Be Prepared with a Survival Community

Today, we have a different kind of talk, Be Prepared with a Survival Community. Normally, survival, prepping, and homesteading talks come with a theme of going it on your own. But for long-term situations, that is not the best plan. It is always better to have a tribe to rely on and for that tribe to work together for the greater good of the community as a whole.

Please note, this is general in formation. It is for information, education, and entertainment only. Whether it is gardening, farming, animal care, survival, emergency, self-sufficient lifestyle, DIY projects, or herbal preparations this is for info-sharing only. It is not meant to replace urgent medical care. As we have said, we are not doctors, vets, or professionals of any kind. This info is not meant for medical diagnosis or as treatment advice. We do not guarantee any results that we have gotten for any of the projects that we share with you. We share info that has worked for us. For more info, please see the Out Standing in the Field disclaimer page.

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During many times in history, society has been presented with various threats to one’s way of life. Whether it’s the potential for war, a major weather event such as a drought or flood, or something else, you have probably seen these issues come and go from your radar many times before.

But now, the Internet and 24/7 TV stations have contributed to an increase in the anxiety people feel about the uncertainty of what their future holds. We constantly hear about vague threats from foreign nations, supply chain issues for necessary products, weather events that have the ability to bring the world to its knees, and more.

With this looming over the minds of many people, there has been a surge of survival communities forming across the world. In order to prepare for any possible collapse or darker future, groups have begun to learn how to grow their own food, build their own buildings, and survive as a self-sustaining community. 

Instead of being surrounded by neighbors who might end up being people who are trying to take your supplies in a SHTF event, you will be surrounded by a homestead community where each neighbor brings something to the table, and you all work in conjunction with one another to work toward your mutual survival needs. To this end, you will need to Be Prepared with a Survival Community.

One aspect of how to Be Prepared with a Survival Community is to really understand what a survival community is, what it does, and how it works.

A. Survival Communities Are Designed to Share and Teach Important Skills

Some people may be skeptical of the idea of joining a community that typically lives (or is prepared for) a completely off-grid existence. Some survival communities are not as extreme as others, so it is up to you to research what is required when looking to join a survival community.

Although there are some communities that are run by the wealthiest of citizens. Survival communities are meant for all classes, including those who may not be able to simply afford the easy way out of a situation when things get tough. Many are formed by like-minded individuals who want to focus on natural survival preparations.

To Be Prepared with a Survival Community, you will need people with skills.

B. Skills to Learn

When joining a survival community, here are a few skills you can expect to learn and share:

• Gardening

In order to provide food for a large group of people, or even yourself individually, you will need to learn how to plant and grow crops efficiently. You will be able to learn and share how to properly set up a garden space, what types of soil to aim for, and how to tend to different crops over time.

You will also be able to learn how to grow different herbs for healing purposes. One of your neighbors might have a great method for growing something, and they can teach the other neighbors.

Or, the community might trade the harvests they gather at the end of a growing season. You might have one family that grows potatoes and corn, another that specializes in cucumbers and tomatoes, and another that focuses on the greens that will provide ample nutrients.

• Foraging

In a survival community, you will be able to learn how to properly forage for useful tools from the wild, like herbs and other plants that can be eaten or ingested. You will need to learn quickly what plants are poisonous or harmful, so that you can avoid any harm to you and your community.

Once you learn what to search for, foraging can become quite the hobby, and it will help you provide plenty of useful plants for the group. You can find nuts, berries, and medicinal plants that can provide help during tough times when stores and pharmacies aren’t accessible.

• Hunting

Foraging will provide medicinal aids and some nutritional fruits, but it won’t provide all of the protein that physically active humans need to survive. Hunting may not be something you can stomach if you have a difficult time with the idea of it, but it is a very helpful skill to learn, especially if you want to prepare for any survival situation.

In a survival community, you might have one group serving as the hunters and another serving as the gatherers (foragers). You might want to learn both skills so that you have more to offer to the community.

• Animal care

Animals can provide many useful things for a human’s survival, so learning how to tend to animals and raise them in a survival community is important. Even if you are not okay with ending an animal’s life, you can still learn how to raise animals for things like milk, eggs, and wool, along with several other skills.

You can learn how to shear a sheep and how to milk a cow. You won’t be harming the animals, and milk and wool are very useful in major SHTF events when you can’t just run to the store for a gallon of milk, clothing, or blankets. 

• Medicine and healing

When winter comes to the survival community and even a light flu spreads, you will need to know how to care for yourself and possibly others. Learning about the medicinal properties in plants as well as other care skills is essential if a survival community is to thrive.

Even if you don’t put all of your energy into becoming a healer or doctor, it’s still incredibly helpful to learn about medicinal herbs and basic first aid. Learning how to prevent infection and properly dress a wound may be helpful when you scratch your leg on a thorn or trip on a rock and sprain your ankle.

• Mental health

Learning how to find peace with your mind is not an easy task. When you find yourself off-grid and with a community of like-minded individuals, you will be able to take the time to connect with nature and your mind.

