How our Mutual Aid Pool Works

Community Credits (Rebel Dollars) are used to exchange value within the Pool.

They can be:

• spent at participating vendors and farms

• used for food, services, and goods

• circulated multiple times within the community

Rebel Dollars are not cash and not a speculative currency.
They represent claims on real community goods and services.

The Pool is built on reciprocity.

Whenever value is redeemed from the Pool, an equal-value commitment is issued back.

Commitments may include:

• labor or volunteer hours

• food or prepared meals

• produce or seedlings

• services or skills

• other approved contributions

Commitments can be fulfilled immediately or scheduled for later.
This keeps the Pool balanced and sustainable.

Content:
The Calabash represents the health and capacity of the Pool.

• It fills as members add commitments

• It empties as value is redeemed

• It helps prevent overuse and crisis

Example:

• 10 members × $80 capacity = $800 Pool

• $400 seeded = 50% full

The Calabash helps the community see when to slow down, rebalance, or grow.

Content:
As a member, you can:

• redeem vouchers for food and services

• use Rebel Dollars at participating vendors

• submit personal commitments

• view Pool health and your activity

• propose ideas to improve the system

Members are both contributors and receivers — there are no beneficiaries.

Content:
The Pool is governed by consensus, not majority voting.

Ideas move through:

1. Working Committees

2. Steward review

3. Community guidance

4. Consensus confirmation

Consensus means there are no strong, unresolved concerns — not that everyone agrees enthusiastically.

Anyone can bring forward an idea.

Stewards are trusted community members who:

• maintain the ledger

• convene balancing circles

• support repair and mediation

• document rule changes

Stewards:

• do not own the Pool

• cannot allocate resources at will

• serve limited terms

• can be removed if they stop serving the commons

Stewards exist to protect the system, not control it

Sometimes members or vendors may convert community credits back into regular currency.

When this happens:

• a small fee may apply

• fees go into a community reserve

• the reserve protects Pool stability

These rules exist to:

• prevent draining the system

• encourage local circulation

• support shared community assets (like the bodega)

As the community grows, the Pool may create:

• vendor pools

• farm production pools

• youth or labor pools

• neighborhood pools

Each new Pool follows the same principles and governance model and remains connected to the larger system.

Growth happens intentionally — not all at once.