Section 7 of the IPC Membership Contract


Application Stage

The following outlines the application process and is open to any person who is interested in exploring this option. There is no specific order to the steps however all the steps will have to be done before your work will be accepted as a Try Out Participant. There are no fees to apply. You can apply before or after coming to the IPC - we accept Wwoofers, Workaways, exchanges in kind and other arrangements too so this could also be another way to check out the community and land, however we suggest you understand how we intend to function before coming. Also note that applying while on the land means that your time for Try Out won't begin till you have applied and been approved which on our end could take up to a month.

  • 1. Fill out the Intentional Living Questionnaire & then send it to us. If you are a group, a couple or a family we ask to receive a questionnaire from each individual adult. This questionnaire acts also as a self reflection tool and clarifies ones desire and position on issues that relate to our community directly.

  • 2. Read the Membership Contract (found under the membership tab or download the IPC Membership Contract PDF.

  • 3. Once Community Earth receives the questionnaire we will give you a confirmation that we received it. Please wait 1 week before expecting further news from us. When we have finished reviewing the questionnaire we will arrange an interview by phone or VOIP with video (Skype, Jitsi, Google, etc...). If you are already on the land as a visitor or in a work exchange role we will meet with you in person.

    This screening process is more about getting to know you better and we will ask questions that may arise to clarify information in the questionnaire.

    While the Tribe aims to be as inclusive as possible we also strive to maintain the harmony and health of the community as it grows. As such, you will be asked to undertake a criminal record check from your country of origin, which you can fax us after the interview. We suggest that if you have a criminal record, that you discuss it with us in the interview. The founders feel that many modern convictions are political in nature due to the system of economics or governments we live under and are quite accepting, however the Tribe as a whole reserves the right to choose who lives amongst us.

    No confirmation of membership will be given at the end of this interview.

  • 5. It could take us another week before we approve or disapprove of your request to begin a Try Out (Trial) Participant period (see below for details), but we will contact you in either case with details. In the spirit of transparency, we will let you know why your application was either approved or disapproved. If you are approved through the application process you and your dependents can start the 6 month trial period as soon as space is available. This period only begins once our Membership Contract is signed and the applicant is working and living on the land.



Try Out Participation Stage

You are now welcomed into the community as a Trial Participant which will last a period of 6 months of actual time spent living in the community. This time does not have to be consecutive but it is probably best to do so. For example, 3 months on, 3 months off then 3 months on again would be okay. If you don't think you can do the Try Out Period at one full stretch please let the Tribe know this before you come.

During this try out period, members are expected to take on most of the responsibilities of the Tribe and we will help you get up to speed within the first month as too how things operate. Newcomers participate in projects and cooperatives, assist meetings, share in the profits and receive all the benefits the community has to offer, with the exception of the right to cast votes on issues under discussion. This trial period allows new comers to find their niche, to integrate with the others and see if they enjoy living together in the eco-village.

As a Trial Participant you will be given temporary housing. This housing could be in the form of a room in someones existing house, a fully equipped camp ground, a cabana or other small dwelling etc... and will be determined before you arrive taking into consideration your needs, what is available and when you are planning to come.

Trial members will be expected to pay a form of rent - 'the Trial Period Fee' which is set at $200 USD per month. These monies will go toward their membership fees. This ensures that after 6 months the full Try Out Period Fee has been covered.

This Try Out Period will probably be the hardest for those unfamiliar with living in such a community, in natural tropical settings, with a free and open mindset and we suggest that you take this period to evolve personally and communally when issues arise, and it is in all our interests to help you do so.

We ask that you give the experience a try for at least one month. If for some reason, you are unable to stay the whole 6 months, but wish to continue the trial period, please inform the community formally at a monthly community meeting of your departure and your intended date of return. The remainder of your trial period will commence upon your return.

Once the Try Out Period begins, Participants will be responsible for their shared work hours (Shawoho), of expressing their needs and engaging in the direct democracy process (except the power to cast votes). They will be included in the monthly financial 'share the wealth' dividends, which will be calculated retroactively 30 days after they begin working in the Shared Economy.

Once the trial period is over the community will gather together through the democratic model to decide whether or not you are accepted into our family. Trial period Participants will be told why they were accepted or rejected. If not accepted, you will be asked to leave and will be given a week to do so. If people are truly themselves this will work out for the best for everyone involved.



Full Membership

You are considered a full Member/Participant when:

  • Community Earth Foundation has received payment for your Trial Period Rental Fee;
  • You have completed your Try Out Period participation time of six months and have been formally excepted into the community.
  • Community Earth Foundation has received payment for your appropriate Steward Land Fee in full;
At that point we celebrate your birth into the Tribe!

A participant can be granted Stewardship of Land if and when all prior Tribe members formally agree to grant it without an up front payment to the Steward Land Fee. Infact, those participating in Shawolo are able to pay off their Steward Land Fee over time if the community accepts this. Until that time and until at least 6 months of participation at the IPC is given through Shawoho, a person can be involved in the democratic processes but not have a vote.

Note: There are no fees required for children (17 and under). When a child who is living in the community becomes an adult, they too must apply for membership and fill in the questionnaire. This is a good moment for them to reflect on what community living means to them and if this is a place they wish to continue living. They too will go through a trial period and pay the fees for this and Steward Land. If an adolescent under the age of 18 chooses to partake in the shared work load hours and does so for 6 months this time can count toward their Trial Period. Note that doing so also entitles them to begin receiving the monthly Share the Wealth Dividends. Like everyone else, once they are recognized as adult Participants they too will be offered land to steward and can begin casting votes.