§ Handbook
5 min read
A handbook for each Lab.
Which agreements apply, why were they made and what have we learnt from them? A handbook helps an initiative keep this knowledge findable. This page describes the design connecting decisions, documents and everyday methods within SYFERS.
§ What the handbook is
A handbook that grows with practice. It brings current agreements together and keeps their origins visible: which proposal was discussed, what changed and which decision was made. Participants can then continue the work and adjust it later.
§ The intended process
From decision to a findable agreement.
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Discuss and decide
Participants discuss a proposal, integrate objections and record the decision according to their shared agreements.
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With the right topic
The decision is linked to the documents and topic it concerns, such as the kitchen, water or shared spaces.
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Update the handbook
The current agreement gets a place in the handbook. Those involved check the text; earlier decisions remain traceable.
§ What a handbook contains
Agreements for everyday work.
Topics follow from what an initiative does. Below is one possible structure. Begin with the agreements you need now and add topics when practice calls for them.
Possible contents · each Lab finds its own domains and topics
01
Kitchen
Shared cooking, cleaning and food safety. How the community’s rhythm runs through the kitchen.
02
Water
How water is used and saved on the site. Sources, circulation and seasons.
03
Energy
Shared systems for generation and use. Solar installations, batteries and agreements.
04
Tools
Where tools are, how to use and return them. The simplest part, tested every day.
05
Land
Food systems, seeds and irrigation zones. Syntropic work on the land in practice.
06
Animals
Guidelines for caring for animals on the site. Who does what, when and with what care.
07
Buildings
Shared spaces and maintenance routines. What is communal, what is private and how that changes.
08
Safety
Guidelines for emergencies and prevention in everyday life. What to do and whom to call.
09
Community
How shared living and governance rhythms work. Council, rounds, rituals, questions and attention.
10
Volunteers
What volunteers need to know from arrival to departure. The rhythm of coming, participating and leaving.
Discuss your way of working.
Want to record and retrieve agreements more easily? Contact us to discuss your initiative’s needs and the tools available. This page explains the design.
§ Learning together
People and organisations retain responsibility for their own agreements. The federation aims to support recording, retrieving and sharing useful knowledge. What can be public is determined separately.
Want to connect this approach with a Lab? Read Develop a Lab for the first conversation, and Practice for the shared working disciplines.