Hub Feenix continues to evolve through lived experience, shared learning, and inspiration from other intentional communities across Europe. One of the projects that has influenced our thinking is Les Pas Sages - a popular governance model in France known for its approach to shared living and collective property ownership. Rather than following a strict blueprint, Hub Feenix draws inspiration from ideas and practices that resonate with the kind of environment we are trying to create over time.
What we appreciate about the Les Pas Sages approach is it recognizes that healthy communities are not built through control or forced togetherness, but through cooperation, communication, and creating structures that allow people to coexist more consciously over time with a deep sense of responsibility for our planet.
Many of these ideas align naturally with the direction Hub Feenix has been moving toward:
- Shared responsibility for the environment and community
- Participation without pressure
- Flexible structures that evolve over time
- Learning through practice rather than ideology
The Les Pas Sages approach resonates with Hub Feenix because of its focus on balancing individual freedom with collective responsibility. It sees shared living as an ongoing practice of participation, communication, and mutual care. Below are some of the Les Pas Sages core values that help shape the culture and atmosphere of community life here.
Unlike "normal" capitalistic systems, where more money means more voice, we recognise that each person is equal regardless of their past success or luck in capitalistic terms.
The model explicitly forbids speculation, meaning there is no interest paid on investments. Though inflation adjustments may be made.
The idea is that it must be easy for anyone who has invested to get their money back. Difficult in, easy out, so everyone can feel free in their choice (be independent/free).
Recognising the essential yin/yang nature of the individual and the group, the model strives for balance. No one should give up their individuality for a group, but concessions have to be made.
Individual property (almost always based on violence if one looks historically) can be seen as one of the basic mistakes of current systems and must be avoided for many reasons.
Only the current members can decide who they want to invite. This almost always means some financial input, and always financial transparency both ways. An essential part of sociocracy.
This means we recognise that only all our eyes, all our brains, all our hearts and voices can make us whole again and give us the best chance for a good life. We must learn to listen to each other, not be governed by a minority. Also a big part of sociocracy.
The Les Pas Sages model is build with a long and healthy future in mind. Not the usual short term profibility, but with the end goal of making the community financially independent within 100 years.
While Les Pas Sages outlines a more complete community model, it has never been formally implemented in Finland before. As part of developing Hub Feenix, the community has been engaged in an ongoing multi-year process of adapting and translating these ideas, both literally and culturally, into a form that makes sense within the Finnish context and for us.
This process includes developing the practical and legal structures needed to support the long-term functioning of the community. Hub Feenix operates through the legal entity Osuuskunta Hub Feenix, with bylaws and financial systems designed to support the values and long-term vision of Hub Feenix. Joining the Association also involves a financial contribution to Hub Feenix, reflecting a longer-term commitment to the future of the community.
At the same time, much of this remains an evolving process. We approach community as an ongoing practice of learning and adapting, with part of the longer-term vision being to help other communities in Finland explore and implement the model more easily.
If these ideas resonate with you, and you’re curious about becoming part of the wider Hub Feenix community, we’d love to hear from you.
Les Pas Sages is a model for legal and financial governance originally developed in France over 20 years ago. It has been adopted in France by over 40 communities and is now spreading internationally, with Feenix being the first Finnish community.
At its core the model embeds the community into the larger national legal framework and balances the individual and group needs.
With all of above values in mind, a legal organisation has to be created, in our case Osuuskunta Hub Feenix. Bylaws have to be written to make it work according to the values and the financial flow below ensures correct monetary working. The associate´s current account is the amount of shares owned, or the investment made by the member.
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While the Les Pas Sages defines a complete model, it has never been implemented in Finland.
The Feenix community is currently engaged in defining the necessary documents in a two year process, closely guided by
Les Pas Sage.
This is basically a process of "translation", both literally and figuratively, and by the end we hope to help other communities in Finland to also implement the model, possibly in a shorter timeframe.
