This is where you discover the inside scoop of the vision of MIM's Place of Community.  Our virtual and real-life network of intentional communities/ecovillages has adapted Ghandi's "Seven Steps to Global Change" and created a process with hundreds of years of collective experience behind it.  However, initially, most people  think this work is similar to the group home model for those challenged by a mental illness or disturbance. The similarity is the establishment of a supporting environment. But, we are not treatment oriented. We refer out those whom we come into contact with, that unsafe and/or disruptive behaviour negatively affects our work and their lives,  to professional mental health services when we deem necessary.  Our focus is not on drug treatments or therapies. We are not treatment group homes or a treatment center.

Our model, MIM's Model of Empowerment, is of a refuge, respite and diversionary nature. The picture above with me, Angela Suarez, and some neighborhood kids is an example of MIM's Model of Empowerment in action.  I was providing music entertainment with some neighborhood kids.  This also provided neighborhood parents a brief respite from their childrearing responsibilities.  Many times, parents need a break to rejuvenate themselves from their stressful American lifestyles of work, work, work and "Keep up with the Jones's".  This small free service was a diversion from the many ailments caused by strss, including many mental illnesses. Who knows what parent that day may have been diverted from overwhelming responsibilities?  Who may have needed just a little time to catch their breath? Hmmmmm...I wonder, don't you?

We believe folks need an understanding place to retreat to when the symptoms of mental illness become wearysome - a place that won't gouge them for money or force their thinking inside a box.  We also believe an understanding place is needed where folks are accepted as being uniquely gifted, when mainstream society may not recognize or accept their uniqueness. Our model is empowering folks to live self-determined, peaceful, positive and productive lives by the use of the arts as a main ingredient of the empowerment process.  Most of the model is in operation now.  It is no longer pure theory.

Just for a moment,  think of what a city or town welcome center is like.  You find out where the hotels, restuarants, hospitals, golf courses, etc are located.  The day to day operations of MIM's Place of Community, our first prototype center, is beginning to operate in a similar fashion on a small scale.  

We are beginning to operate as a clearing house for information and resources related to the eight spokes of MIM's Model of Empowerment.  From the data we collect from various sources, including our own research,  we are establishing a think-tank to enable our Extended Family Solutions network to solve challenges presented to us.  Our think tank is already beginning to mobilize.  Our publishing service, SPRM Publishing, will continue its efforts of advocacy.  But, it is expanding to include various publications to financially support our ongoing work.  Our newest book "REAL Wealth - A Toolbox for creating Community and Lasting Change" will be out soon.  We are shooting for Novemeber.  We have made additions and revisions to our earlier work "Say What?" which we postponed its publication to offer a more valualble and user-friendly resource guide. And, our retreat center embraces and promotes any and all art mediums that empower peaceful, positive and productive living.  Our Meditation/Reiki/Spiritual Retreat/Quiet Room is already a place to be accepted and nurtured, a place of discovery of who each individual truly is from the inside out.