The Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) recognizes Diggers & Dreamers as the 2020 recipient of the Kozeny Communitarian Award, honoring the indomitable spirit of Geoph Kozeny, who devoted his adult life to creating community in the world.
The award was presented by FIC Executive Director, Sky Blue, to Diggers & Dreamers organizer, Chris Coates, during the International Communal Studies Association (ISCA) Conference at a Camphill Community in New York State.
Diggers & Dreamers is a British-based network that has been diligently collecting, organizing, and publishing information about intentional communities in the United Kingdom since 1989. In creating a niche for itself as the go-to resource for information about community living in Britain, Diggers & Dreamers has operated for 30 years on a shoestring budget with a handful of dedicated volunteers. Throughout they have maintained a standard of excellence and accessibility, first in print and later via their website. While there are a number of people who have contributed their life energy to this network over the last thee decades, we particularly want to highlight the steadfast contributions of Chris Coates and Jonathan How—who were there from the beginning and continue in the saddle today.
The FIC celebrates the accomplishments of Diggers & Dreamers in the following ways:
—D&D is probably best known for publishing ecumenical biennial directories of intentional community, helping countless numbers of people explore group living options. This is the very essence of networking—providing up-to-date information in an even-handed way and letting readers decide for themselves what’s appealing. This supports seekers, fledgling groups, and established groups alike.
—D&D regularly fields media inquiries, and also publishes titles on community living beyond the directories. Occasionally D&D steps in to assist groups struggling with local officials, establishing good intent and context, helping those coming in contact with group living for the first time to understand that while community lifestyles may be unusual they are also generally benign—if not downright beneficial.
—Based on its extensive familiarity with community living, D&D is regularly called on to help pour oil on troubled waters. Sometimes this happens within a group, sometimes between two groups, and sometimes between a group and its neighbors. Mostly this is accomplished behind the scenes, yet the benefits have been profound for those they’ve helped.
—D&D has made major contributions to archiving the stories of British intentional communities from World War II forward. In addition to the directories themselves (chronicling what’s happened during the last 30 years), the group’s magnum opus in this regard is the 520-page Communes Britannica—Communal Living in Britain 1939–2000 (published in 2001). Lastly, D&D has published some memoirs of individual groups—all of which has added seasoning to the archival stew.
For all of the above, FIC is thrilled to salute Diggers & Dreamers with the 2020 award.
Learn more about the Kozeny Communitarian Award, an annual award to celebrate the accomplishments of a person or organization.
