Liz Bassett

I’m a high school and adult ed teacher (English language and writing, mainly) and was once an artist. I’m a member of Narara Ecovillage, an intentional community with about 100 members, on the NSW Central Coast in Australia.

We’re still in the process of establishing the village, which has involved engaging with a range of complex challenges, in a context of ongoing expansion of our numbers. I’ve been drawn into the governance, communication and administration sides of this venture, both out of interest and because the need is always there. I like to think we are evolving a governance structure that is capable of richly supporting human needs as well as organisational ones.

Sociocratic governance is the best way I’ve found to engage the wisdom, energy and creativity in any group of people, allowing effective decision-making and minimising the toxic aspects of personal or institutional power. I like problem-solving, creativity and surprises, and I find that sociocracy is a great way to achieve all three!