showcase how they benefit members’ lives but to foster ecological, economic and social sustainability in the wider culture.
NICA’s Five Primary Purposes
- Ascertain and promote intentional community aims and values that contribute most to community sustainability;
- Facilitate communication and networking between local, regional and national intentional community organizations;
- Foster and assist the study of and education on all major elements of intentional communities;
- Assist organizing and financing efforts of and for sustainable communities;
- To coordinate the exchange of resources between communities and others.
Brief History
The Northwest Intentional Communities Association was formed by a coalition of intentional communities’ representatives who gathered in the fall of 1992, spearheaded by John Affolter of Teramanto community. The first meeting of NICA was held in the spring of 1993 at the Wesleyan Community on Vashon Island, at which time the bylaws and articles of incorporation were ratified. We incorporated in the Fall of 1993 as a Washington State non-profit. We were involved in the 1993 Fellowship for Intentional Communities Celebration of Communities gatherings and have held gatherings ever since. We began publishing a newsletter in the Fall of 1992, and we successfully became a 501c3 tax exempt organization in 1997.
