RESET Communities

DEFINITION

 

RE:SET Communities are community-led transformation zones, typically organized around 10,000 people, designed to regenerate local economies, restore ecosystems, and strengthen community cohesion. They serve as local engines of planetary change by turning global frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and the Terra Carta into place-based, people-powered action.

These communities are not external interventions but bottom-up initiatives led by local residents. External partners provide tools, capital, and facilitation only at the invitation and direction of community leadership.

PURPOSE

 

RE:SET Communities aim to:

1. Localize and activate global regenerative goals
2. Restore social, ecological, and economic integrity at the community level
3. Build circular, inclusive, and sovereign economies from the bottom up
4. Empower communities to co-design their future with full ownership of resources and systems
5. Serve as living laboratories for systemic transformation and resilience

 

SYSTEM DESIGN: FIVE-DOMAIN ARCHITECTURE

 

RE:SET Communities are organized around five domains, supported by ten enterprise service categories. All planning and deployment are community-directed, with technical support as needed.

1. Product and Technology Infrastructure
2. Deployment of community-prioritized technologies: solar power, water systems, biodigesters, sanitation, modular housing
3. Community-run fabrication and repair labs using local knowledge and tools
4. Technology choices made through local consultation and systems mapping (e.g., Thortspace)
5. Market Enablement and Local Economies
6. Cooperative markets, ethical trade, and mutual credit systems
7. Barter networks, community currencies, and local value chains
8. Micro-enterprise development driven by local innovators and artisans
9. Finance and Investment Access
10. Community-controlled capital pools, microfunds, and savings groups
11. Access to regenerative investment (e.g., via Proodos Capital) on terms set by the community
12. Ventures structured as Impact Business Units (IBUs) with transparent returns and community benefit-sharing
13. Education and Capacity Building
14. Locally developed, SDG-aligned education tailored to culture and language
15. Intergenerational learning led by youth, elders, and community educators
16. Skills development in regenerative agriculture, storytelling, circular design, digital tools, and governance
17. Use of the Social Impact Game (SIG) and participatory planning tools (e.g., Thortspace)
18. Governance and Policy Integration
19. Community constitutions, restorative councils, and participatory budgeting systems
20. Local charters aligned with regenerative principles, not extractive governance
21. Representation in national and global policy forums through MIPP Hubs
22. Regular feedback loops between community decisions and wider governance systems

 

CORE PRINCIPLES

 

1. Community-led from inception: residents define vision, governance, and structure
2. Place-based wisdom and culture: indigenous and ancestral knowledge integrated into every design choice
3. Distributed governance and shared ownership: no central authority, only facilitation
4. Intergenerational leadership: children, youth, and elders co-lead all planning and implementation
5. Circular systems logic: waste is redefined as value, and systems serve multiple regenerative functions
6. Healing-centered infrastructure: peacebuilding, trauma recovery, and relational equity are foundational
7. Technology supports, not drives: tools are used only when they serve human, ecological, and cultural wellbeing

 

RE:SET COMMUNITY MODULES

 

These modules are adapted to local context, available resources, and cultural priorities:

1. RE:SET Lab: local innovation and fabrication center
2. RE:SET Market: platform for community trade, circular goods, and bartering
3. RE:SET School: intergenerational, multilingual education rooted in the SDGs and community history
4. RE:SET Clinic: preventative health services, traditional medicine, and mental wellness support
5. RE:SET Stage: cultural commons for storytelling, performance, public dialogue, and expression
6. RE:SET Trike: mobile units for education, food delivery, storytelling, and last-mile outreach
7. LAIR (Lighthouse Activating Impactful Resources): local intake, verification, and coordination center
8. Care Circle: peer-led care network for vulnerable or excluded community members

 

GLOBAL CONNECTION AND AUTONOMY

 

RE:SET Communities are fully autonomous but benefit from being connected to a global ecosystem of mutual support:

1. GIRMHs (Global Impact Resource Management Hubs) provide access to regenerative capital, resources, and training
2. MIPP Hubs offer regional infrastructure for coordination, reporting, and alliance building
3. PACIMs (Projects, Assignments, Campaigns, Initiatives, Movements) are launched or joined by communities, aligned with global missions
4. Care4Most Profiles document each community’s needs, assets, and aspirations—enabling ethical matchmaking of global resources without dependency

 

COMMUNITY-DEFINED OUTCOMES

 

Every RE:SET Community defines its own outcomes, but common targets include:

1. Full access to clean water, renewable energy, food, education, health services
2. Creation of at least 200 regenerative livelihoods within 24 to 36 months
3. Circular economy operating across 80 percent of goods and services by year three
4. Full youth literacy in SDG principles, systems thinking, and local stewardship
5. Net-positive ecological impact: increased biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil regeneration
6. Peace, conflict transformation, and relational trust as embedded community infrastructure

 

PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE

 

Partners do not lead RE:SET Communities—they respond to them. All engagement is community-permissioned.

Supporting partners include:

1. Proodos Capital: investment advisory and regenerative finance structuring
2. Learning Without Borders: capacity building, curriculum, and SIG implementation
3. Thortspace: participatory design and mapping tool for systems architecture
4. Thinkroom and Grindstone Ventures: enterprise growth, mentorship, and venture support
5. Youth4Planet: youth storytelling, narrative change, filmmaking
6. Catalyst 2030, Global Chamber, and aligned SDG networks: global visibility and solidarity

 

LOCATIONS AND EXAMPLES

 

1. Stourhead, UK: regenerative heritage and soft power hub, integrating culture, economy, and education
2. Bristol, UK: SDG civic activation with Global Goals Centre and Spark Bristol
3. Pakistan: community-led youth-driven RE:SET formation under Nilofar Ghardezi
4. Sub-Saharan Africa: trike-based agro-regenerative zones supported by Proodos and Thinkroom
5. Mobile RE:SETs: adaptable modules for disaster relief, refugee settings, or mobile festival infrastructure

 

CONCLUSION

 

RE:SET Communities are the foundation of a new regenerative operating system for the planet—not imposed, but grown. They demonstrate that:

1. Communities have the solutions when resourced, respected, and reconnected
2. Regeneration is scalable, fundable, measurable, and inclusive
3. True transformation must start from the ground up, with those closest to the consequences and solutions