TWCN Proposed Constitution

A proposed TWCN Constitution has been put forth by TWCN member Hugh Reilly. His original post has so far not been argued and so like the RFC ways of the IETF, it has become a defacto Constitution. Of course because this is a community, we encourage constructive critism in the form of reasoning, judgement, and even interpreatation. Please make your contributions to the mailing list.

Toronto Wireless Community Network Constitution

Hugh Reilly
Wed, 16 Jan 2002 17:49:41 -0500

Group,

WRT the call to think about a "constitution" for the group, let me submit the following. This has some history behind it--having been forged by members of the nascent "Groovy Community" back in 1992, and then later to become the guiding principles of TransForum magazine.

I have continued to hone these twelve principles over the years, and I think they continue to provide a "bulletproof" basis for any type of "community", any type of common or collective group of individuals working together.

The purpose of a constitution is to set the direction for a group which may continue long after the founders have moved on. A constitution consists of the principles of an organization; a seed around which people can subsequently gather and agree to--and which to some degree are "cast in stone"--for all the right reasons. Like the U.S. constitution which was "cast in stone" to protect the future liberties of all Americans.

I suggest that as we view these principles, we ask the following questions:

1. Is there anything in any principle (of the constitution) that we object to? What, specifically are we objecting to? Is the criticism valid?
2. Is there anything missing from these principles? Is it not already included in any of the principles? How should this new principle be expressed? (ie., are you suggesting adding a new principle, if so, please put it in writing).

So, without further ado, here are twelve suggested principles of a constitution for our "organization" or "community". (BTW, if including the word TWCN seems presumptuous, keep in mind that I just "found and replaced" certain text to make this fit this context--pls forgive).

Preamble

The history of mankind can be viewed as the history of people working together to build and maintain communities, usually for the purpose of improving the quality of life of their individual members. What kept communities together was communication, common interest (and shared values. In the modern world, history, culture, and technology have combined to create circumstances which pose a threat to human existence itselfbut also the opportunity to meet human needs like never before.

New communication technology, especially the Internet and its person-to-person interactive dynamic offer an opportunity to build and sustain a global, yet individual-centric community which can deal with the problems and opportunities facing mankind. TWCN represents a technology and a community created with this in mind.

What kind of community might TWCN be?

One

One which provides the means for people to gather together and communicate.

Two

One where people can enjoy themselves and the company of others.

Three

One where people can pursue their highest level of creative and spiritual expression.

Four

A resource for people to pursue their interests, to exchange information, to form ideas, to execute projects, to do business, and to do so with the voluntary cooperation of others who wish to help with the project.

Five

One where people have freedom of thought, and the freedom to choose.

Six

One where people understand the need for and accept their responsibility for the well-being of the community as a whole which in turn contributes to the achievement of individual objectives.

Seven

One where people respect the rights of others, and in turn can expect that their own rights will be respected.

Eight

One where decisions are made through debate and consensus, and where stakeholders' decision making power is in proportion to their stake in the outcome of decisions.

Nine

A self-supportive network that can draw from the talents and resources of all the people who want to be involved and who approve of these guidelines.

Ten

An organization which provides equal opportunity for members to participate to the full extent of their capability, at the appropriate time, when they are most needed, for the benefit of the Community, and for their own sake.

Eleven

A fiscally sound and responsible organization which creates value by serving peoples real needs, and which strives to measure that value in true currency. True currency is one which, through its exchange, naturally rewards those who serve the true needs of people. Surplus currency ("profit") will be used to ensure that the organization can provide ever increasing value to its members.

Twelve

A living organism that creates value for itself, its participants, and for society at large, and for our living foundation, the Earth.

* These 12 principles are based on those originally published in the pamphlet Towards A Groovy Community, now a priceless collector's item.

-Hugh

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