You won’t have to carry the entire burden all alone. Mental health is important when you are working to gain skills and improve yourself and your chances of survival. Just knowing there are neighbors next door who are also prepared and willing to help can calm your nerves and make life better.

• Physical endurance

As part of a survival community, you may end up hunting frequently or need to rely on self-defense measures, so you will want to be physically fit. Even if you focus your time on other practices, surviving means being physically healthy as much as mentally.

As seasons change, you may want to be at your best physically in order to prevent any illnesses or other ailments. You might need the physical strength to build homes or shelters, cut wood for fires, and other tasks.

• Self-defense

Although survival communities do not typically face any impending threats during times of peace and stability, they still make sure that everyone knows how to defend themselves and the community as a whole, just in case the need arises.

Violence is not promoted in survival communities, but protection is practiced. In the need for survival, one may end up having to defend themselves and their community from other people who are not a part of their community who try to come into the area to steal their supplies.  Anyone who has watched “The Walking Dead” or any of it’s spin-off shows will understand this. The other guy may not be interested in being your friend, he may just want what you have.

• Engineering

This skill is something that would require a lot of time and focus, but it is just as important as the other skills when it comes to serving your survival community. Engineering and mechanics are a huge part of surviving if you plan to build and grow a homestead and neighborhood.

Building tools and other useful inventions will determine how modernized your community can become. From simple hand tools to Steam engines and machinery with pullys and cogs any kind of machine that you can make or retrofit can be a benefit. Consider how many of the old tools and machines that will still work today for survival needs.

Many survival communities are already set up with all of the tools needed, but you may need to learn these skills if you are ever on your own or plan on starting your own community.

Another aspect of how to Be Prepared with a Survival Community is knowing when to have one.

C. It is Better to Have a Survival Community Than to Go Solo

Being alone can be overwhelming when it comes to all that needs to be done, but loneliness can be just as exhausting. It can be extremely harmful to one’s mental health to endure survival practices solo, since you have no one to rely on except for yourself.

You cannot tend to animals, hunt, forage, wash clothing, fix structures, and take care of your own health all in one day without being completely worn down at the end of the day.

Even if you typically spend your time alone, you should consider opening up to a community so that you learn how to work with others and prepare for any scenario together.

The whole point of a survival community is learning how to survive with a group of like-minded individuals who are also learning how to survive and grow as a formidable group.

Since you all share similar ideas about the world, such as being prepared for the unpredictable, you will be able to be surrounded by people who may understand you better than others.

When you are surrounded by these people who may have different skillsets, you will gain the opportunity to learn from people who know more than you do on a certain topic. 

For example, if you are new to foraging, you may want to bring along someone who has advanced knowledge of medicinal practices so that they can point out the best medicinal herbs and plants to search for.

Or, if you want to practice your self-defense, you could try to work with someone who is confident in their combat skills and who is willing to train you. There will be plenty of opportunities to train with those who have more knowledge than you do on a certain topic or with a specific skill. 

Having other people around with different skill sets ensures that every category has the proper knowledge, and you are prepared for any scenario. Running everything smoothly requires more than one person.

When a group of people come together, you will all be able to divide your time properly so that everyone is not overworking themselves. This is why some people prefer to focus on one or two major skills and why survival communities plan everyone’s contributions ahead of time.

Another part of how to Be Prepared with a Survival Community is making a plan for your own local community.

D. Creating a Survival Community of Your Own

In many situations, having a local community is the best way to prepare. This way, you will not have to rely on people who are not in your immediate area.

A county farmers market, or community swap, is a wonderful way to get things you need and get rid of things that you do not. But some of these events can be miles away in another town or county. So, starting a survival community in your immediate area is best.

Start small with what you have. Add friends and neighbors that you can swap with and expand to other people, friends of friends, till you have a good network of people with all kinds of different things to offer. Make a list of things you have and a list of things that you will need, and concentrate on finding ways to fill those needs.

Remember, you are there to get what you need, but you are also there to help your local community stay strong and able to take care of itself.

If you want to start your own survival community, you will need to get organized and have a plan ahead of time so that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

E. Helpful Tips on How to Be Prepared with a Survival Community

Here are a few things to plan out in order to have a successful survival community:

• Selecting land

When choosing land to build your community on, it is important to consider potential hazardous weather, water sources, rainfall, flatness of land, health of soil, and location. You will want to choose an area that is far enough away from current civilization, but flat enough to properly build a community on.

Having a natural water source within your land could also be helpful, especially at the beginning. This can be beneficial for irrigation for your future crops, to help with all kinds of survival tasks and more.

• Inviting others

When choosing who to invite to your community, you will want to select people whom you can confidently trust. Look for people who share similar beliefs and morals, are typically level-headed, and want to create the same type of community that you desire.

Everyone should be able to bring a new skillset to your community so that you will have a wide spread of talented and hard-working people who are looking to learn how to get through any dire situation.

