FAQ

You can start by saying “do you want to know your neighbors?” or “do you like the idea of meeting more neighbors?” These questions bring in a field of thoughts and ideas that align closely with our intention in building local connections. 

From there, you can encourage people to speak from their own passion and experience, e.g., “I’m involved with this organization that’s helping neighbors come together using a gathering model” or “I attended this thing called Village and enjoyed meeting people there!”

And finally, you can “ask”, or the reason you may be talking to someone about the Village. It could be to invite them to attend, or to enlist their help in starting a Village. “I’m looking for folks who like this idea and who want to help get something going in our neighborhood. Would you be interested?” or “I’m a part of a Village Builders program and am looking for a few people to help me by attending the local gatherings. Is that something you’d consider?”

We get asked this a lot! Our ultimate vision at VillageCo is to foster a locally connected world.

To accomplish this, we are directly addressing the two primary challenges we see preventing people from genuinely connecting in their local communities:

1. Lack of Spaces: We lack accessible, neutral spaces where people can consistently meet others locally.

2. Lack of Pathways: We lack easy ways of connecting that ease social anxieties and naturally allow for genuine, authentic connections.

Our 2025 Strategy: 

Our immediate focus is on rigorously testing and refining our Village Gathering model, which is specifically designed to overcome these two barriers. 

We recruit and support Village Builders who implement the Village model in their own areas. We then learn alongside their experiences—analyzing what worked well and where we can improve the model. Throughout the cohort, we provide comprehensive support, including:

• Weekly live support calls.

• Detailed guides and support materials.

• Practice spaces for Builders to learn and hone crucial facilitation skills.

Our Goal for the Future: 

Ultimately, as we grow, we hope to share these simple, effective tools and practices with many inspired individuals—helping to create more Villages everywhere. By doing so, we aim to lead the way to a world that feels stronger and more connected at the local level.

This is a very important question! Many people seeking to build community have an agenda in mind - and that’s a good thing! There are many organizations focused on specific causes or beliefs, but this is not the goal of Village.

Every cause wishes they had more people supporting them, but these groups often fail to see that the space they’re hosting only filters for specific types of people. By making spaces feel comfortable to a variety of people, more people tend to come and will contribute in different ways to a cause.

The Village Gathering model was designed with this in mind. The main focus is on building relationships, a universal need for all humans. As a Village grows and matures, more elements are added into Village gatherings which allow for the kinds of activities that are common to issue or belief-based organizations, however they are not the main focus of a Village.

For example, someone passionate about cleaning up the environment may bring topics about that into Open Space to engage other Village members around that. Or, they may offer Engagements, which are member-led activities that happen between gatherings. An environmentalist may want to offer an eco-volunteer opportunity to their Village as an Engagement, or they may want to host a discussion group to ask what can be done locally in support of the environment.

It’s very important that each Village Member has the opportunity to join, or not join such spaces. That is what allows Villages to be very diverse, and bring together all kinds of people. We do not ask everyone to believe the same thing, nor do we ask everyone to participate in the same action. We each decide for ourselves :)

A Village gathering is where the magic happens! It’s our big innovation - a creative program designed to bring comfort, connection, and meaningful moments for individuals and groups alike. We’ve interviewed visitors and members over the years to increase the impact these gatherings can have.

People tell us they feel safe sharing openly and connecting with others who are equally as willing to share and connect. It’s a warm, welcoming space where important topics can be explored without fear of judgment. One Villager, Kate, described it beautifully: “It fills a big place inside of me of belonging and being open about whatever you want to talk about.” Villages create a space where transformative conversations naturally unfold.

Another Villager, Iulia, summed it up perfectly: “Villages are a group of thoughtful, diverse, open, and kindhearted people who want to connect authentically with others.” And guess what? There’s always something relatable in every gathering, creating endless opportunities to learn and grow!

But it’s not just meaningful—it’s fun! Some Villages kick things off with a Café, where members share creative projects, read poems, or even perform songs. It’s a collaborative, vibrant space where people can shine, connect, and pick up new skills. Want to boost your leadership chops or hone your public speaking skills? You can take on roles and explore new things in a supportive environment. As Sarah puts it, “It’s also a place to grow a little—taking on roles, trying out new things, and feeling encouraged to participate.”