Goodenough Community

Mission: With over 40 years of history, we understand what is involved in developing generations of growing people by utilizing experiential education, cultural programs, and through valuing relationships. Our community is designed to be an organized social response to the needs and desires of our members and friends as they seek to improve their lives. Our programs utilize learning and cultural events that that foster friendship and suggest good ways of living. We work toward the goals of self development, learning skills of relationship, and building our capacity to be of service. Our programs and events are open to the public.
With a mission to encourage human development and enrich relationships, we hope to network with other communities with a similar focus: to demonstrate the contributions community makes to a society that seeks to be just, sane and humane. We believe that the work of communities is a vital strength to society and democracy. We believe this can be learned in intentional communities such as ours.
At our retreat center, Sahale, we bring together the principles of land permaculture and human permaculture, increasing food production, wise use of resources on the land, and the development of an Ecovillage.

From www.ic.org/directory/goodenough-community/:

The Goodenough Community started as a group of friends interested in human development. We envision ourselves collaborating in spirited living and lifelong learning as individuals, through our relationships and through organization. We choose the model of a learning community as a transformative path to open our hearts and add our energies to a world that will be more just, sane and peacefully interconnected. The community includes people living in or near Seattle, some in shared housing, and an EcoVillage and retreat center, Sahale Learning Center, on 67 acres of land near the Hood Canal in Washington State.
The Goodenough Community has been developing for over 40 years as an association of people who value the importance of community to a healthy society. Those who founded our community were convinced of the value of community in helping people mature, form healthy and lasting relationships, and learn the skills of organizing, leadership, and being of service to the broader world. Our demonstration of ways of living cooperatively is based on individual freedom coupled with learning the skills of joining with others. We have learned that living in community can both transform individual lives and bring about social change. Our community has a strong interfaith spiritual core growing from the Perennial Wisdom, however individuals are free to choose their own path.
Members of the Goodenough Community live and practice within a “village without walls”: Members believe that if ever there was a time to offer to the public the value of community, now is that time. We intend this demonstration of social creativity and service to inspire others, even as we receive inspiration from other culturally creative people. Knowing that happiness comes from learning and serving, we are doing our part for a better world by supporting the development of mature adults able to both lead and follow in good will. The community provides cultural experiences for women, men, couples, families, young adults and elders. Training and education is a strong focus, and members participate in events designed to help learn the skills of being human at the level of self, relationship and organization or service.
We acquired land in 2001 – Sahale Learning Center. Here we are forming an EcoVillage, study the ways of permaculture for food production and land use, and run a retreat center for ourselves and for other groups. At Sahale we hold weekend workshops, social gatherings, and an annual Human Relations Laboratory in August of each year.
The Goodenough Community offers consultation services to other communities, co-housing groups, and other groups forming around a shared purpose. Consultants are trained and experienced leaders and teachers who have studied community organization and group dynamics for decades, as members and leaders in the Goodenough Community and elsewhere in their professional careers.

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.