• Creating a set of rules

Rules should be sacred, so that everyone knows what limits there are. Boundaries are important, and anyone who refuses to follow them should not be able to participate in your survival community. 

A Homeowners Association is similar to what you’ll need to form, but instead of someone getting accused of letting their dog bark or not cutting their grass short enough, your rules will need to pertain to specific survival situations and preparations.

It is important to have the rules set out before hand so no one can say that they did not know. And to have them written out somewhere in plain sight so they are accessable to everyone at all times. Be sure to start teaching the children young so that they will know what is acceptable to the community and what is not. Leave no grey areas or leyway as to what is really meant.

• Making sure everyone does their part

In order to promote complete efficiency, it is essential that every member of the community works to build up the community, based on the skill set they focus on. Creating a schedule will help keep everyone organized.  

Not only does everyone need to be pitching in, but you might want to set some guidelines up for how often they carry out tasks, whether or not they have a duty to teach other community members, and on what schedule.

• Security

You will want some kind of security for your community. You could build a fence, train members, and recruit them as security, or hire trained people to protect your base. You should be able to trust those people, since they provide your first defense against any unwanted visitors.

• Expenses

Creating your own community can be extremely costly if you do not already have land to build on. So you will have to do a lot of saving before you pull the trigger and buy any land you can find people to invest early on if you want to go that way. But remember, just because they have money does not mean that they will have any useful skills when the time comes to need them.

Make sure you know exactly what you want before you spend the money, so that you can be organized and fully prepared for the future. For example, look at the lay of the land, have the soil checked, figure out the distance from threats, and does it have all the natural features that you have plans for?

Your survival community does not need to be hundreds or thousands of individuals. You can form a community of three or four other families who are all interested in preparing for possible future scenarios.

When you find your tribe of like-minded homesteaders, have a plan for the financial growth of the community. and get together to enroll in training programs that can help you all improve your skills.

This might include things like gardening programs, woodworking lessons, fitness bootcamps, firearms training, animal husbandry and more. You can present training to the group for everyone – from junior (children) members to adults.

You need to assign or ask for volunteers to have experts in specific areas. For example, have one person in charge of the medicinal aspect, another who heads up the community’s agriculture, someone leading the community’s defense measures, and so on.

This does not mean only that one person is responsible for everything, but they can be in charge of the planning, lessons, and assigning of tasks to the rest of the community. You even want to have someone who might be a spiritual leader, even if it is not religious – such as a counselor who can help the rest of the community through tough moments.

Make sure you vet the members of your community and get proof of their knowledge. You want everyone to practice the tasks together so that knowledge is being shared and practiced over time.

It would not be prudent to trust that everyone knows how to do something, only to find out in the middle of an emergency that they were not being fully honest and simply wanted to be part of your community for their own safety.

Make sure it is not all serious, either. The community needs to enjoy one another’s company, so plan some fun activities like outdoor group events (fun marathon runs or obstacle courses). It is easy to get overwhelmed and depressed when things look bad. If you are only working hard all day and worn to the bone after a day, it is hard to keep up a good attitude. So be sure you have fun with your daily work. That could mean singing as you work or making the work a game for kids to see who can finish their chores first. Whatever it takes to keep the community mentally happy and healthy, work it out and add some fun to each day.

Joining or building a survival community is not a necessity to get through major events. But it can offer some peace of mind if you feel fully secure in your decision and trust and like the people you plan to be homesteading with.

Yes, you can survive with people you do not like, but how much fun will your future be if you can not stand to be around or work with your tribe members? That will make for a very frustrating and stress-filled life. There will always be people you do not really like or people with whom you do not have much to talk about. But in a survival community, you want people with like minds and a shared interest in the well-being, security, safety, and progress of the community as a whole. You can deal with some quirks as long as the basics are there.

We have put together a Community Emergency Plan Checklist and an Assessing Lands Potential Checklist to help you on this journey. This is a general checklist and tips that you may need to tweak to fit your exact needs. Keep in mind every situation will be different so the needs may be a bit different as well. Feel free to download the PDF, print out, and use these pages for yourself.

This is a three-page Community Emergency Plan Checklist.

Community Emergency Plan PDF

This is a four-page Assessing Lands Potential Checklist.

Assessing Lands Potential PDF

Be Prepared with a Survival Community is not, of course, a full list of “all things” survival community related but it is a good starting place. Every community will have it’s different needs, available resources, and hurdles to master but the basic idea it here. Naturally, you will need to assess your own location, people, and situation to make a plan designed specifically for you and yours.

We hope you have gotten some good info and a few things to think about from Be Prepared with a Survival Community. Please do consider your plans, or lack thereof, for a survival community and make the needed arrangements to secure your family’s future.

If you are interested in some of our other talks please, see the ones below.

Month 1: The Essentials

Month 3: Increasing Comfort and Security

Month 8: Preparing for Group Survival

Thank you for visiting, and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.