Building a new world, one neighborhood at a time

Capitalism has done more than simply deprive ordinary people of economic and political power; it has systematically uprooted us from communal life, stripping us of our relationships to the people and places that surround us. In doing so, it has robbed us of our responsibilities to one another, eroding the very glue that holds us together.

What will it take to democratize society? How can we begin to transfer political and economic power into the hands of everyday people? What would it look like to transform our relationships with each other and our ecocommunities? The Neighbor Union is an attempt to answer these questions with a practical path forward. That path begins with a simple assertion. Our greatest hope lies in building the very thing capitalism thrives on destroying: community.

A new training program for community organizers

In 2025 the Institute for Social Ecology hosted a first-of-its-kind regional training program in this Neighbor Union model, providing instruction, mentorship, and support to a group of twenty-five community organizers from across Washington and Oregon. Coming from a range of backgrounds and experience levels, participants were brought together through a shared commitment to “building power in place." Through this pilot cohort, a dozen new Neighbor Unions were established in cities around the Northwest.

In partnership with the Neighborhood Solidarity Network, we are preparing to launch the second cohort of this program, which we now invite you to apply for. It will again have a Cascadian regional scope and is open to residents of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, southeast Alaska, and the northern counties of California. This year, we will also be laying the groundwork to replicate this program in other regions in the United States: stay tuned!

The step-by-step curriculum covers a range of topics, from broad theoretical grounding and strategic orientation, to the practical skills of grassroots organizing, such as door-knocking, one-on-one conversations, base-building, leadership development, logistics, and assembly facilitation. The program involves monthly workshops, written materials, practical homework, direct mentorship, and regular “roundtables” which serve as a collective space for reflection and mutual support among participants. It will be bookended by opening and closing in-person gatherings with all participants.

You are strongly encouraged to apply with an organizing partner who also lives in your neighborhood. Applicants with the beginnings of an organizing team to share their learnings back with will be prioritized. Please share widely with those in this region committed to building community and assembling the building blocks of a genuinely democratic society.

While donations are welcomed, this program is free for all participants.

What is a Neighbor Union?

A Neighbor Union is an organization dedicated to building a community of solidarity at the scale of a neighborhood, and empowering that community to strive toward resilience and self-governance. The Neighbor Union strategy was developed by organizers in South Seattle inspired by the ideas of social ecology, solidarity economy, and dual power.

These organizers found themselves wrestling with the question of how to build grassroots institutions like popular assemblies in a society so deeply fractured by individualism and extreme alienation. Realizing that these institutions could only take root in the fertile soil of authentic social connections, they developed a community-building strategy to serve as the foundation for more organized forms of collective action and self-governance.

The goals of this project are to help people overcome their sense of isolation and powerlessness by getting to know their neighbors, supporting each other in concrete ways, and participating directly in the process of reshaping local life for the common good.

Initially, a Neighbor Union establishes itself as a local hub for community building, fostering a shared sense of belonging and trust through regular neighborhood potlucks. As attendance builds, the organization branches out by facilitating various projects, clubs, and working groups in line with the needs and interests of community members.

After a period of base-building, the organization begins hosting community assemblies, inviting local residents to discuss the issues affecting life in the neighborhood and explore ways they can work together to address them. With increased engagement and support, the scope of the organization can expand further into a vehicle for asserting community control over local institutions through grassroots organizing and public pressure campaigns.

Slowly and intentionally, as the Neighbor Union grows in size, popularity, and organizational strength, experimental programs can become lasting institutions, as a loose network of neighbors matures into an authentic community on the path to self-governance. They are, in other words, social ecology in action!

Neighbor Union Organizing Training - 2026 Cascadia Cohort