An Introduction to kin-shep & Our #kin-shep Community Curator @coyoteom

Welcome to the official @s-h-e-p curation account for hosts, kin in need and community organizers.

When @notconvinced and I started working on organizing some ideas for group engagement, we were sure that with a simple steemit-integrated system, we would be able to reach far and wide—helping steemit users connect in a brand new way.

@kin-shep was founded on the idea that all humans on this earth should be able to connect and support one another in times of need. This refers to need as something routine like yard and garden maintenance, or more dire or unique needs such as rebuilding structures after natural disasters.

Perhaps when we are simply in need of community, some helping hands coming together during a natural building workshop-- #kin-shep is a way to put out that call.

With global connection on the rise through technology, and personal connection hard to find in the glow of the screens, it is important to create a space for people to easily reach out into the web and connect with one another in formative, powerful and personal way: untangled from the web.

Through helping others, we often find that we, too, are blessed in return.

Some call it karma, some call it luck. Maybe we don’t have a holistic word for this rippling effect of good deeds multiplying in individuals’ lives once we commit ourselves to acting for the benefit of others. It seems to be, when we lift others up, we have level support when we are the ones in need.

Finding places to stay by searching through the #kin-shep host tags sounds like an absolute dream when it comes to cross-country road trips and worldwide travels.

The opportunity to travel from home to home, finding a safe shelter and a warm meal in exchange for our work sounds like a truly beautiful lifestyle. The cost of hosting someone can easily be worth the help you would receive, and the opportunity to gain a little good karma mightn’t hurt either.

The ability to create and organize community events and natural skillshares through the #kin-shep tag is something else I am excited about. By writing a post through steemit requesting volunteers to teach workshops on your homestead, helping hands on a cobb-oven, or some seasonal farm-hand work—the post itself helps raise money for your project!

This @kin-shep page is created to sustain the community through curation of posts found within the #kin-shep tag. @coyoteom is the current curator for this account, and will be looking to share quality in-depth posts from the #kin-shep category to spread awareness about your calls for help worldwide.

My next article for this page will be in-depth instructions on how to connect with this platform as a host for travelers, as a kin in need, or as a community organizer. If you're eager for a good place to start right away, check out our original announcement post here, with an example template of what your #kin-shep post should look like.

Or, for a more interactive + visual example, check out the beautiful first #kin-shep post by fellow steemit user @goldenoakfarm:

The Peaceful Farm on the Edge of Africa.

_{Photo property of @goldenoakfarms , Source}

S-H-E-P is a community named brainstorm between @notconvinced and @coyoteom

The platform incorporates the previous creative genius build of the steemitworldmap by @martibis, please be sure to show support for these accounts @steemitworldmap

We are new to account curation and platform management, and would love to know how we can make this community more beneficial for all of us. If you have suggestions for the platform, or questions on the existing program, please let us know!

_{You can find me on Discord at @coyoteom#4240}

As @notconvinced shared some of his story in our most recent article from @s-h-e-p,

I will clue you in on why I find community to be such an important factor in experiencing a fulfilling life.

I was born on a beautiful 40 acre plot of lush green Oregon rainforest. Our home was a place of community. As far back as I can remember we were hosting both international travelers and various folk on spiritual paths from around the world. The land was a place for people to reconnect with nature and reclaim their sense of humanity.

My father started hosting a didgeridoo gathering here on the property the year after I was born. All community run, the gathering—Indidjinus--soon became the largest international didgeridoo gathering in the United States.

This idea of community creation has been with me from an early age because of my involvement with the didge gathering and local festivals I attended with my family. Whether it was coming together to create a village for a week, gathering in sacred places to share stories, attending workshops with passionate skilled folks—there was a lot to gain from these diverse communities.

When I was at the University of Oregon, I worked as a Resident Assistant in a campus community there for 2 years. Students who worked to bond and engage with one another on a personal level outside of the classroom matured in astounding ways, creating in-depth support networks with unique skill-sets. It was clear which individuals were supported by their community, because they were choosing to be actively involved in the creation of care and culture within the group.

After living a rural life back on the Land, in a yurt beside the river, I recognize how blessed we have been to share this space. My gratitude for the ever-green moss, warm summertime gardening and peaceful meditations beside the river runs deep. This land is a beautiful space for earth connection, fern-sheltered campsites + collective creativity to abound.

I am also blessed to have been able to travel in my life. Everywhere I stayed I experienced local hospitality. Whether it was an artists’ apartment to ourselves in Prague, tea brewed from wild herbs in Cadaques, or chef prepared meals camping underneath eucalyptus groves in Australia; kindness was met with gratitude.

My partner and I love traveling, and hope to be true travel bugs in our lifetime. We have been lucky to gain experience at the homestead in Oregon, and have learned a lot about project cooperation and land management in our time here. We dream of flying to India, and have already been connecting with steemians offering places for us to set up camp and rest our soles.

Humans are incredibly diverse in terms of skills and knowledge. We pick up aspects of the environments and stimuli we have experienced in our life. A lot of our skills come from learning to navigate these environments. When we are able to share our skills with others, and receive unique benefit in return, each member of the whole grows.

Now with the creative initiative of @s-h-e-p underway and already seeing engagement under the #kin-shep tag, I am feeling a lot of motivational change beginning its motion. I look forward greatly to reading and curating the #kin-shep posts. I hope to eventually need guest curators to help with the influx of submissions 😊

Till next time, friends!
be sweet, stay wild
@coyoteom

Check out our recent posts about this new community platform:

S-H-E-P~ A Necessary Function On SteemIt
Announcing the Platform, Which Will Bring Steemians Together In Person
A Life Changing Evolution in Steemit Interaction: A Must Read for All Steemit Users

_{Photos and banners created by @coyoteom, excluding sourced photo from @goldenoakfarm}