Exploring Community-Led Economic Systems and the Future of Money as a Tool for Collective Wellbeing

Transformative webinar took place February 7, 2026

What if money could serve life instead of extraction? What if credit was controlled by communities rather than distant financial institutions? These aren’t just theoretical questions—they’re pathways being forged by ecovillages, regenerative communities, and visionary economic pioneers around the world.

Why Money, Why Now, Why Community?

We live in a time when the world’s wealth concentrates in fewer and fewer hands, while communities struggle to access the resources they need to thrive. But beneath this challenge lies a structural question that goes deeper than inequality: Who controls the credit, controls the society.

From Understanding to Action

This isn’t just another lecture about broken systems. Our journey together will include:

Understanding the Roots

Ross Jackson will guide us through the singular structural mistake of modern economies: the right to issue money lies in private hands, disconnected from social and ecological consequences. When we understand this, we can begin to see the pathway forward.

Discovering What’s Possible

From the State Bank of North Dakota to France’s Oasis network and Les Pas Sages, we’ll explore real-world examples of community-based credit systems that are already transforming how resources flow. These aren’t utopian dreams, they’re working models backed by decades of experience from organizations like the Social Trade Organization.

Collective Reflection

In small breakout groups, you’ll explore with fellow participants: What resources already exist in your community? What “dams” are preventing money from flowing where it’s needed? What would mutualized trust look like in practice?

GEN’s Evolving Role

GEN President, Amena Bal will share how GEN’s unique strength positions us to assist transitions at scale. In a world where capital concentrates in the hands of the 1%, our underground networks of connection, communication, and trust become vital pathways for change.

New Tools for Connection

GEN International staff are excited to introduce a new member platform and ecovillage map designed to help us mutualize resources, strengthen communication, and build the trust that makes economic alternatives possible.

Who Should Join?

Whether you’re an ecovillage member, a community organizer, an economic justice advocate, or simply someone curious about alternatives to extractive finance, this gathering is for you. We’re building a conversation that welcomes all communities and movements committed to regenerative futures.

What You’ll Leave With

• A clearer understanding of money and credit as tools for liberation
• Concrete examples of community-based financial alternatives
• A sense of GEN’s evolving role in global regenerative transition
• Renewed trust, connection, and a shared long-term vision
• Practical pathways for engaging with mutualized economic systems

Holding the Long-Term Light

This webinar is part of a larger movement—a civilizational shift toward economies that serve life. We’ll explore both the long-term vision (money as a regenerative force) and short-term actions (connecting through new platforms, building trust across communities, mobilizing existing resources).

As we close, Amena will offer questions for our collective imagination: How do we strengthen one interconnected GEN? How do we grow and scale leadership without hierarchy? How can leaders from other movements feel truly welcome in our network?